Part 2: Unexpected Proposals

This chapter really shows how toxic the social dynamics at Ashwick can be. The breakfast party scene was brutal to write—watching Isabella get torn down by girls who see her as beneath them, all while Roni stands by and lets it happen. It perfectly sets up why she’d be willing to enter a fake relationship with Nick for protection. Speaking of Nick, I love his proposal here. It’s desperate but logical, and it gives Isabella a strategic advantage in the games that Alexander and Julian are playing. The engagement revelation about Roni adds another layer of complexity—everyone at this school is trapped by family expectations in different ways. And Julian stealing that macaroon? Pure chaos energy that somehow feels both random and calculated at the same time.