On New Year's Eve, my longtime boyfriend, Jameson Hall proposed to me.
Yet, that very night, he left me behind to pick up his long-lost "first love"—the woman who had once bullied me—and brought her back to the old family estate.
By the time I arrived, their family was already enjoying a cozy reunion dinner together.
“Mom, Dad, let me introduce my fiancée, Yvette,” Jameson said.
Blushing, Yvette murmured, “But, James, didn’t Grandpa say you should marry Lauren? Won’t she be upset if she finds out you broke off the engagement?”
“Don’t worry about her. You’re the daughter-in-law my parents and I have already accepted in our hearts,” he replied firmly.
His words shattered the fragile resolve I’d clung to as I stood frozen in the biting cold, clutching a gift in my trembling hands. My heart crumbled, breaking into as many pieces as the gift I accidentally dropped.
——
The loud thud of the falling present seemed to draw their attention. Every gaze inside the room turned toward the door.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the little maid. Since you’re here, come in. Don’t freeze yourself and run crying to Old Master again,” a mocking voice quipped from within.
My nails dug painfully into my palms, but I swallowed my pride. For Grandpa Carlos’s sake, I forced myself to step inside.
The wave of warmth from the central heater hit me, momentarily stealing my breath. I did my best to maintain my composure, offering a polite greeting to Jameson’s parents.
“Mom, Dad, Happy New Year—”
Before I could finish, Jameson rushed over and yanked my hand hard.
“Lauren, don’t call them that! Yvette might misunderstand,” he said sharply.
The pain in my wrist made me gasp. I stared at the man who had just hours ago knelt before his gravely ill grandfather, promising to announce me as his fiancée and treat me well. Now, he was hurting me just to avoid upsetting another woman.
Yvette blinked in surprise before her eyes reddened with tears. She turned to Jameson’s parents, her voice trembling.
“Uncle, Aunt, I guess James was lying to me. So Lauren is already your daughter-in-law? If that’s the case, what am I doing here, being a nuisance?”
Jameson’s mother immediately pulled Yvette into her arms, comforting her tenderly. “Don’t listen to that little brat’s nonsense. Her mother only sacrificed herself to extort Dad. Out of pity, he raised the girl and let her call us ‘Mom and Dad.’”
Jameson frowned at me with open displeasure. “Lauren, stop pretending now that Grandpa isn’t here. You’re just a maid’s daughter; calling them Mom and Dad is out of line.”
I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. Furious and heartbroken, I wrenched my hand out of his grasp.
“You’re right. There’s no need to pretend anymore, so I won’t,” I said, turning to leave.
But Jameson’s father’s voice stopped me.
“Where do you think you’re going? Our family has raised you for years, and now you forget your place?”
My steps faltered as my back began to ache. Memories of being beaten with willow branches until my skin bled for disobedience came rushing back.
I shook uncontrollably, unable to move.
In the past, Jameson would have defended me against his father and taken me to Grandpa Carlos for refuge. But now, he simply returned to his seat, comforting the still-sobbing Yvette.
“Lauren, if you realize your mistake, you should make up for it. Go fetch the chicken soup from the kitchen and serve it to Yvette,” he commanded coldly.
I hesitated, my legs too weak to take a single step.
In the end, a servant pushed me toward the kitchen. I was handed the steaming pot of chicken soup, the heat scalding my hands.
“Miss Cameron, you’d better behave. Otherwise, you’ll get punished again, and this time it’s New Year’s. If Old Master Hall hears about it, his health might deteriorate even further,” the servant warned.
Chapter 2Though the servant’s words sounded kind, they deliberately withheld gloves, forcing me to carry the bowl barehanded.
To avoid worrying Grandpa, I gritted my teeth, picked up the scalding bowl of chicken soup, and walked to Yvette’s side. However, she acted as if I didn’t exist, engrossed in a conversation with Monica, my supposed to be mother-in-law, about her experiences abroad.
The porcelain bowl conducted heat mercilessly, and the burning sensation spread across my palms, leaving them a deep red print. I was desperate to set the bowl down, but Jameson’s cold voice stopped me.
“Lauren, you upset Yvette with your words. If you’re going to apologize, at least show the proper attitude. Keep holding the bowl.”
His words pierced my heart like a dagger. Furious and humiliated, I slammed the bowl onto the table.
At that moment, Yvette suddenly stood up and “accidentally” bumped into my wrist. The bowl tilted, spilling the scalding, oily soup all over me. A burning pain spread across my skin, and I gasped in agony.
Before I could recover, Yvette cried out dramatically. “Ah! It hurts! Lauren, even if you’re unhappy with me, you shouldn’t pour hot soup on me! Are you trying to ruin my face?”
