Chapter Two
Chapter Two
My hands curled into fists without my meaning them to.
Then I made them open again.
When someone wants to blame you, they’ll always find a reason.
From the first day the Whitmores took me back, everyone treated me like an enemy.
I tried to win them over. I rubbed Mrs. Whitmore’s shoulders. I made her soup with my own hands.
After I married Wyatt, I took care of everything for him.
My mother-in-law once mentioned in passing that she liked some new handbag, and I called in every favor I had and maxed out my credit card to get it for her.
What good did any of it do?
They never saw what I gave. They only ever saw Lacey’s tears.
At dinner, my mother-in-law brought it all up again, like she always did.
“Isn’t it funny how fate likes to play games? They were the perfect couple, and then out of nowhere, there’s a real daughter and a fake one.”
“We never should have listened to your grandfather. Why make such a fuss about who’s real? If you ask me, whoever the Whitmores spent all those years raising—she’s the real daughter.”
Every word dripped with resentment. “And now look. Stuck in a miserable marriage. She has two babies at once, and the one in this house? Bad luck.”
Her mocking gaze settled on me, and the beef stew in my bowl lost all its taste.
Wyatt said casually, “Leave Lacey out of it. That was ages ago.”
“She just had her babies. Watch what you say. It’s bad for her reputation.”
He noticed I’d put down my fork, and dropped a shrimp onto my plate.
My mother-in-law saw it and sniffed. “Some people are just lucky.”
Yes. So lucky.
I pushed the shrimp to the side of my plate.
Wyatt gave me a puzzled look, and I asked him, very sincerely, “We’ve been married three years. Why can you never remember that I’m allergic to seafood?”
Was it only because he didn’t love me?
I remembered that day at his private club, when he’d been talking about me in one of the back rooms like it was nothing. “What else was I going to do but marry her? Who else would take her?”
“Even a rabbit bites when it’s cornered. What if she gets jealous of Lacey and does something stupid?”
“Better to keep an eye on her. Marriage is marriage. One person’s as good as another.”
My hand had frozen on the door. It took me far too long to finally understand.
Wyatt had never loved me.
Nothing I did would make him love me.
His heart belonged to someone else. Nothing I did would ever matter.
Wyatt let out a scoff.
“If you don’t want it, don’t eat it. No need to get snippy with me.”
“If you’re not eating, we’re leaving.”
He stood up first. A servant handed him his coat.
My mother-in-law didn’t want him to go. “It’s the holidays. You can’t stay a little longer with me?”
Wyatt smiled. “Mom, you just want a grandkid, don’t you?”
She pursed her lips. “If you ask me, you two are wasting your time. If nothing happens, go see a doctor after the new year.”
“Who knows whether something’s wrong with her.”
“I heard the people who adopted her couldn’t have kids either. Maybe it’s catching.”
Wyatt burst out laughing. “Mom, you’ve got some imagination.”
The two of them laughed, and the servants laughed along.
As if they’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Still laughing, Wyatt poked my cheek. “Gracie, can you believe what my mom just said?”
“I’ve heard of hereditary. Never heard of catching.”
He poked hard enough to hurt. I turned my face away.
“That’s because she’s ignorant.”
“What?”
“You don’t think it’s funny? They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. With a mother like that, no wonder old Mr. Hayes never thought much of her.”
“And no wonder your father likes his illegitimate son better.”
The room went silent.
Wyatt’s face turned ugly.
I asked, “Still think it’s funny?”
My mother-in-law was shaking with rage. “Get out! Don’t you ever set foot in this house again!”
