chapter 1
Hailey
I came out of the kitchen feeling exhausted and my body aching. Raymond had insisted I bake a special cake for Amy, who just turned six today. I spent hours on it, carefully decorating, hoping it would make her smile. I even dipped into my own small savings to buy her a gift, something I thought she might like. But when I presented both, she barely looked at them. Without a thank you, she rushed off to look for her father, leaving me standing there like I didn’t exist.
I stood there, humiliated, clutching my empty hands, feeling like a fool.
Raymond and I have been married for almost a year now, though it never felt like a real marriage. We sleep in separate rooms, eat separately, live separately. The truth is, he only married me because of the help he gave me over a year ago when my stepmother threw me out after loosing my job. At the time, I was desperate, so when he asked me out, I didn’t feel love, just gratitude and desperation . I said yes, even though my heart wasn’t in it and I was afraid of being alone.
Our wedding was very small, just me, his daughter, and two of his friends. Still, at least I told tell myself, I wasn’t as useless as my stepmother always claimed. At least I was married to a wealthy man, that counted for something, or so I thought.
But wealth doesn’t erase debts, and Raymond had plenty. His ex-wife left him with their daughter because of his growing debts and I could see he was still in love with her. I was simply a convenient replacement, a woman to take care of him, and more importantly, to take care of Amy.
Amy never liked me, to her, I was the intruder, the woman trying to take her mother’s place. She ignored me when I spoke or talk back at me, threw tantrums over small things, and sometimes did the exact opposite of what I asked. She was just a child, but the bitterness in her eyes was sharp and Raymond, he never corrected her. He indulged her every time, reinforcing the idea that she was right to resent me.
That morning, as I walked toward the living room, I overheard Amy ranting.
“Jeez, why did she wake me up with such an ugly cake and a terrible gift?”
My heart sank, “Don’t worry, honey,” Raymond soothed her in a gentle voice. “Daddy will make it up to you.”
I cleared my throat, trying to hide the sting in my chest. “I’m sorry you didn’t like the cake, Amy. Do you want something else for breakfast? I’ll make it.”
The truth was, I was already worn out. Since Raymond was in debt, we had no domestic staff, so everything in the house fell to me, cleaning, cooking, scrubbing , I did it all. But still, I forced a smile, because what else could I do?
“Just make something simple,” Raymond replied. “I plan on taking you both out to dinner.”
Dinner? That surprised me, usually they went without me, unless he needed me on display to impress his so called “future investors” who never actually invested.
Amy frowned, “Dad! Does she have to come, It’s my birthday.”
“I know, honey,” Raymond answered patiently. “It’s just to appreciate her for taking care of you.”
I said nothing, just quietly slipped back to the kitchen, let them argue about whether I was worthy to join them or not.
That evening, I dressed in a short red dress that stopped just above my knees, paired it with black shoes, and applied a little makeup, nothing too much. When I came down the stairs, Amy’s face twisted into an irritated scowl the moment she saw me.
The dinner was as awkward as I expected, Raymond and Amy talked endlessly, their laughter bouncing between them, while I sat like an intruder. Each time I tried to join in, they cut me off or ignored me altogether. After a while, I gave up. My appetite was gone, I just sat there, playing with my food, feeling smaller by the minute.
Finally, I excused myself and went to the bathroom.
On the way, I bumped into someone and fell back onto the floor.
“Why do people have eyes if they don’t use them? Are you blind?” the man snapped.
I looked up, ready to apologize, but my breath caught. He was breathtaking, tall, broad shouldered, clearly someone who spent hours in the gym. His sharp jawline, strong build, and piercing blue eyes made it hard to look away. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
“I—I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I was in a hurry.”
He muttered something about me being clumsy and walked away without offering me a hand.
“Asshole,” I whispered under my breath as I dusted off my dress and stood up. Yes, it was my fault for bumping into him, but he could have at least been a gentleman.
When I returned to the restaurant, the scene that greeted me made my stomach drop. Amy was clinging to a beautiful woman, the woman I had seen countless times in the framed photos Raymond refused to take down, Her mother. And she wasn’t alone, another man stood beside her, holding her hand protectively.
Raymond was already striding toward them, his voice sharp and loud, “You won’t even acknowledge your child?” he barked.
I froze, my instincts screamed at me to stay back. If I got closer, it would only end with Raymond shouting at me to “ f**k off”, or Amy screaming at me that I wasn’t wanted. So I stood rooted, watching the scene unfold like a spectator.
The confrontation escalated quickly, security moved in and ushered Raymond and Amy out of the restaurant. My heart pounded as I rushed after them.
Outside, Amy was hysterical, tears streaked her face as she yelled, “Don’t touch me! Don’t you dare touch me! It’s your fault my mom didn’t talk to me! She ignored me because of you!” As I tried to calm her down.
Her voice rang out in the parking lot, drawing stares from strangers. My chest tightened as I looked around, humiliated, not knowing what to say. I wasn’t even in the restaurant when her mom walked in.
Raymond turned his anger on me, eyes burned with anger, “Where were you when this happened, If you had been there, Amy wouldn’t have run off to her mother and caused this embarrassment. You are utterly useless!”
He lifted Amy into the car as she continued to cry and scream, then turned back to me one last time.
“Find your own way home,” he said coldly before slamming the door shut and driving away, leaving me standing alone in the parking lot, surrounded by strangers’ pitying eyes.
