Smiling, shopping, laughing. Beth Morgan could be any other woman walking to the shops in her Port Macquarie seaside hideaway.
Looking tanned and happy, Ms Morgan is a far cry from the gaunt and pale figure who faced the Independent Commission Against Corruption 12 months ago.
Unable to find work, she lives behind padlocked gates with her parents, surfacing briefly some days for a swim at the nearby pool or a walk to the beach.
Dressed casually and chatting with her mother, Ms Morgan spent a Friday morning shopping at a nearby department store before picking up some salmon, paying for eggs and vegetables and heading home.
It's been almost a year since Wollongong's corruption scandal exploded on front pages across the country, where each day Ms Morgan was photographed, dressed in black and wearing trademark sunglasses, braving the media pack to hear the lascivious details of her adulterous affairs.
Numerous emails to her lover, disgraced developer Frank Vellar, outlined the affair which led to corruption.
"Hey gorgeous, sweety, honey, beautiful, irresistible, edible, adorable bubba ... can you issue the extension letter for Harbour St," Mr Vellar said in an email on March 22, 2006.
In stark contrast she's likely to spend this Valentine's Day alone, without her former lover, who also has criminal charges recommended against him.
In Port Macquarie, wearing designer white thongs and a casual blouse, she is a picture of happiness.
But the future offers her little to smile about. The commission has recommended Ms Morgan be prosecuted for 27 offences, including misconduct in public office, providing favourable assistance to developers and corruptly receiving benefits.
In Sydney, the director of public prosecutions is deciding whether to pursue the corruption charges against her, which if successful could land Ms Morgan behind bars for years.
ICAC found Ms Morgan schemed from within Wollongong City Council to ease the passage of Mr Vellar's $100 million Quattro proposal.
In return, Mr Vellar showered Ms Morgan with gifts, including a ski trip, a television, fake handbags and a lavish helicopter wine-tasting holiday in the Hunter Valley.
An occasional visitor to Bourke St's infamous table of knowledge, she also struck up a brief affair with developer Glen Tabak, whom she would meet for trysts at the Novotel Northbeach across the road.
Mr Tabak's Victoria Square development also came under the ICAC spotlight after it was found Ms Morgan smoothed the passage of the grossly oversized building.
The central figure in one of the most sensational corruption inquiries in local government history, Ms Morgan has remained silent over her role.
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