Chapter 1

Scarlett Hayes smoothed down the silk of her borrowed dress, a soft blue that reminded her of her mother' s eyes.

Tonight was the Kentucky Derby Charity Gala, the event of the season, and Charles "Charlie" Blackwood Jr. had hinted he' d be looking for her.

Her father, Thomas Hayes, hovered nearby, his anxiety a thick cloud.

"Scarlett, remember, the Blackwoods… an association could mean everything for us."

Their family name, once prominent in the South, now just echoed in empty rooms and unpaid bills.

Magnolia, Scarlett' s mother, would have hated this desperation. Magnolia, with her gentle hands and knowledge of old folk remedies, had been the secret love of Charles Blackwood Sr., a love that ended before Scarlett was born.

Scarlett wore her mother' s locket, its faint scent of dried magnolia a comforting presence.

The gala was a crush of wealth and power. The Blackwood sons – all five of them, excluding Charlie Jr. for a moment – moved through the crowd like young gods, arrogant and entitled.

Then the "auction" began.

A cruel tradition, thinly veiled as charity. The Blackwood boys, one by one, started bidding for a dance with Scarlett.

"A thousand for a dance with Miss Hayes!" one shouted.

"Two thousand for the pleasure of her company!" another jeered.

Laughter rippled. Scarlett felt her cheeks burn. Brittany, her stepsister, smirked from across the room, flanked by her giggling friends.

Then Charlie Jr. stepped forward, his smile easy, charismatic.

"Five thousand, and perhaps more than just a dance."

Relief washed over Scarlett. He was different. He wouldn' t be part of their cruelty.

She looked at him, her heart hopeful. "I choose Mr. Charles Blackwood Jr."

A week later, at a private Blackwood party, everyone expected an announcement. Scarlett certainly did.

Instead, Charlie Jr., champagne flute in hand, draped an arm around Brittany.

"To my beautiful fiancée, Brittany!"

The room erupted in applause. Scarlett stood frozen.

Brittany' s smile was pure acid. "Oh, Scarlett, darling, did you really think?"

The Blackwood brothers surrounded her, their faces alight with malice.

"It was all a game, sweetheart," one of them, a younger one named Ethan, sneered. "Brittany told us how you acted so high and mighty, thinking you were too good for our circle."

"We just wanted to put you in your place," another added.

Later that night, something was slipped into her drink.

She woke up disoriented, in a cheap motel room, camera flashes blinding her.

The photos were everywhere the next day. Scarlett Hayes, disheveled, in a disreputable place.

Her father' s face was a mask of fury and shame.

Her social life, her reputation, her hopes – all shattered. It was a death. A complete, devastating end.

She remembered the cold despair, the feeling of drowning, and then… nothing.