Chapter 4

The story of Gabrielle' s return spreads through our small rust-belt town like wildfire. But it' s not the truth.

Gabrielle and my father have been busy. They' ve secretly fed a different version to the local gossip mill. In their story, Gabrielle is a tragic victim, a runaway who shamed the family and has now returned, broken and in need of salvation. It' s a clever lie, designed to protect her from the scandal of her actual disappearance and to cement her place at Ethan' s side.

Ethan, desperate to protect Gabrielle' s reputation and his own family' s image, decides to stage a public spectacle to set the record straight.

He organizes a press conference at the front gates of the mansion.

The morning of the event, two of the maids hold me down while Mrs. Gable forces a bitter liquid down my throat. It makes my head swim and my tongue feel thick and useless. I can' t speak.

They drag me outside, dressed in my dirtiest, most tattered clothes, and shove me in front of the crowd of reporters and townspeople. The cameras flash, blinding me.

Ethan stands on the steps, his arm wrapped protectively around a beautifully dressed Gabrielle. She looks like an angel, her face a mask of gentle sorrow.

"Thank you all for coming," Ethan says, his voice booming with authority. "There have been many vicious rumors circulating, and I want to put them to rest."

He gestures to Gabrielle. "This is my wife, Annabel Lester. She has endured a terrible ordeal, but she has returned to me, and we will rebuild our life together."

The crowd murmurs, confused.

Then, Ethan points directly at me. His face is cold, his eyes merciless.

"And this," he announces, his voice filled with disgust, "is Gabrielle Fuller. The disgraced sister who ran off and brought shame upon us all. As you can see, her years of reckless living have taken their toll."

The crowd turns to look at me. They see my emaciated frame, my tangled hair, my vacant, drugged eyes. They compare me to the radiant, well-cared-for woman standing beside Ethan.

They believe him.

"Shame!" someone yells.

"Look at the state of her!"

Then, something wet and slimy hits my cheek. An egg. Soon, the air is filled with garbage. Rotten vegetables, wadded-up paper, mud. It pelts my body, but I can barely feel it. I am completely numb.

I see my father in the crowd. He watches, his expression stern and approving. He meets my eye for a moment, and I see no pity, no remorse. Only satisfaction.

He has sacrificed me to save his perfect, precious Gabrielle.