I Played the Game, He Claimed My Heart

Jane Elkins is the illegitimate daughter of the Elkins family, and she has spent her life being scorned by the household that never accepted her. Years of humiliation have shaped her, and the cruelty she faces at home sets the tone for everything that follows. The title hints that Jane decides to play a game of her own, one that pulls a man deeper into her world than either of them expected. The story stays with the tension between her quiet resolve and the family that refuses to let her forget where she stands.