Chapter 4

The grandfather clock in the Sterling estate's foyer chimed seven times, its somber tone matching the heaviness in my heart. I sat alone in the drawing room, staring at the admission of guilt document Mr. Harrington had left for me to sign. My fingers traced the embossed Sterling family crest at the top of the page, the symbol that was supposed to become part of my identity, now a mark of my humiliation.

The door to the drawing room opened, and I looked up, expecting to see Madison or Vanessa with more thinly veiled threats disguised as concern. Instead, the…