The scam worked—so well, we did it again before moving on to other locations around the city so the cops wouldn’t see a pattern. I continued to accidentally-on-purpose spill a drink on unsuspecting men, mainly, or tripped into them so they’d spill theirs. I invested in a set of wigs and fancy new clothes—paid for out of my cut—to conceal my identity, and used a different name and accent each time. At the rate I was going, I’d be able to pay for my entire art course in one go and have money to spare.

Dominic called me a natural, and I got greedy, cocky and careless. My demise was swift. The last mark he chose turned out to be an undercover cop working the case, and I was arrested, and all my money was seized before you could say Mercedes. I was in danger of doing some serious time until my parents stepped in. Because of their high-priced lawyer, long-standing connections with the District Attorney and regular rounds of golf with a number of judges, I was offered a heavily reduced sentence—twelve months—providing I gave up whoever I was working with. I did, and when I found out Dominic, who’d professed his undying love for me, had at least three other girls in different cities with whom he ran the same ruse, I didn’t regret selling him out one bit.

I shuddered at the memory of my father’s voice the last time I spoke to him after I’d been released. “Don’t forget our agreement,” he said, sliding an envelope containing fifteen hundred dollars across the table before listing his conditions on his fingers. “Leave town, always provide us with your contact details and, most of all, stay out of trouble. Follow through, and we may consider putting you back in our will.”

“Can’t I come home?” I said, my voice small. “I want to come home.”

“You’ve brought so much shame on us, Lily. Your mother may never recover. As far as everyone else is concerned you’re studying law in the UK. You’ll probably love it so much you’ll stay, permanently. We’ll visit you from time to time, of course.” When he put air quotes on the word visit, I knew this was the last time I’d see him, the exact moment I’d lost my family, whether I now wanted to or not.

“Can I speak to Mom and Quentin before I go? Please? I want to apologize.”

Dad tapped the money-filled envelope with his index finger. “Goodbye, Lily.”