Jameson stormed over and shoved me hard. “Lauren! How could you stoop so low!?”
Shards of the broken bowl pierced my palm, sending a sharp, searing pain shooting through my hand and into my chest. Tears welled up in my eyes and finally spilled over as I stared at Jameson, my heart breaking all over again.
But he didn’t spare me a glance, his entire focus on checking Yvette’s neck with concern.
“Are you okay, Yvette?” he asked gently.
Yvette shook her head pitifully, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at me. “I’m fine. But Lauren seems upset. Did I do something wrong? I shouldn’t have complained about the pain. I’m sorry, Lauren.”
Jameson finally turned his gaze to me, filled with irritation and disgust. “Lauren, if you can’t behave during the New Year, get out. Stop ruining everyone’s mood.”
Yvette chimed in with feigned kindness. “James, Lauren accidentally spilled soup on herself. Her clothes are dirty, and sending her out like this would embarrass the Hall family. Why not let her change before leaving?”
Her tone was filled with concern, but the subtle superiority in her words made it clear she saw herself as the true mistress of the Hall family.
Moments later, perceptive servants led me to a room.
The instant we entered, they began pulling at my clothes. I resisted, but my struggles only left my garments disheveled, exposing large swathes of skin.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed.
I turned instinctively toward the source of the change, only to be blinded by a flash.
Click!
It was Yvette with a camera, a triumphant smile on her lips.
“Well, well, long time no see, my little stand-in,” she taunted, her tone dripping with malice.
A chill ran down my spine, my body stiffening as if stabbed by needles. My face turned ghostly pale.
The scene before me transported me back to those dark days when I was mercilessly bullied.
It was shortly after my mother had died in a car accident while saving Grandpa Carlos. Out of gratitude, Grandpa took me in and arranged for me to attend the same school as Jameson.
At first, Jameson often looked after me, walking me to and from class. Rumors began to spread, with people teasing that he liked me.
Naively, I allowed myself to develop feelings for him. But the moment he heard the rumors, he wasted no time clearing his name. In front of everyone, he not only denied any connection to me but introduced his girlfriend—Yvette.
The tide turned quickly. Admiring gazes shifted to scornful ones, and the rumors about Jameson liking me were replaced by ridicule that I was nothing but Yvette’s stand-in.
Just when I began to believe it myself, Yvette sought me out.
Chapter 3The moment Yvette arrived, she grabbed my head and shoved me into a filthy pool of water, screaming at me.
“How can someone as lowly as you look like me?”
It wasn’t until years later that I finally understood her hatred. Back then, Jameson, drunk and delirious, had held her tightly—while calling out my name.
From that day, her torment began. She bullied me relentlessly, taking pleasure in humiliating me and capturing every degrading moment in photos. Those photos became her leverage, used to silence me, ensuring I wouldn’t tell anyone about the abuse.
Her reign of terror only ended when Jameson broke up with her. That year, consumed by anger, she left the country.
Shaking, I dragged myself back to the present and lunged for Yvette’s phone. “Delete it!”
She smirked, taunting me. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Feeling desperate now, little stand-in? Don’t worry; I’ve got plenty of pictures of you begging and crying. Want me to show you some?”
I stared at her with cold fury as she laughed openly. “Yvette, I’m not the same Lauren you used to bully. If you dare use those photos to threaten me again, I’ll sue you!”
“Oh, the little beggar has grown some claws, huh? I’m so scared! But guess what? I’m not deleting anything. What can you even do about it?”
Her voice turned cruel, her gaze dripping with contempt. “After all these years, you’re still the same—fit only to grovel at my feet like a dog.”
Ignoring the burning pain in my hand, I rushed forward to grab her phone.
Before I could touch her, she took a dramatic step back and deliberately fell to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. “Lauren, I was only checking if you were hurt. Why did you push me?”
Right on cue, Jameson stormed over, shoving me aside with force. His father, Arthur followed, slapping me hard across the face.
“You bastard child of a servant! Do you think this house is yours? Get out of my sight!”
Clutching my burning, swollen cheek, I instinctively turned to Jameson, hoping—praying—that he would defend me, as he always had.
But there was nothing.
Jameson didn’t say a word in my defense. Instead, he shot me a look of disgust before turning his full attention to Yvette, who was now cradled in his arms. He walked away with her, murmuring words of comfort.
The servants wasted no time shoving me out of the Hall family villa.
Barefoot, I wandered aimlessly through the desolate streets. The bitter wind and snow lashed against my face, but no physical cold could compare to the chill in my heart.
