I hadn’t seen my mother in nearly three years after she'd thrown me out of the house for getting married to Julien, yet there she was on the driveway, standing as if she belonged in front of Alexander’s gates.

It was six in the evening and I was stepping out to take out the trash. The maids were on break today. I'd just stepped outside the gates when I heard her voice.

“Maman?” My voice cracked.

Her lips pressed into a thin line. “So it’s true. You’re in the papers. Drawing ...