Chapter 1

Aurora Hayes stood in the grand ballroom of their D.C. mansion, a perfect picture.

Her dress shimmered, a quiet counterpoint to the famous "Heartnote Harmony" her family passed down, a voice said to touch souls.

Tonight was their tenth wedding anniversary, a charity gala Alistair, her husband, orchestrated.

Senator Alistair Thorne, all charisma and "family values," needed this image.

Aurora, with her New Orleans old money and unique gift, was a vital part of that image.

For a decade, he had been respectful, distant, blaming his demanding career.

She had believed him, supported his public face, starved for a real connection.

She hoped tonight, just for a moment, he might see her, not just the Senator's wife.

She moved through the glittering crowd, looking for him.

Then she heard voices from a half-open study door. Alistair' s, sharp and impatient.

And a woman' s, tight with demand.

"Alistair, you have to do something. This baby needs legitimacy."

Aurora froze.

The woman stepped partly into view, her hand on a swollen belly.

Cassidy "Cassie" Bellweather, Alistair's former aide.

"Aurora's gift, that 'Heartnote Harmony,'" Cassie pressed, "the goodwill, the blessing people associate with her. I need that for my child. Our child."

Alistair's voice was low, placating. "Cassie, be reasonable."

"Reasonable?" Cassie scoffed. "I want you to make her endorse a foundation for gifted children. My foundation. Link her magic to my son."

Aurora' s breath caught.

Her world, polished and lonely, shattered into a million pieces.

The man she supported, the life she endured, all of it was a carefully constructed lie.

The music in the ballroom seemed to mock her.

Her heart, once hopeful, felt like a stone.