Ninety Nine Stolen Dresses

When my best friend, Joy Sinclair, finally escaped her abusive marriage, I did what any sister would do. I rebuilt her life.

I gave her the seed money, a chic apartment in the city, and opened a high-end clothing boutique for her in the West Village. Joy was always the quiet, fragile type—the kind of girl people wanted to protect—so I did the heavy lifting. I worked my connections, brought in my high-profile clients, and spent my weekends acting as her unofficial PR manager.

My fiancé, Ethan Blackwood, used to watch me juggle her business and ours with a frustrated scowl.