Blaire thought back to the last time she’d seen either of them. She had gone back to New Hampshire for the next-to-last time after Kate kicked her out of the wedding. She’d tossed and turned that night, furious, lying uncomfortably on a hard cot that had been shoved into her old room, a room that was now filled with more of Enid’s crafting junk. She imagined Selby next to Kate at the ceremony, fixing her train, holding her flowers, and then giving a speech at the reception. They were all having fun and celebrating, without a thought to Blaire.

Her father had been impatient and short-tempered that weekend, and she assumed he didn’t want her there. Neither he nor Enid told her the truth. So she’d decided to leave the next morning. She asked her father to lend her some money to move back to New York while she looked for a job. He’d written her a generous check, and she left. Six months later, she got a call from Enid.

“Blaire, can you come home? Your father’s not doing well.”

“What are you talking about?”

A long sigh came over the line. “He made me promise not to tell you. He’s been sick. He’s suffering from congestive heart failure. For the last two years. The meds aren’t working any longer. I don’t think it will be long now.”

Why had he kept it from her? If she’d known that was the reason for his ill humor, she’d never have left. She would have taken care of him, angry as she still was about Enid’s intrusion into their lives.

Blaire had rushed back to New Hampshire to find him hospitalized, hooked up to all kinds of machines. After ten days, he was gone. Enid had made out well. She’d inherited Blaire’s father’s dealerships and the millions he had in the bank, while Blaire inherited a measly hundred thousand dollars.

When Kate called to tell her that Lily had died, Blaire couldn’t believe it. What a cruel trick for fate to play. Just when she’d found her again, she’d lost her forever. Now she’d never get the chance to know her mother’s love. Never have the chance to make up for all the years they’d lost. She’d wanted to scream at Kate, tell her that it was all her fault. That she was responsible for keeping Lily from her. She was so consumed with hatred and anger, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hide her true feelings from Kate. But she had to make her pay. Someone finally had to make Kate pay. It was easier than she’d thought, with Kate so oblivious to Blaire’s pain. And of course, she wasn’t leaving until she found the person who’d taken Lily from her and made that person pay.