Mom organized an engagement party for my boyfriend and Daisy—the silly girl from the corner store that everyone calls idiot. Our neighbor asked her: “Patricia, isn’t that Scarlett’s boyfriend? How on earth did Scarlett agree to this?” Mom just brushed it off. “Scarlett’s more than capable, she can find any guy she wants later. Daisy rarely gets marriage offers. As chair of the local community outreach program, I naturally need to look out for the vulnerable first.” Standing outside the banquet hall, everything suddenly clicked. That’s why Mom kept trying to fix me up with men, either middle-aged security guards or guys with severe disabilities—even though she knew I had a boyfriend. And I also realized what kind of “surprise” my boyfriend meant when he said he had a secret to tell me. My mom spotted me and called me over to the stage: “Scarlett, to keep things from getting awkward, just think of Ryan as your brother today.” “Come, say hello to your sis-in-law, Daisy.” In that moment, something inside me snapped. My voice didn’t even sound like my own. “Mom, Ryan—from now on, I want nothing to do with either of you.”
I walked out without hesitation, but my head was spinning. I’d only been away from this small town for three days. The minute I got back to the neighborhood entrance, a neighbor told me Mom had “given” my boyfriend to Daisy—the sweet but developmentally challenged girl from downstairs. I didn’t believe it at first. Ryan was a person, not some object Mom could just “hand over.” But when I got home and saw our living room decked out for an engagement party, I knew it was true. When Mom saw me leaving, she hurried over and grabbed my arm: “Scarlett! Where do you think you’re going?” “You can’t leave now. Won’t that just prove to everyone Daisy stole your boyfriend? How’s that supposed to make her look?” “If you had any sense, you’d stay, be Daisy’s bridesmaid, and even give a little toast.” I stared at her, completely dumbfounded. She knew Ryan and I had been together two years—we were practically engaged. How could she only care about Daisy’s reputation and not mine?! Ryan came over too, his voice low and placating: “Scarlett, I’ll explain everything about the engagement tomorrow.” “Today, for old times’ sake, please don’t cause a scene.” He was stronger than Mom, that’s for sure. He practically dragged me into the guest room. Daisy was sitting on my bed, wearing the wedding dress I’d been eyeing for ages but could never afford, grinning foolishly at us. Mom and Ryan lit up immediately. Everyone seemed thrilled about this marriage. Everyone got their version of happiness. Everyone except me—red-eyed, pale, looking pathetic and absurd. All my pent-up emotions erupted. I swept everything off the dessert table by the door. Wedding favors, fancy chocolates, stacks of gift envelopes, and presents they’d already collected went flying across the floor. Mom jumped back, pulling Daisy behind her: “Are you out of your mind? Don’t you remember I’m your mother? You wanna disrespect me on a day like this?” That comment hit me like a knife through the heart. I locked eyes with her, refusing to look away for even a second: “Patricia, do *you* remember you’re my mother?” “Ever since Dad died saving Daisy in that car crash, and you took over that charity, you’ve treated her better than your own daughter.” “The community hails Dad as a local hero. Those monthly grocery vouchers they give you? You hand them all to her. She eats imported fruit while I’m stuck with stale bread and tap water. She wears designer dresses, and I get your thrift store hand-me-downs.” The once lively engagement party fell completely silent. Neighbors craned their heads through the door, hungry for gossip. Mom tried to cover my mouth: “Okay Scarlett, stop it! Aren’t you embarrassed?” “Embarrassed?” I wrenched her hand away, feeling totally unhinged, desperate to scream all my frustrations: “I could let all that slide. But Ryan is *my* boyfriend! How do you just give him away like he’s property?!” “Aren’t you ashamed for making my boyfriend marry someone else?!” That comment lit the room on fire. I could hear the neighbor ladies outside exclaiming loudly. “I told you Scarlett and Ryan were serious—you wouldn’t believe me. They’ve been dating two, three years now.” “I don’t get what Scarlett’s mom is thinking, giving away her own daughter’s boyfriend.” Mom and Ryan’s faces went rigid. Ryan stormed over and pushed me hard: “Scarlett, have you no shame? How could you say that in front of everyone?” “Do you realize how much this is hurting Daisy? Now apologize to her.” “Otherwise, you’ll never hear my side of the story.” I crumpled to the floor. A shattered wine glass had sliced deep into my palm, leaving it soaked. I couldn’t tell if it was blood or the tears I couldn’t shed. But I knew in that moment, it wasn’t Mom giving away my boyfriend. It was me walking away from both of them. I pushed everyone away, hauling myself up from the floor. “Since you both care so much about Daisy, then Mom, let her be your daughter.” “Ryan, who you marry and why is none of my business anymore.”
