One year after the gala, I received a letter.
It was forwarded from the university, addressed in handwriting I didn't recognize. I opened it at my kitchen table, a cup of coffee cooling beside me, and read the words that changed everything.
Dear Mara,
I don't know if you'll remember me. We met once, at the Vane Foundation gala. I was wearing a blue dress, and you were returning a ring. You probably thought I was the villain of your story. I don't blame you.
I want you to know that I didn't know. I didn't know about Conrad's schemes, or the foundation's corruption, or the way he was using my family to expand his power. I was a pawn, just like you. Maybe more so, because I didn't even realize I was being played.
After the scandal broke, I left the country. I went back to London, to my f
