Chapter 1After the Favor

After my family went bankrupt, my mother’s best friend took me in, bringing me to the Sterling residence. That’s how I ended up entangled with the two Sterling brothers for twenty years. Their relentless pursuit and undeniable favoritism made everyone green with envy. But when I wanted to settle down and start a family, they both turned me down.

My older brother, Sterling, said, “My career comes first; I have no time for marriage.”

My younger brother, Lance, quipped, “I’m still young, I want to have fun for a few more years. Besides, fleeting romances aren't meant to be taken seriously.”

The very next day, at my birthday party, they both proposed to the housekeeper's daughter. To cheer her up, they even forced me, despite my stomach condition, to down a high-proof liquor. As I was rushed to the hospital with a stomach hemorrhage, they simultaneously covered her eyes, mocking my dramatics.

My heart shattered beyond repair. The day I was discharged, I dialed my mother’s number.

“I’ll marry Tim Maxwell.”

* * *

Stepping out of the hospital, my body hadn’t yet adjusted to the biting autumn chill. My older brother, Sterling, called. His tone was sharp, laced with accusation.

“Willow, where have you run off to? Do you think running away will absolve you of responsibility? Get back here and apologize to Melanie Ross.”

Lance’s voice chimed in from the background. “It’s all your fault for faking illness and upsetting Melanie. She’s delicate, and you’ve made her lose her appetite these past few days!”

I looked at my reflection in the glass. Gaunt and frail, as if a gust of wind could sweep me away. I’d always had a sensitive stomach and a weak constitution. In the past, those two brothers had fussed over me endlessly. I remembered one night, I fell ill in the middle of the night, and Sterling carried me up twenty flights of stairs. Lance scoured the entire city to buy my favorite yam cake to cheer me up. After that, they meticulously monitored my every meal and drink, always hands-on.

Sadly, once Melanie appeared, all those memories were tossed aside.

I silently hung up the phone and dialed my mother’s number. “Mom, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll marry Tim Maxwell.”

My mother paused. “Willow, this is your life. Are you absolutely sure?”

When Dad passed, and our family business collapsed, Mom sent me to Havenport, bravely propping up our struggling family on her own. She spent twenty years building connections with the Maxwell family, securing a chance for our family to rise again. But more than our family’s prosperity, she cared about my happiness. Even when Mrs. Maxwell instantly took a liking to me as a potential daughter-in-law, she still left the choice to me.

I used to believe in finding true love, torn between the Sterling brothers. Now, I understood I was nothing more than a passing amusement for them. It was time to leave gracefully.

I opened my phone to book a flight, only to see Melanie’s latest social media post: “True love needs no grand gestures. Only pathetic old women cling to desperate attempts to climb the social ladder.” She brazenly flaunted two different diamond rings on her hand. She was lying in my room, wearing the couture suit and crystal shoes the Sterling brothers had custom-made for my birthday six months ago.

I quietly blocked Melanie.

“Mom, I’m serious. I want to have my own child soon.”

During my hospital stay, the doctor told me the incident had severely weakened my body. If I didn’t get pregnant and have a child while I was still young, I might never have one of my own. I couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

“Alright, darling, I respect your decision.”

“Mrs. Maxwell had your horoscopes read. Next Sunday is an auspicious day for registering your marriage. As long as you come back, I’ll handle everything.” My mother must have understood. She only added before hanging up, “Remember to say goodbye to Mrs. Sterling.”

I looked up at the grey, overcast sky. The doctor said recovery would take about a week. I’d use this week to say goodbye to everything.