My eyes fluttered open and I stirred as white walls came into my line of sight. I sucked in a sharp breath and tried to move, registering the mask over my face.

Before I could speak, the doors opened and a soft sigh of relief escaped my lips as mother stepped in. However, when Lovie followed, the edges of my lips curled down.

“I knew you were shameless, but to orchestrate something as big as this? That too, to stop your sister’s engagement? Julia…”

My heart stopped for a second and the words wiggled around in my head before they made sense. No matter how many times my mother was...