Three years ago, on New Year’s Eve, Jameson had accepted my confession.
He said, “I’ve been protecting you since we were kids. From now on, you can entrust your life to me.”
He defied his family’s rules, stayed with me in my small rented apartment, and celebrated a New Year that belonged to just the two of us.
Back then, when the world was lit with festive lights, he was the brightest one in my life.
Now, I didn’t know how long I had been walking. My feet were numb, and every step felt like a distant echo.
A sudden crackle of firecrackers startled me.
I turned to see a group of children laughing and playing.
“Look! There’s a crazy barefoot lady walking in the snow! Hahaha!”
“Brother, she must be a monster! Let’s destroy the monster!”
Giggling, they began throwing firecrackers at me.
I stood there, quietly watching them, tears streaming down my face. Then, inexplicably, I started laughing along with them.
I took a step toward them, hoping they might share a sliver of their joy with me—just a little.
But before I could get closer, their mother appeared, wary and protective. She pushed me away, shielding her children.
I stumbled and fell into the snow, hearing her faint voice as if through a fog.
“I’m so sorry, Miss. The children didn’t mean it. Please don’t be mad at them.”
She tossed a ten dollar bill at my feet and hurried off with her kids, casting anxious glances back at me.
I understood her fear. To her, I was nothing more than a homeless, broken stranger—someone who might lash out in vengeance against her children.
Chapter 4The woman's apology was not for me; it was for her children. She was protecting them.
Would my mother have done the same for me if she were still here?
Thinking of my mother, I instinctively reached for the jade pendant around my neck. It was the only thing she had left me—a small reminder of her love.
However, there was nothing around my neck.
Panic surged through me. My body went numb as I realized the pendant must have fallen when I was shoved out of the Hall family villa earlier, my clothes in disarray.
If Yvette got her hands on it...
The thought sent me into a frenzy. Without hesitation, I turned back and sprinted toward the Hall family house.
When I arrived, the gates were locked.
Desperate, I crawled through the dog hole by the side of the house—a passage that held bittersweet memories. Whenever I was kicked out, Jameson used to secretly unlock the small metal gate to let me back in.
Over the years, weeds had grown over the hole, but the gate remained ajar, frozen in time from the last time I’d been thrown out.
I snuck into the house and went straight to the room. There it was—my jade pendant, dangling from Yvette’s hand as she toyed with it.
“Yvette, that’s my pendant! Give it back!”
She looked at me with disdain. “You say it’s yours, so it’s yours? I’d say it’s just some trash I picked up.”
“You can’t talk about it that way!” I angrily retorted.
“Oh, I’ll call it trash—and I’ll call you trash too. What can you do about it?” She sneered.
With that, she leaned out the window, holding the pendant precariously.
My heart leapt to my throat. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles cracked, but I forced myself to stay calm. I couldn’t risk her damaging it.
Lowering my voice, I pleaded, “Yvette, please. Give it back. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Her lips curled into a triumphant smirk, her eyes sparkling with malice.
“Alright,” she drawled, “kneel and kowtow to me three times. Apologize sincerely. Maybe then I’ll return your little trinket to the beggar it belongs to.”
I froze, my body stiff with humiliation.
At that moment, Jameson appeared at the door.
“Yvette, why are you still up this late?”
“Jameson,” she said sweetly, “Lauren is accusing me of stealing. She claims this pendant is hers.”
Jameson’s eyes immediately fixed on the jade in her hand.
“Lauren,” he said coldly, “it’s just a pendant. Why can’t you give it to Yvette? Consider it an apology gift.”
“Jameson, I didn’t steal it,” Yvette said with mock indignation, her voice dripping with false innocence. “I have one just like this. It’s very expensive, something ordinary people could never afford. If it really is hers, maybe it was a gift from some man.”
Her words twisted the truth effortlessly. Jameson’s gaze darkened as he looked at me.
I glanced between him and the pendant, which still dangled perilously out the window.
Clenching my teeth, I dropped to my knees with a thud, swallowing my pride as I begged Yvette.
“Please, give me back my pendant.”
Jameson’s eyes narrowed as he watched me kneel. He stepped forward, his expression a mix of anger and discomfort, and tried to pull me up.
But I was trembling, desperate, and clung to his leg in panic. “Jameson, please! Help me! Make her give it back! I’ll forgive you for breaking off our engagement. I’ll leave if that’s what you want. I’ll stay far, far away...”
The helplessness and despair of having my lifeline held hostage brought tears streaming down my face.
But my words only made him angrier.
“So, this pendant really is a gift from some man, isn’t it?”
