Chapter 1

To pay off my family’s eight-million-dollar debt to ruthless loan sharks, I married Garrett Vance, an uneducated coal mining tycoon.

He wanted me because I was a beautiful, Ivy League-educated girl. I wanted him because his bank account was a bottomless pit of cash.

I despised his lack of culture. I hated the way he smacked his lips when he chewed. Armed with his black card, I ruled his mansion like a tyrant.

Yet, whenever I maxed out his credit cards, he would just smile warmly and say, "You look so beautiful, Chloe. The boys just pulled another truck of coal out of the shaft. It’s all yours to spend."

The night before Christmas Eve, Garrett went back to the West Virginia mines to hand out year-end bonuses. There was a cave-in. He didn't make it out.

Honestly? I felt a wave of relief. I was finally free of him.

I put on my best makeup, ready to board a flight to Los Angeles for a solo vacation.

But right before I left, his lawyer arrived with the key to Garrett's private safe.

Inside was a debit card containing fifty million dollars, resting on a crumpled note with messy, uneven handwriting:

"Chloe, this money is for you. Take it to LA. Go live the life you’ve always wanted."