“I saw that girl walking miles down the hot road because she had no bus fare,” she said. “I saw her come home with her head shaved, and when I asked, Paige told me it was punishment for being lazy.”

The whole web came apart right there, in front of everyone.

On the fourth day, Margaret and Paige packed and moved into a small rented room near the regional bus station.

They took their clothes, their IDs, and their own jewelry. I had no interest in matching the cruelty they’d shown.

Their lavish life stopped overnight.

Paige quickly learned that Derek was nothing like the devoted partner he’d played — he called off the wedding the moment he understood there’d be no house, no spa, no fortune attached to her name.