On New Year's Eve, my longtime boyfriend, Jameson Hall proposed to me.
Yet, that very night, he left me behind to pick up his long-lost "first love"—the woman who had once bullied me—and brought her back to the old family estate.
By the time I arrived, their family was already enjoying a cozy reunion dinner together.
“Mom, Dad, let me introduce my fiancée, Yvette,” Jameson said.
Blushing, Yvette murmured, “But, James, didn’t Grandpa say you should marry Lauren? Won’t she be upset if she finds out you broke off the engagement?”
“Don’t worry about her. You’re the daughter-in-law my parents and I have already accepted in our hearts,” he replied firmly.
His words shattered the fragile resolve I’d clung to as I stood frozen in the biting cold, clutching a gift in my trembling hands. My heart crumbled, breaking into as many pieces as the gift I accidentally dropped.
——
The loud thud of the falling present seemed to draw their attention. Every gaze inside the room turned toward the door.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the little maid. Since you’re here, come in. Don’t freeze yourself and run crying to Old Master again,” a mocking voice quipped from within.
My nails dug painfully into my palms, but I swallowed my pride. For Grandpa Carlos’s sake, I forced myself to step inside.
The wave of warmth from the central heater hit me, momentarily stealing my breath. I did my best to maintain my composure, offering a polite greeting to Jameson’s parents.
“Mom, Dad, Happy New Year—”
Before I could finish, Jameson rushed over and yanked my hand hard.
“Lauren, don’t call them that! Yvette might misunderstand,” he said sharply.
The pain in my wrist made me gasp. I stared at the man who had just hours ago knelt before his gravely ill grandfather, promising to announce me as his fiancée and treat me well. Now, he was hurting me just to avoid upsetting another woman.
Yvette blinked in surprise before her eyes reddened with tears. She turned to Jameson’s parents, her voice trembling.
“Uncle, Aunt, I guess James was lying to me. So Lauren is already your daughter-in-law? If that’s the case, what am I doing here, being a nuisance?”
Jameson’s mother immediately pulled Yvette into her arms, comforting her tenderly. “Don’t listen to that little brat’s nonsense. Her mother only sacrificed herself to extort Dad. Out of pity, he raised the girl and let her call us ‘Mom and Dad.’”
Jameson frowned at me with open displeasure. “Lauren, stop pretending now that Grandpa isn’t here. You’re just a maid’s daughter; calling them Mom and Dad is out of line.”
I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. Furious and heartbroken, I wrenched my hand out of his grasp.
“You’re right. There’s no need to pretend anymore, so I won’t,” I said, turning to leave.
But Jameson’s father’s voice stopped me.
“Where do you think you’re going? Our family has raised you for years, and now you forget your place?”
My steps faltered as my back began to ache. Memories of being beaten with willow branches until my skin bled for disobedience came rushing back.
I shook uncontrollably, unable to move.
In the past, Jameson would have defended me against his father and taken me to Grandpa Carlos for refuge. But now, he simply returned to his seat, comforting the still-sobbing Yvette.
“Lauren, if you realize your mistake, you should make up for it. Go fetch the chicken soup from the kitchen and serve it to Yvette,” he commanded coldly.
I hesitated, my legs too weak to take a single step.
In the end, a servant pushed me toward the kitchen. I was handed the steaming pot of chicken soup, the heat scalding my hands.
“Miss Cameron, you’d better behave. Otherwise, you’ll get punished again, and this time it’s New Year’s. If Old Master Hall hears about it, his health might deteriorate even further,” the servant warned.
