Chapter 1

The Hamptons charity gala buzzed with fake laughter and the clinking of champagne glasses.

I stood by Julian Vance, my husband, feeling out of place in the expensive dress his mother had picked.

Julian' s health had been a miracle, doctors said, ever since our marriage two years ago.

His family saw me as a good luck charm, a quiet arrangement nobody spoke aloud.

I was Elara, raised by foster parents, the Millers, after my wealthy biological family, the Harrisons, gave me up.

They doted on Chloe, my half-sister, the one they kept.

Then Chloe appeared.

She had vanished years ago, refusing to marry Julian when he was at his sickest.

Now, she was a vision in white, a "rescued" damsel, tears in her eyes.

Julian' s attention snapped to her, instantly.

He left my side without a word.

He showered Chloe with champagne, with compliments, his eyes fixed on her.

The crowd watched, whispering. I felt their stares, sharp and cold.

Chloe saw me, and her lip curled for a second before she resumed her tearful act.

"Julian, oh Julian," Chloe sobbed, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"It was Elara. She drove me away. She manipulated everyone."

Her voice dripped with false sorrow.

"She wanted you all to herself. Please, protect me from her schemes."

Julian turned to me. His face was cold, dismissive.

The man whose life had bloomed beside me looked at me like I was dirt.

"Elara," he said, his voice low and hard. "You' ve caused enough trouble."

He didn't even look at my slightly rounded stomach, the baby we were expecting.

"I'm sending you away. To a wellness retreat. For your own good."

His parents, the Vances, nodded in agreement, their faces grim.

My own parents, the Harrisons, stood near Chloe, offering her comfort, their eyes avoiding mine.

The "wellness retreat" was in some remote, forgotten part of the country.

I knew, deep down, it wasn't for my wellness.

It was a banishment.