3

"Why is the salt too much, Zoey?"

The shrill voice pierced through her thoughts as she placed the last dish on the long table, the sweet aroma of her freshly brewed coffee wafting past her nostrils.

It was Chelsey, her husband's younger sister, glaring at her plate as if it held poison. She dropped her fork with an exaggerated clatter. "Do you want to kill us all with this salt?"

Zoey’s jaw tightened. Normally, she would have brushed it off with a forced smile or a polite apology. But not today. Not after everything.

“What do you mean by that?” Zoey snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. “If you have a problem, maybe you should start going to the kitchen yourself and cooking your meals.”

Chelsey’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Excuse me?” she spat, standing from her chair. “You dare to speak to me like that? You, who should be in the kitchen to begin with? You’re nothing more than—”

Zoey let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head as she set down the pitcher of juice in her hand. “You think I should be in the kitchen?” she said, her voice trembling with anger. “Do you even realize how much I’ve done for this family? How much I’ve sacrificed? You wouldn’t last a day in my shoes.”

Chelsey’s face turned red with fury. “Sacrificed? Don’t make me laugh. You’ve done nothing but live off my brother’s wealth. You should be grateful we even let you stay here.”

Zoey’s breath hitched. Her nails dug into her palms as she fought to hold back the words threatening to spill out. Before she could respond, her mother-in-law entered the dining room, her face twisted in irritation.

“What’s going on here?” Lady Alcantara demanded, her eyes narrowing at Zoey. “Why are you arguing with Chelsey?”

“Ask your daughter,” Zoey said coldly, meeting her mother-in-law’s gaze.

Lady Alcantara’s lips curled into a sneer. “This is exactly the problem with you. Always so arrogant, always so... difficult. I’ve told Caleb from the start that you weren’t suited for this family.”

Zoey’s control snapped. “Arrogant? Difficult?” she repeated, her voice rising. “Is that what you call standing up for myself after being treated like a servant in my own home?”

“Servant?” Lady Alcantara scoffed. “Don’t be dramatic, Zoey. You’re just bitter because of the governor’s daughter. You’re jealous, and it’s showing.”

The words hit Zoey like a slap. She turned sharply to face the older woman, her eyes blazing. “Jealous?” she hissed. “Do you think this is about jealousy? Your son made a mockery of me in front of the entire world last night. He announced his engagement to another woman without so much as a word to me. And now you dare to blame me?”

Lady Alcantara opened her mouth to retort, but Zoey didn’t let her.

“No,” Zoey continued, her voice trembling with fury. “This isn’t about jealousy. This is about respect. Something I’ve never received from anyone in this family, despite everything I’ve done.”

At that moment, the door to the dining room opened, and Caleb walked in, his jacket slung over his shoulder. He looked tired, but there was a smugness in his step that made Zoey’s blood boil.

He had been gone all night, probably with Linda, and Zoey hadn’t even cared. She had slept on the couch in her sitting room, too disgusted by the thought of sleeping on the bed she had always shared with him.

“Good morning,” Caleb said casually, as if the tension in the room didn’t exist. He glanced around, his eyes finally landing on Zoey. “Is breakfast ready?”

Zoey laughed, a bitter, humorless sound that drew everyone’s attention. “Breakfast? Really, Caleb? That’s what you care about right now?”

Caleb frowned, clearly confused. “What are you talking about?”

She took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she faced him. This was it. She couldn’t do this anymore. “You know what? I’m done,” she said, her voice clear and resolute.

“Done with what?” Caleb asked, his tone impatient.

Zoey turned, her gaze sweeping across the room, taking in the shocked faces of her in-laws. “I’m done playing the obedient wife turned slave to all of you,” she said, her voice growing louder with each word.

Then she turned to Caleb, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “And you,” she said, her voice breaking slightly. “I want a divorce.”

The room fell silent, the weight of her words hanging in the air like a storm about to break.

Chelsey gasped audibly, her hand flying to her mouth. Lady Alcantara looked as though she had been slapped. And Caleb... Caleb simply stared at her, his face pale with shock.