— Chapter 10 Before I could even muster a smile, a sharp voice rang out from the foyer. “How dare you come back!” I sighed inwardly. ‘So it’s come to this, after all. ‘ I was just about to apologize when Blake stepped forward and knelt ahead of me. Facing my parents and grandfather inside, he spoke with sincerity in every word. “This is all my fault. I should’ve come back earlier to explain and apologize. Whatever punishment you see fit, I won’t complain. But Joyce’s not well.
Whatever punishment she should bear, I’ll take it with her.” Grandpa’s expression remained unreadable, his face set in stone. But my mother… her smile folded every wrinkle on her face into one joyous map. If Grandpa weren’t sitting right there, she probably would’ve rushed over to pull her son-in-law up and invite him to sit at the table. —- “Grandpa,” I chimed in quickly, trying to defuse the tension. “Come on, don’t be mad.
Look-Joyce and I are both doing so well now.” Without waiting for Grandpa’s reply, I hurried to the door and scooped Sarah’s daughter from her arms. I moved too fast, though, and accidentally made Sarah stumble back. Before I could catch her, John tossed aside whatever he was holding and rushed forward to steady her. “For heaven’s sake, how old are you now? Still so careless? You and Sarah are completely different. Women should be gentle and poised!” he scolded, his tone all stern propriety.
Sarah simply patted his hand in reassurance, while I rolled my eyes so hard it nearly hurt. “Got it, John,” I muttered through clenched teeth. “Joyce has a great personality. I like how lively she is, ” Blake added with a grin, somehow appearing beside me before I noticed. —- “All right, all right-are you three going to stand guard at the door all day?” Grandpa finally broke his silence. “Get inside and eat.” Sarah and I exchanged a look. We made it.
Grandpa might be all bark, but his heart was really soft. At the table, John had a baby in one arm and was using the other to pile food into Sarah’s bowl. “You love this one, eat more,” he said, never pausing. “Your aunt really knows how to cook. I’ll have to come learn from her next time we’re off. Haven’t seen you eat this well in a while.” Watching him fuss like that, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was this really the same man who used to preach, “A gentleman stays out of the kitchen”?
Back in my past life, he and I argued endlessly about that. But now, with Sarah, he’s offering to cook? “Honey,” Blake whispered beside me, “I’ve already learned all your favorite dishes. So could you maybe stop staring at Sarah’s husbands like that?” I coughed awkwardly. The jealousy in his voice was
—- impossible to miss. To be honest, I was doing just fine these days. It really seemed like fate hadn’t gotten it wrong this time- we’d each found the right person. After dinner, I couldn’t take it anymore and chased John off so I could finally have a little alone time with Sarah. “Hey, Sarah, want to come to Scholcher Island with me?” She blinked at me, startled. “Think about it. The commune’s about to be disbanded, and John will probably be laid off.
I’ve opened a factory over there, and it’s doing really well. Ineed someone I can trust to help out.” “But the most important thing?” I leaned in, eyes gleaming. “Last time, that bitch Leila ruined your life. Don’t you want to see how miserable she is now? With your own eyes?” I’m not sure which part convinced her-or how she —- got John to agree-but in the end, as we headed back, I walked in front, arm linked with hers, beaming. Behind us, the two men juggled luggage and the baby.
My good mood lasted the whole way, peaking when we passed by Vince’s house. “T don’t care what my dad said. You’re here to serve us,” one of the boys shouted. “Whatever we tell you to do, you do. Women who don’t listen just need a couple beatings.” There stood Leila, being shoved around by three half- grown boys. The arrogance she used to wear like a crown had vanished. She looked so fragile now, as ifa breeze could knock her down.
Her body was covered in bruises, her face void of any emotion-like a puppet stripped of strings. “Ezra, you shouldn’t talk like that,” one of the neighbor women said hesitantly. “You’re a family now. You should try to get along.” “Yeah, Vince,” another added. “You’re just going to sit there and watch your sons treat your new wife like —- this? No matter what, she’s still your wife.” Vince didn’t respond.
He sat there, smoking, face dark, watching silently as his sons shoved his new bride to the ground and screamed at her. “She’s no family,” one of the boys spat. “She wrecked our home. We’re letting her live in the house instead of the barn-she should be grateful!” “What kind of parents raised someone like you?” another chimed in. “Rotten family, from the top to bottom!” Maybe that last insult struck a nerve.
Before anyone could react, Leila sprang up and tackled the boy who’d spoken, raining punches down on him. She looked skeletal, but in that moment her twisted expression made her seem like a demon straight from the underworld. It was terrifying. Chaos erupted. Vince jumped up and started hitting Leila, while the neighbor women tried to pull them. apart. Some screamed, some scolded. The whole courtyard exploded in noise.
—- In the aftermath, word spread quickly: due to the ugly fallout, Vince was discharged immediately, with no chance of reassignment. He returned to his rural hometown with his three sons and his original wife to take up farming again. As for Leila, she vanished from the island not long after their divorce. No one knew where she went, or how she was doing. But Sarah and I didn’t care anymore. We were too busy.
The factory was booming, and we barely had time to sleep, let alone worry about people who no longer mattered. Still, after working overtime for several days straight, I fell asleep as soon as I got home-and Blake finally reached his limit. Now [had to figure out how to coax him out of his sulk. Sigh.
