The Philanthropist's Daughter, The Traitor's Wife

athing shallow. The conversation continu

warned. "This is fraud, Jaydan. Real, actual f

e. "I cover my tracks. Besides, Adeline's work would never have seen the light of day

'd done something noble. He leaned ba

now what to do with that kind of succe

gile. He thought I was fragile. He had mistaken my trust

. People would cross the street to avoid me. Old friends would pretend they didn't see me. Jaydan found me sitti

elming debt. He paid for the funerals when I couldn't access a single c

I th

solating me. Every time he'd said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," he was tightening his co

ith my whole heart, that this project could redeem my parents' names. He read it and sai

were a team. But now I knew. Every suggestion, every critique, was a way

he past five years, crumbled to dust. There was no pain, no te

nt on the plush carpet. I didn't look back.

lien, the towering buildings like tombstones. I wasn't the same w

lock. This wasn't my home anymore. It was a cr