Nora's POV

Chapter 4

Nora’s POV

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Caleb roared.

He slammed his briefcase onto the floor. The heavy thud echoed like a second strike. He stormed toward me, face twisted in pure disgust. “You hit her? You actually put your hands on my daughter?”

“Caleb, she was being disrespectful,” I tried to explain, my voice trembling. My palm still throbbed from the slap. “She called me a servant. She said I wasn’t even a mother!”

“I don’t care if she burned the house down!” Caleb stepped so close his chest almost touched mine. He looked at me like I was trash stuck to his shoe. “You are a housewife, Nora. Your only job is to keep the peace and keep this family happy. And you can’t even do that. You’re becoming a violent, bitter woman. It’s pathetic.”

“Daddy!”

We both turned. Mia stood halfway down the stairs, small hands gripping the railing, eyes wide and filled with tears. “Don’t yell at Mom! Tara was being mean! She said horrible things!”

“Mia, go to your room,” Caleb snapped, not even glancing at her.

“But Mom was just—”

“Upstairs! Now!” His voice cracked like a whip.

Mia flinched. She looked at me, lip trembling, then turned and ran back up the stairs. Caleb swung his cold gaze back to me.

“You’re a disgrace,” he whispered, the words sliding into my ear like a snake. “Don’t you ever… ever… touch her again. You don’t have that right.”

He shoved past me, shoulder-checking me hard enough to make me stumble. I stayed silent until I heard the door to his study slam shut. Then I walked upstairs to Mia’s room.

She was curled on her bed, face buried in her pillow. The moment I sat beside her, she crawled into my lap and sobbed into my shirt.

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” she cried. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, baby,” I whispered, stroking her curly brown hair. “It’s not your fault.”

We sat together in the soft lamplight for a long time. When her tears finally slowed, Mia reached under her bed and pulled out her sketchbook. She flipped through the pages until she found the drawing she had finished that afternoon.

It was me — standing tall in front of a glass skyscraper. But I wasn’t wearing an apron. I wore a long, shimmering blue gown, and on my head sat a bright gold crown.

“I drew this because I know who you really are,” Mia whispered, pointing at the crown. “You look like someone important, Mom. You look like a Queen. Why do you let them treat you like a servant?”

A lump formed in my throat so big it hurt to swallow. I stared at the yellow crayon crown she had colored so carefully. Mia was the only one who still saw me. She was the only reason I had stayed this long.

“Sometimes Queens have to hide for a little while, Mia,” I said softly, kissing the top of her head. “But they don’t stay hidden forever.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A heavy knock on the door made us both jump.

“Nora!” Caleb barked from the hallway. He didn’t open the door. “I know you’re in there. Get down here and serve me my dinner. I won’t work all day at the office and still starve in my own house because of your lazy ass!”

I took a deep breath. “I’m coming, Caleb.”

Mia helped me set the table, her small hands placing the forks and knives exactly where Caleb liked them. I carried out the roast, steam rising from the meat. It smelled delicious, but to me it smelled like defeat.

Caleb sat at the head of the table, scrolling through his phone. He didn’t look at me as I filled his plate. He didn’t even glance at Mia.

“Sit down,” he ordered, pointing to the chair at the far end.

I sat. Mia sat beside me, head down.

“The Anniversary Gala is tomorrow night at the Magnolia Grand,” Caleb said, finally looking up. He took a bite of the roast and nodded, but offered no compliment. “It’s a big deal. The biggest investors in the state will be there. I already sent two thousand dollars to your account. Use it to get yourself and the girls some decent outfits.”

He leaned back, a smug smile curling his lips. “I don’t want any disgrace tomorrow. I don’t want people looking at my wife and wondering if I plucked her off a farm. Get something that covers your arms — you’re looking a little thin lately. It’s not a good look for the company.”

I kept my hands folded in my lap. “Two thousand dollars for three dresses?”

“It’s more than you’ve earned in a decade, isn’t it?” He chuckled and took a sip of wine, eyes glinting with malice. “And listen carefully, Nora. Once we’re at the ballroom, you stay in the shadows. Find a table in the back. Don’t mingle. Don’t talk to the Hamilton Global representatives. They’re high-class people — they talk stocks, technology, global markets. They don’t want to hear about your grocery lists or the neighbor’s dog.”

He laughed, cold and dry. “You’re there for the photos, Nora. The ‘supportive wife’ in the background. If anyone asks what you do, just smile and say you take care of the house. Don’t try to be smart. You’ll only embarrass us both.”

I looked straight at him, my voice calm and smooth. “I understand, Caleb. I’ll stay exactly where I belong.”

“Good.” He finished his wine, wiped his mouth, and tossed the napkin onto his plate for me to clean later. He stood and looked down at me with total indifference. “You can leave now. Go finish the laundry or whatever it is you do. I have more work for tomorrow.”

As he walked away, Mia reached under the table and gently touched my hand.

“Mom?” she whispered.

I turned to her and smiled softly. “Go to bed, Mia. Tomorrow I’m going to buy the most beautiful dress you’ve ever seen. And tomorrow night… you’re going to show them exactly what a Queen looks like.”