Exposing the Sterling Lies

Synopsis

The Grand Royal Hotel ballroom sparkled like something from a fairy tale—my fairy tale. Crystal chandeliers cast prismatic light across marble floors, illuminating the faces of New York's elite as they mingled, champagne flutes in hand. I smoothed the silk of my champagne-colored gown, a custom creation that had cost more than my parents' monthly mortgage. "You look stunning," whispered a passing socialite whose name I should have remembered. I offered a practiced smile in return, the kind I'd been perfecting since Nathan had slipped that enormous diamond onto my finger six months ago. My mother stood across the room, dabbing at her eyes while chatting with women whose last names appeared on buildings and charitable foundations. I caught her gaze and she beamed at me with such naked pride that my chest tightened. This was her dream too—her daughter marrying into the Sterling family, securing a future beyond anything our middle-class Denver roots could have imagined. I twisted the delicate silver locket at my neck—my grandmother's, the only piece of jewelry I wore that didn't come with