The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 77

Aria felt like a star being reborn. The suite the Duchess had provided for her was a palace compared to the cramped Queens apartment. It was filled with flowers, champagne, and the scent of possibility.

The centerpiece of her new life arrived that afternoon in a series of velvet-lined boxes. It was a gown of celestial blue silk, hand-beaded with thousands of tiny crystals that shimmered like captured starlight. With it came a suite of sapphire and diamond jewelry that made her gasp.

And, most importantly, there was the script.

Aria read it over and over, her heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and vindictive glee. It was perfect. She wasn't just going to be a guest at the gala; she was going to be the main event. She would be the prodigal daughter, the victim who had found the strength to forgive, only to be cast out by the cruel, vindictive usurper, Evelyn.

The climax was a stroke of genius. The Duchess had provided a stunning sapphire necklace, described in the script as a "long-lost Sutton family heirloom." Aria was to donate it to the charity auction, a grand gesture of her selfless, noble heart.

"This is it," she whispered to her reflection in the full-length mirror, clutching the script to her chest. "This is how I get everything back."

She began to practice. For hours, she stood before the mirror, perfecting her performance. She rehearsed the tremor in her voice, the single, perfect tear that would roll down her cheek as she spoke of her "forgiveness."

"Evelyn… I wanted to hate you," she would say, her voice thick with fake emotion. "But my heart is not filled with hate. It is filled with pity."

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