“It’s been five years,” she says gently. Almost as if she doesn’t want to poke the bear. “It’s a new world. People are demanding work-life separation, and this new publisher respects that. This press is said to be better for authors. That’s in their branding, which I’m assuming is why JMP acquired them. You weren’t the only one with an issue, Scarlett.”

“No, but I was the only one who burned a million-dollar deal to the ground.”

“Right,” she affirms. “But to be fair, they didn’t hand out many million-dollar deals, so there weren’t that many to burn.”

“I don’t think that makes me feel better,” I mumble. I take another bite of toast to prevent myself from saying something I’ll regret.

“Look, they want a fresh start. So do you. I get where you’re coming from, but this could actually work in our favor.”

The giant bite of toast scrapes against my dry throat as I try to swallow. I fill a relatively clean glass with water to wash it down. “What do you mean?”

“Everyone loves a comeback story. Especially readers.”

“Are you talking about the same readers who took to the internet to talk shit about me in droves?” I remind her. “Their memories are long.”

“Which is why I am going to suggest something a bit unorthodox.” She says it like a warning, and I brace myself for impact. “I want to submit this to Casey under a new pen name. When he tells me he’s interested—which he will—we’ll reveal who you really are before anything is signed. By then, they’ll want the book enough to go along with this. We’ll meet with their marketing team to come up with a timeline for releasing the information about who really wrote it. Everyone will have fallen as much in love with this book as I have, and the reveal will create another uptick in sales because you’ll be forgiven.”

“Or they’ll buy copies to burn in effigy,” I interject.

“Sales are sales!” she trills.

“We’re going to have to agree to disagree on that one.”

I poke a finger under the pile of dark hair that passes for a messy bun to scratch my head as I tip my eyes up to the ceiling in thought. It’s a big risk, and it’s a little bonkers, but it’s also brilliant. I wouldn’t be the first author to come back from disgrace. And I certainly wouldn’t be the first well-known author to publish something under a different pen name. Worst-case scenario: If Casey rescinds a deal when he finds out who I am, I’m right back where I started. With the added bonus of shoving it in Trina’s face with a nice I told you so dance to ensure she never submits anything of mine to JMP or its subsidiaries ever again.