This time, no one could stop me from leaving this small town for the city. I went to Grandma Lily’s house and found an envelope in her cupboard. I’d been accepted into a grad program at a university down south—thousands of miles away, a two-day train ride from home. It was so far, and I’d originally considered turning it down because I didn’t want to leave Ryan and worried about Mom being alone. I’d left the acceptance letter with Grandma Lily. Grandma Lily hadn’t gone to the engagement party. She brewed ginger tea while comforting me: “Your mom and Ryan have both lost their minds.” “Don’t be sad. Always put yourself first.” “Orientation’s only a month away, right? I’ll buy your train ticket.” Tears filled my eyes, and I fell into her arms, finally letting myself cry. That night, Mom came into my room with a first-aid kit, and Daisy followed her. Ryan hovered in the doorway, looking guilty, too ashamed to come in. She roughly dabbed medicine on my hand, her tone still accusatory: “Scarlett, you went too far today. You know how those neighborhood women already look down on Daisy for her condition.” “Now they’ll have even more to gossip about.” I turned my head away. Just looking at her face made me want to lose it. Daisy had been listening nearby and suddenly puckered her lips, trying to kiss my cheek: “Don’t be mad. Ryan kissed me, I kiss you. No mad, okay?” I jumped back, instinctively raising my hand to block her, but Daisy immediately plopped down on the floor. Mom’s face softened with a tenderness I’d never seen before. She rushed over and pulled Daisy into a hug: “Daisy, sweetie, did you fall? You didn’t do anything wrong. Why are you apologizing to her?” But when she looked at me, her eyes turned icy: “Scarlett, what is wrong with you? I never knew you could be so cruel?! Daisy isn’t like you—she needs someone to protect her so those women don’t pick on her. Why do you have to take this from her? Can’t you let her have one good thing?” Ryan came in too, checking on Daisy’s “injuries.” He couldn’t meet my eyes, though he didn’t yell like Mom: “Scarlett, you used to be so kind. What happened to you?” “So this is my fault?” I wanted to laugh bitterly, but instead tears started flowing: “Mom, you have the nerve to talk about security? Remember when I graduated college? There was an admin assistant opening at the company downtown. I’d already interviewed with HR—it was a stable job. What did you do?” “You pulled strings as some ‘prominent community leader’ and gave my job to Daisy instead, all in the name of women’s rights.” “Now she makes six or seven grand a month doing nothing. Tell me—where’s my security? What do I have?” I gripped the canvas bag in my hand. Inside was my grad school acceptance letter. At least I still had that. As long as I got out of this town, far from them, I’d be okay. Mom and Ryan looked guilty. I was done arguing. Just as I was about to tell them to leave, a sharp sound cut through the room. Daisy started slapping herself hard: “Daisy bad. Daisy took sister’s things. Sister not mad. Daisy punish self.” I frowned at her: “I didn’t tell you to do that.” But Ryan pulled her into a hug, shooting me a hateful look: “Scarlett, do you have to provoke her like this?” “Can’t you see she’s carrying my child? I have to marry her.” That hit me like a ton of bricks. I could barely hear anything after that. So they’d slept together. No wonder when I celebrated Ryan’s birthday last week—drove ten miles to get his favorite cake—he was acting weird, saying he had something to tell me. That was his secret. I stumbled to my feet, nearly tripping over a chair, and staggered out the door: “You two are disgusting. Absolutely shameless.” “I’m going to tell everyone the truth.”
