They’d arranged a childhood engagement between us. But back then, I fought with my mom constantly. And because of that, I pushed away everyone close to her—including little Jaxon and Paula, his mother.
By middle school, I had left for Milan to study art.
Jaxon was sent to the UK for business school.
We went our separate ways. And the next time I saw him?
It was at my mother’s funeral.
I was lost in thought when Paula appeared, holding a steaming cup of ginger tea.
Without a word, she pulled me into a tight embrace, “That boy—Jaxon! He let you get soaked like this, huh? Let Mom give him a piece of my mind.”
“Mom?” I blinked, confused.
Jaxon coughed awkwardly, turning his head away. “I’ll go find you something dry to wear.”
As he slipped out of the room, Paula chuckled and handed me the tea.
“Jaxon already told us—said the two of you are getting married soon. So yes, sweetheart, you'd better start calling me Mom.”
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this day for so long,” Paula commented. “Let’s keep the date your mother chose, okay? No changes.”
The date she meant… was next month. It was supposed to be the day I married Steven.
The ginger tea in my hands slowly warmed me from the inside out. My chest tightened. My eyes stung.
The next day, Jaxon brought over everything we needed for the wedding. I thought with the date so close, we’d be scrambling. That we’d have to recycle the old plan I’d worked on for months with Steven.
But no. Jaxon had handled it all, so I don't need to worry about it at all. It was clear how serious he was.
Meanwhile, Steven…
Even after five years together, he still wouldn't have proposed if I hadn’t pushed him. What's more, I planned every detail of the wedding myself.
Love and indifference—it’s not hard to tell the difference when you stop making excuses. As I thought of it, I called the old wedding planner and canceled everything.
Not even a minute later, my phone rang again.
It was Steven’s mother.
“Lucia, have you completely lost your mind? You think you can just cancel a wedding like that? What did Steven do this time? Can’t you stop being so dramatic for once? Honestly—only someone like my Steven would even consider marrying a girl like you.”
The Grants had never really accepted me.