Chapter 1 1

"Two hundred thousand dollars."

Richard Blanchard slid the check across the polished mahogany desk. The paper made a dry, whispering sound against the wood, stopping exactly at the edge where Aurelia sat.

She didn't reach for it. She just looked at the number. The zeros seemed to stretch out, mocking her. It was a lot of money to most people. To the Blanchard estate, it was a rounding error. A tip. A disposal fee.

"It's a generous severance package, Aurelia," Richard said. He didn't look at her. He was busy cutting the tip off a cigar, the silver cutter snapping with a violent finality. "Considering the mess you've made of your career. And the family name."

Mr. Vance, the family lawyer who had known Aurelia since she was in braces, pushed a thick document toward her. He wouldn't meet her eyes either.

"The Non-Disclosure Agreement is standard," Vance mumbled, tapping a pen against the signature line. "It protects the family from any future... outbursts. Or claims regarding the medical board's decision."

Aurelia felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. It wasn't sadness. Sadness was warm and heavy. This was ice. It was the clinical detachment she used to feel in the trauma unit when a patient flatlined.

She picked up the document. The paper felt heavy, expensive. She flipped to page four.

Clause 4.2: The Signatory acknowledges full responsibility for the procedural errors leading to the medical board's decision and voluntarily surrenders any right to appeal or contest said decision.

"You want me to sign a confession," Aurelia said. Her voice was steady, surprising even herself. "So that if I ever try to tell the truth about the surgery, about who actually switched the charts, you can use this to discredit me."

"It's a safety net for Dominique," Richard said, finally lighting the cigar. Smoke curled around his face, obscuring his expression. "The merger with the Blackburns is fragile. We can't have your... baggage... spooking the investors. Dominique is the face of this family now. She needs a clean slate."

Aurelia reached into the pocket of her worn trench coat. She didn't pull out a pen to sign. She pulled out a red marker she used for grading interns' charts.

With a sharp, screeching noise, she drew a massive red 'X' over Clause 4.2.

Mr. Vance gasped. "Ms. Blanchard, you can't-"

"Actually, I can," Aurelia said. She flipped the page. "And Clause 5 is unenforceable in this state because it infringes on my right to earn a living. You know that, Vance."

Richard slammed his hand on the desk. The ash from his cigar scattered over the pristine surface.

"Enough!" he roared. "You sign it as is, or you leave with nothing. No money. No access to the trust. And I will cut off the payments for Genevieve's care facility by noon."

Aurelia's hand froze. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic, trapped bird. Genevieve. Her grandmother. The only person in this house who had ever looked at her without calculating her net worth.

She looked at the check again. Two hundred thousand dollars. It would pay for Genevieve's care for a year. Maybe two. But it would cost Aurelia her name, her truth, and the last shred of her dignity.

She took a breath. The air in the study smelled of leather and stale smoke. It smelled like oppression.

She pushed the check back toward Richard.

"No," she said.

Richard's eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing. You have nothing."

"I have my hands," Aurelia said, standing up. She buttoned her coat. "I have my brain. And I have the truth, even if you've paid everyone to ignore it."

"Get out," Richard hissed. "And take your trash with you. There is nothing in this house that belongs to you anymore."

Aurelia turned. She walked to the heavy oak doors, her boots making a dull thud on the Persian rug. Her legs felt weak, the adrenaline draining away and leaving her shaking, but she didn't stop.

She grabbed the brass handle. The metal bit into her palm, cold and hard.

"Good luck with the merger, Father," she said, looking back over her shoulder. "The Blackburns don't like damaged goods. And you know Dominique is nothing but cracks held together by PR."

Richard threw a crystal ashtray at the door. It shattered against the wood an inch from her head.

Aurelia stepped into the hallway and pulled the door shut, sealing the noise inside.

The hallway was silent. A maid was dusting a vase down the corridor. She looked up, saw Aurelia, and immediately looked down, scrubbing a spot that was already clean.

Aurelia walked to her room. It was already mostly empty. She zipped up her single suitcase. She grabbed the photo frame from the nightstand-her and Genevieve at the beach, ten years ago-and shoved it into her tote bag.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A notification from her bank: Balance Low: $42.50.

Panic flared in her chest, hot and acidic. She pushed it down. She dragged her suitcase into the hallway. The wheels rumbled over the floorboards, a lonely sound in the massive house.

She reached the top of the grand staircase. Below, her mother, Catherine, was directing two men carrying a garment bag.

"Careful with the lace!" Catherine snapped. "That's for the engagement party!"

Catherine looked up. Her eyes slid over Aurelia like she was a piece of furniture that needs to be moved. No hello. No goodbye. Just a blank dismissal.

Aurelia gripped the handle of her suitcase until her knuckles turned white. She descended the stairs, each step a physical effort.

She reached the foyer. The front door was twenty feet away. Freedom.

She took a step toward it.