Chapter 2 · My Life for Her Luxury

That was when my phone screen lit up with a message from my mother, Linda Grant.

It was nothing more than a single photograph: Sophie standing in the VIP room at Hermès, clutching a limited-edition handbag.

She was beaming with joy, though I could see the quiet triumph lurking beneath her smile.

A voice message followed immediately.

I pressed play, and Linda's excited voice filled the hollow silence of the hospital room. "Oh, Lily, just look at how elegant Sophie looks with that bag!

"This is exactly the kind of style that suits her. At the Goodman family banquet tomorrow night, Sophie will leave everyone else in the shade.

"Once Mr. Goodman marries Sophie, our whole family will be made."

I gripped my phone, my chest tightening as though a fist had closed around my heart. The pain was so fierce I could barely draw a breath.

I pressed the voice message button and spoke, my voice cracking. "Mom, that was the money for my surgery. The doctor said if I wait any longer, I'm going to die."

A few moments later, my father, Richard Grant, called back. "Doctors always blow things out of proportion to squeeze money out of you. What's the harm in putting your illness on hold for a bit?

"This is the chance of a lifetime. The Goodmans are the richest family in Riverdale. Once Sophie marries into that family, we won't be talking one million. We'll be talking ten.

"We can get you treated then."

Put my illness on hold? In their eyes, a single opportunity for Sophie to land a wealthy husband was worth more than my entire life.

"Dad," I said, "what if I don't last that long?"

Richard let out a cold laugh. "Then I guess you were born unlucky.

"Ever since we took you back in, the family business has been on a steady decline. Now we're on the verge of going under.

"If you really saw us as family, you'd be rooting for your sister's success instead of squabbling over every penny.

"Enough. Stop calling us. Your mother and I are picking out an evening gown for Sophie, and we don't have time for your complaints."

Then the line went dead.

I pulled the needle from the back of my hand. Blood welled up and fell in drops across the white bedsheet.

I didn't bother pressing the cotton to the wound. A little pain like that meant nothing next to the chill that had settled deep inside me.

I tapped open a black profile picture that I hadn't touched in what felt like forever.

It belonged to Charles Goodman, the head of Riverdale's most powerful family and the very man Sophie had been longing to marry.

He was also the man who, one rainy night, had asked me if I wanted to leave with him.

Back then, I turned him down for the sake of the people I thought were my family and for Victor.

What a fool I had been.

I typed out a single line and let my finger hover over the send button for what felt like an eternity. [Charles, would you still marry me?]

The message disappeared into the void.

Twenty minutes passed, and there was still no response.

I suppose that made sense. A man like him, rejected once, why would he still be waiting?

Just as I closed my eyes in defeat, my phone lit up.

A brief message appeared: [I'm stuck in Atheria. The blizzard has shut down all the roads, and my flight is delayed.]

Then, it came another: [Wait for me.]

I gripped the edge of the bed and pulled myself up, then traded the hospital gown for my denim jacket, the one faded nearly white from too many washes.

If my family wanted so badly to see a daughter marry into the Goodmans, then I would give them exactly what they wanted. Only I would be the one walking down that aisle.

Chapter 2

That was when my phone screen lit up with a message from my mother, Linda Grant.

It was nothing more than a single photograph: Sophie standing in the VIP room at Hermès, clutching a limited-edition handbag.

She was beaming with joy, though I could see the quiet triumph lurking beneath her smile.

A voice message followed immediately.

I pressed play, and Linda's excited voice filled the hollow silence of the hospital room. "Oh, Lily, just look at how elegant Sophie looks with that bag!

"This is exactly the kind of style that suits her. At the Goodman family banquet tomorrow night, Sophie will leave everyone else in the shade.

"Once Mr. Goodman marries Sophie, our whole family will be made."

I gripped my phone, my chest tightening as though a fist had closed around my heart. The pain was so fierce I could barely draw a breath.

I pressed the voice message button and spoke, my voice cracking. "Mom, that was the money for my surgery. The doctor said if I wait any longer, I'm going to die."

A few moments later, my father, Richard Grant, called back. "Doctors always blow things out of proportion to squeeze money out of you. What's the harm in putting your illness on hold for a bit?

"This is the chance of a lifetime. The Goodmans are the richest family in Riverdale. Once Sophie marries into that family, we won't be talking one million. We'll be talking ten.

"We can get you treated then."

Put my illness on hold? In their eyes, a single opportunity for Sophie to land a wealthy husband was worth more than my entire life.

"Dad," I said, "what if I don't last that long?"

Richard let out a cold laugh. "Then I guess you were born unlucky.

"Ever since we took you back in, the family business has been on a steady decline. Now we're on the verge of going under.

"If you really saw us as family, you'd be rooting for your sister's success instead of squabbling over every penny.

"Enough. Stop calling us. Your mother and I are picking out an evening gown for Sophie, and we don't have time for your complaints."

Then the line went dead.

I pulled the needle from the back of my hand. Blood welled up and fell in drops across the white bedsheet.

I didn't bother pressing the cotton to the wound. A little pain like that meant nothing next to the chill that had settled deep inside me.

I tapped open a black profile picture that I hadn't touched in what felt like forever.

It belonged to Charles Goodman, the head of Riverdale's most powerful family and the very man Sophie had been longing to marry.

He was also the man who, one rainy night, had asked me if I wanted to leave with him.

Back then, I turned him down for the sake of the people I thought were my family and for Victor.

What a fool I had been.

I typed out a single line and let my finger hover over the send button for what felt like an eternity. [Charles, would you still marry me?]

The message disappeared into the void.

Twenty minutes passed, and there was still no response.

I suppose that made sense. A man like him, rejected once, why would he still be waiting?

Just as I closed my eyes in defeat, my phone lit up.

A brief message appeared: [I'm stuck in Atheria. The blizzard has shut down all the roads, and my flight is delayed.]

Then, it came another: [Wait for me.]

I gripped the edge of the bed and pulled myself up, then traded the hospital gown for my denim jacket, the one faded nearly white from too many washes.

If my family wanted so badly to see a daughter marry into the Goodmans, then I would give them exactly what they wanted. Only I would be the one walking down that aisle.