In front of my husband’s family, my mother-in-law said that by getting married I had “moved up in life.” I filed for divorce right then and there… But the next day, in front of the judge, they discovered who I really was.

“Oh, look at that, the girl finally developed a shred of self-awareness.”

I grabbed my purse from the velvet chair and looked directly at the man I once loved.

“Then let’s get a divorce.”

Brielle’s crystal glass hit the table with a loud thud, and Tyler’s head snapped up as if he had been slapped.

“What did you just say?” Cordelia asked, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the county clerk’s office to file the papers.”

Brielle burst into a fit of cruel, high-pitched laughter.

“And do what? Go back to your mother’s cramped apartment and beg for a bed, or go hunting for another rich man to leech off of?”

I didn’t even give her the satisfaction of a glance.

“Don’t worry, Cordelia,” I said, locking eyes with my mother-in-law. “I won’t be taking a single cent of your precious family fortune.”

She slammed her hand against the polished mahogany table with a loud bang.

“Marrying into this family was a promotion for a girl like you, so don’t you dare act like you have any dignity left to stand on.”

The word “promotion” hung in the air like a foul odor.

She spoke as if entering the Harrison family had been my only salvation from a life of misery.