I stared at him in disbelief. After everything we’d been through, after years of knowing each other, he trusted Yvette’s lies over me.
When I didn’t respond, his expression darkened further.
He shoved me aside with force and turned to Yvette, his voice gentle and doting. “If this pendant belongs to you, then you can do whatever she wants with it.”
Chapter 5Yvette smiled triumphantly. "James, you know how much I hate it when people claim my things as theirs. If that’s the case, I’d rather not have it at all."
Before her words had fully settled, the jade pendant was flung out the window.
“No! Stop!” I screamed, my voice hoarse with desperation, and lunged toward the window, ready to jump after it.
Jameson was quicker. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, pulling me back before I could throw myself out.
Frantic, I shoved him aside and bolted downstairs, the sound of the pendant hitting water echoing in my mind.
Without hesitation, I dove headfirst into the freezing swimming pool.
The cold winter night offered no light; everything was shrouded in darkness. I plunged into the icy water, fumbling blindly as I searched.
Finally, my fingers grazed something sharp. Hope surged through me as I grabbed it. By the faint light, I saw it—it was my jade pendant.
But it was broken.
In the dead of winter, the freezing water clung to my skin, mocking my misery.
Clutching the shattered pendant to my chest, I collapsed into sobs, unable to contain the overwhelming despair.
Jameson arrived moments later, pulling me out of the water in a panic.
My entire body was trembling, my lips purple with cold, but my eyes burned with hatred.
I pushed him away, carefully placed the broken pendant aside, then stormed toward Yvette and slapped her hard across the face.
Her lip split, blood trickling down the corner of her mouth. But it wasn’t enough—I raised my hand to hit her again.
Before I could, Jameson rushed forward and shoved me aside, stopping me in mid-swing.
My hand slammed into the shards of the jade pendant, reopening a wound that had just begun to heal. Blood streamed down my palm, staining it crimson. But I felt nothing.
Consumed by rage, I lunged at Yvette once more, determined to hurt her.
Slap!
A sharp sound rang in the air as pain erupted across my cheek. Jameson had struck me.
His hand trembled after the slap.
"Lauren, calm down!"
I stared at him, disbelief and anguish filling my eyes.
Without hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped him back with all my strength.
Furious, he grabbed my wrist tightly, his gaze burning with anger. "Lauren, you can take out your frustrations on me, but you can't hurt Yvette!"
“Even stubbornness has its limits. I’ll replace your pendant, but now, apologize to Yvette.”
I felt like I was on the verge of madness, unable to bear the humiliation and betrayal any longer.
As Jameson gripped the back of my neck, trying to force me to apologize, I bit down on his arm with all the strength I had left.
Blood seeped through the fabric of his white shirt, spreading into a crimson stain.
I refused to let go until Yvette pushed me away in a panic.
I fell back into the pool. The icy water embraced me once more, seeping into my bones.
Above me, I could hear the distant strains of cheerful music, "Happy New Year," and fireworks exploding in the sky.
But it all seemed so far away, mocking my pathetic state.
Clutching the broken pieces of the pendant in my hand, I laughed. Then, without warning, I began to cry.
All I wanted was to go home.
Mom... All I ever wanted was a home.
Later, I dragged my exhausted body back to my small rented apartment and collapsed into a restless sleep.
In my dreams, Jameson smiled at me.
He held me close and took me to an amusement park I’d never visited as a child. He showed me the beauty of our country, from majestic mountains to serene rivers. At every temple we visited, he wrote the same wish as mine. "Jameson will love Lauren for eternity."
The dream shifted to yesterday.
He held my hand, kneeling before Grandpa Carlos, making a solemn vow.
He promised to marry me, to cherish me for a lifetime. He slipped a proposal ring onto my finger, his face radiant with joy.
In the middle of the night, I woke up unexpectedly, my body burning with fever. I wiped the cold tears from the corners of my eyes with a shaky hand and dragged my exhausted body to see the last person in this city I couldn’t bear to leave behind.
Grandpa was still in a coma. I held his rough, calloused hand and couldn’t hold back my tears anymore.
"Grandpa, you’re such a bad old man, choosing a family member for me and picking the worst one."
"So wake up soon, Grandpa, and keep being my family."
The next day, I called my professor. "Professor, I’ve decided to go to New York as an exchange student."
"Good. Come back tomorrow, and we’ll finalize the process."
I quickly packed my luggage and paid the penalty for breaking the lease on my apartment. Then, I boarded a plane headed to my university.
Before leaving, I sent a final message to Jameson.
[Jameson, I don’t want the jade pendant anymore. I don’t want you either.]