Chapter 2

I stood several feet from Dad's desk, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Dad."

"You know the rules of the debutante ball," he said.

I lowered my eyes.

"I do, but—"

"No buts." He cut me off and pushed the documents on his desk toward me.

"The Fairmont family has already agreed to the marriage," he continued. "They'll send someone to collect you after the ball. Go register the marriage first. The Fairmonts will arrange the wedding and everything else."

Unable to process how quickly things were moving, I jerked my head up and stared at Dad in disbelief.

"Dad, I don't want—"

"Whether you want it or not doesn't matter," he snapped, as though I'd just said something childish.

He let out a snort. "Thea, this is a deal.

"Never mind the fact that we've raised you for more than 20 years. If I wanted to, I could easily make it look like your biological mother deliberately switched you at birth.

"As for evidence? If we need it, we'll find it.

"Tell me, if we charge your mom with child kidnapping, where do you think she'd spend the rest of her life?"

A chill ran down my spine, but I still tried one last time to fight back.

"But Jonathan just—"

"Thea," Dad cut me off. "Are you really this stupid, or are you just pretending?"

His voice was cold as he continued, "Can't you tell he was being sarcastic?

"He chose Raine in front of everyone tonight. What else were you expecting?"

A thick and suffocating silence enveloped the study.

"If you marry into the Fairmont family, I'll have your mother sign a release clearing her of any responsibility," Dad finally said, his tone softening. "We'll agree not to take any legal action against her.

"And after that, you'll be completely free."

It dawned on me that my freedom was nothing more than a trade for marriage. The irony was almost unbearable.

I closed my eyes, and Jonathan's words echoed again and again in my mind.

"You're just a fake heiress. Besides me, no one else is going to want you."

So, this was how he'd always seen me. It wasn't just that he couldn't save me—he simply chose not to.

At this point, I'd given up.

I slowly unclenched my fists, my palms slick with moisture. I couldn't tell whether it was sweat or blood.

"Fine. I'll do as you say," I finally said.

At last, the study door opened.

Dad had arranged for two bodyguards to escort me back to my room and help me pack, but I knew they only came to make sure I didn't run.

Numbly, I stared at the gift box sitting on my vanity.

Inside was a watch—not particularly expensive, but one I'd secretly saved up for after working part-time for months.

I'd planned to give it to Jonathan after the ball.

Maybe I'd finally tell him everything then, pouring out all the feelings I'd kept buried for ten years—the things I'd never been brave enough to say.

But now, I simply pressed my lips together and fastened the watch around my own wrist.

One of the bodyguards glanced at it but said nothing. He probably thought I was too naive to know better. If I was going to wear a watch, I might as well wear something expensive.

But this one was cheap enough that, if I needed money while I was on the run, I could pawn it quickly and easily without drawing any attention.

I hadn't planned to marry into the Fairmont family at all.

I was going to run.