Chapter 4: The Void of Vanity
Within a month, Victoria’s life became unrecognizable. The civil suit drained her accounts. The elite circle of friends she had cultivated abandoned her instantly; in their world, losing your wealth was a contagious disease. She moved from her penthouse to a cramped apartment on the outskirts of the city. Staring at her closet full of designer clothes—dresses that cost more than a car, shoes she couldn't walk in—she felt a hollow ache. They were just fabric. They couldn't buy her a friend, a meal, or a second chance. The cruelty she had projected onto others had finally rebounded, leaving her utterly alone in the dark.
