I barely got a wink of sleep that night. Every joint in my body ached, my eyes burned from exhaustion, and a dull pain throbbed along my spine after spending endless hours in the kitchen trying to recreate the cake Adrian demanded. I had scoured every bakery and shop downtown, desperate to find that limited-edition cake he wanted for Bianca. But every place told me the same thing—it was sold out. No luck anywhere.
So, for the first time in years, I did it myself. I baked it.
Once upon a time, I was a pastry artist—one people actually admired. I’d trained under the best, perfected my craft, and made desserts people lined up for. I used to have ambitions, goals, a future that was mine. But I walked away from all of it. Adrian told me it would be better this way—that we’d save money, that he’d handle everything, that I didn’t need to work. And I believed every word.
Now, here I was—utterly spent—standing in my dim, cold kitchen as dawn crept in through the window. The cake sat on the counter, cooling, the last fragment of my effort and pride still unbroken. My stomach twisted painfully, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since the morning before.
I slumped onto the old sofa, ready to rest for even a moment, when a sudden wave of burning pain seared across my arm. I screamed, instinctively clutching at my skin.
Scalding milk.
I looked over and saw Julian, my five-year-old grandson, clutching an overturned bottle, milk dripping from its edge. His lips curved into a defiant pout. “Make me food!” he demanded. “You’re supposed to, you’re the maid!”
Still gasping from the burn, I forced my voice to stay even. “Julian, where’s your mother?”
“She’s busy,” he grumbled, stomping one tiny foot. “I said I want you!”
I swallowed my frustration. I was hungry, sore, and weak, but I rose anyway and trudged to the kitchen. Anything to avoid another shouting match.
And that’s when I saw them.
Adrian. Sofia. Bianca. Even Sofia’s husband. All sitting at the breakfast table, laughing, plates clinking, sunlight spilling on their cheerful faces like some perfect picture of family bliss. Bianca looked radiant, her curls bouncing as she smiled, her face painted in soft glamour. She wore a pastel blue designer dress I recognized from an upscale boutique downtown.
“Cassandra, dear,” Bianca said sweetly, pretending concern. “You look awful. Maybe you should rest.”
Before I could respond, Adrian chuckled without looking up. “Oh, she’s always like that. Always looks half-dead.”
Bianca giggled behind her hand, and no one spoke for me.
Then Adrian said, “By the way, where’s the cake I bought? The one for Bianca?”
Bianca blinked in surprise. “Wait—you bought me a cake?”
Adrian straightened proudly. “Of course. A special limited edition one from downtown. Took me hours to get it.”
They all looked at me expectantly. My hands trembled as I stepped forward with the cake I had baked overnight. My heart pounded hard enough to hurt.
“I made it,” I said quietly. “I couldn’t find the one you wanted, so I baked it myself.”
I started walking toward them, each step heavy, doing my best not to cry. But when I reached the center of the room, Bianca shifted slightly, that same sugary smile frozen on her lips, and extended her foot ever so slightly.
My heel caught on it.
I stumbled forward, my hands flying, the cake slipping from my grasp. Time slowed—the cake spun midair before crashing directly onto Bianca’s pristine designer dress.
The sound of her shriek sliced through the air. “My dress!”
Adrian bolted up, fury twisting his face. “What the hell did you do now?!”
“I—I didn’t mean—”
But before I could finish, his hand grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked hard, sending pain shooting through my scalp.
“This dress costs more than everything you own combined!” he shouted. “You can’t even walk straight anymore? You’re useless!”
“I swear it was an accident—”
“SHUT UP!” he bellowed. “Do you even realize how much this costs? Can you afford it? You can’t even take care of yourself! You ruin everything you touch!”
Bianca lifted a hand, pretending to intervene. “It’s fine, Adrian. She probably just slipped.”
“I don’t care!” he snapped. “She’s careless because she doesn’t know what hard work means.” Then he jabbed a finger toward the floor. “Eat it.”
My mind blanked. “What…?”
He sneered. “Eat the damn cake off the floor, Cassandra. Or would you rather waste more money that you didn’t earn? Don’t forget—you don’t pay for anything here.”
Sofia crossed her arms, her voice dripping with disdain. “This is exactly why we can’t have anything nice. You’re embarrassing, Mom. Honestly, I wish Bianca was my mother instead.”
Bianca pressed her hand to her chest in fake pity. “Oh, Sofia, don’t say that. She’s trying her best.” But as she leaned closer to me, she whispered, “No one wants you here anymore. Maybe take the hint.”
I felt my hands curl into fists. “I’m not eating that,” I said softly, my voice trembling but firm.
Adrian exhaled sharply. “Then clean it up. And stay out of my sight for the rest of the day.”
“Let’s just go celebrate somewhere else,” Sofia said, grabbing her purse with a smirk. “Without her.”
“Good idea,” Adrian muttered. “She’s not part of this family anyway.”
Their laughter echoed through the hallway as they left.
I sank to the floor, scooping up pieces of cake with my bare hands, tears spilling freely. The frosting smeared across the tiles, and my sobs filled the empty room.
All these years. All that effort. For what?
Once, I had been someone. Before Adrian, I was Cassandra DeVere—the daughter of Ricardo DeVere, a hotel magnate. The sole heir to a fortune. I had choices. Power. A bright future.
But I gave it all up for love.
I told my father I didn’t need his money—I wanted a simple life. A home. A family built from affection, not wealth. I defied him. Walked away. Burned the bridges behind me.
And now, all I had become was a live-in servant. A burden. A ghost that wandered the corners of her own home.
With trembling fingers still sticky from frosting, I reached for my phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the number I hadn’t dialed in two decades.
My chest tightened as I pressed Call.
One ring.
Two.
Then a voice—deep, steady, achingly familiar. “Hello?”
For a moment, my throat locked. Then, finally, I managed to whisper, “Dad… it’s me. Cassandra. I’m sorry—for everything. For leaving. For shutting you out. But… can I come home?”
Silence.
“I don’t have anything left here,” I murmured. “Please… just let me come home.”
