something unexpected happened: I was crowned Prom Queen. Not because I was popular—but because my sketch, auctioned for thousands, was being used to restore the school pool. That was the real crown. Back home, Madison raged. My dad, finally seeing clearly, stood up. Within a week,
he filed for divorce. We moved out together. Months later, Ashley approached me in a bookstore. “I didn’t know,” she said. I nodded. That was enough. A year later, I got a full scholarship. On move-in day, I set my mom’s photo on my dorm desk—her in that same dress, smiling. Madison didn’t get the last word. Grace did.