My threat didn’t just panic Ryan—Mom’s face twitched too. Ryan grabbed my sleeve: “No, Scarlett, you can’t ruin me! Your mom manipulated me. If it weren’t for you, I never would’ve gotten into this mess.” Mom looked away, guilty. Daisy suddenly covered her face and started sobbing: “It’s all my fault. She hates me. I should just die so sister won’t be mad.” With that, she ran out. Mom and Ryan chased after her. Mom turned to slap me hard: “Your father died saving Daisy! She is my daughter now.” “If anything happens to Daisy, I’ll never forgive you!” Before Ryan left, he squeezed my hand: “Scarlett, you’re the only one for me. I have to marry Daisy, but you know she’s not all there. I’ll always think of you as family—the mother of my child.” “You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.” After he left, I scrubbed my hands three times before I felt clean. His touch made me feel filthy. I went to the local shipping center to mail my university documents. As I filled out the address form, I saw Mom and Ryan hugging Daisy, comforting her. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Daisy was smiling happily. She was pretty in her own way, with a childlike smile. No wonder they all doted on her. Mr. Miller, the shipping center owner, flipped through my papers and smiled: “Good for you, kiddo. Thought you’d given up on grad school.” I played it casual: “How’d you know about that, Mr. Miller?” He slapped a shipping label on the envelope with a snap: “Your boyfriend told me! Picked up your acceptance letter last year, said you weren’t going ’cause you two were getting married. Didn’t expect you to reapply. Not as good as last year’s school, but still solid.” My whole body started shaking. I’d slaved away for a whole year studying. Ryan knew how many all-nighters I pulled, how hard I worked. So I had gotten in last year—he stole my letter?! Mr. Miller noticed my pale face and his smile faded. He leaned in, checking the coast was clear before lowering his voice: “Kid, you need to watch your back.” “My wife was chatting with your mom the other day—heard she paid for Daisy’s engagement party.” “Where’d she get the cash? Turns out she arranged your engagement to that housing rep’s son from Oakwood Estates, took a down payment. She was gonna sell you off!” I recoiled, ice running through my veins. The sun was shining bright, but I felt cold to the bone. The people I trusted most had betrayed me like this. Mom said I could have any man I wanted, but the guy she tried to set me up with had two exes who filed restraining orders against him. I grabbed Mr. Miller’s arm: “Please, don’t tell anyone I’m going to grad school.” I needed to get out quietly and start over.
I stopped moping around and started acting normal. Ryan’s engagement might as well have been happening to a stranger. I even called Daisy “sister-in-law” to her face. She had a new outfit every day—either Ryan bought it or Mom took her shopping. Maybe it was just me, but her belly seemed to be growing fast. She insisted I walk with her. When we passed the neighborhood pond, she pulled my hand to her stomach: “Feel that? Your nephew’s kicking.” A bitter taste rose in my throat. But then it hit me—Daisy wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. Before I could pull away, she whispered in my ear: “Your boyfriend and your mom are *my* family now. They care more about me… and my baby.” “Oh, and your dad? He died for me. You wanna know what his last words were?” That cut me to the core. Before I could respond, Daisy dragged both of us into the pond. The quiet neighborhood erupted into chaos. Neighbors out for walks pulled us out of the water. I coughed up water, my stomach heaving. A stinging slap hit my face. Mom, sobbing, kept hitting me: “Scarlett, why can’t you just let this go? Your father died saving her! How could you try to kill Daisy? What if something happened to her baby?!” “What if something happened to you too? Do you want me to lose everything?!” I screamed that I didn’t do it. But Ryan looked down at me, voice cold: “Scarlett, I know you’re jealous of Daisy. You think she stole me.” “But she’s eight months pregnant! While she was carrying my child, you were trying to break us up! You need to apologize to her right now!” His lies turned the crowd against me. The neighbors had pitied me a second ago, but now they saw me as the homewrecker. If I couldn’t get out of this town, I’d be ruined. I remembered Ryan holding my hand at Dad’s funeral when I was seven, swearing he’d always protect me. I remembered him getting seven stitches when he fought off my bullies in seventh grade. Sixteen, picking me up from school, getting down on one knee with a soda tab ring, calling me his future wife. All those memories were lies. I laughed—a bitter, hollow sound. Whatever. Why bother explaining? Explanations are for people who care. A month later, Mom and Ryan cooked a big dinner. “It’s Scarlett’s birthday. We should smooth things over.” “Don’t know why she’s been so moody lately.” Daisy smiled, hand on her belly. Ryan glanced at her, pausing mid-motion. Something about her seemed different. He dried his hands. “I’ll go get Scarlett for dinner.” But when he opened her door, his smile froze.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “342259”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #擦边Steamy #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply