Chapter 10 - The Uncovered Life
Six months later, the sun was shining over the French Riviera, painting the Mediterranean in shades of deep sapphire and gold.
I stood on the stone balcony of the Laurent estate in Nice, the warm coastal breeze lifting the hem of my simple, elegant linen sundress. No diamonds today. No platinum thread. No heavy, stifling ivory silk designed to appease society's expectations of what an acceptable bride should look like.
Just me.
My phone buzzed on the wrought-iron table beside my espresso cup. It was a legal notification from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Victoria Ashford’s plea deal had been finalized. Three years probation, mandatory psychological counseling, and a permanent restraining order keeping her at least five hundred yards away from me, my family properties, and any building containing open flames.
I smiled, locking the phone and slipping it into my pocket.
Inside the grand salon, the melodic strains of a classical piano drifted through the open French doors. Grandma Eleanor was sitting by the grand piano, laughing softly as she discussed shipping logistics with the CEO of our European division.
For years, I had thought that surviving in a world of privilege meant learning how to take the hits, how to shrink yourself to fit into other people's boxes, and how to wear a disguise just to feel safe.
My grandmother had taught me something far more powerful.
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You don't need to fight monsters in the mud. You just need to let them reveal themselves in the light—and let your true self shine so brilliantly that their entire world burns down around them.
I turned my face toward the warm Mediterranean sun, took a deep, unhurried breath, and smiled. The outer layer was gone forever. And for the first time in my life, I was completely, beautifully exposed to the world—and entirely untouchable.
