[2]

“Are you out of your mind?” Catherine Callister—more commonly known as Kate—snapped, her shrill voice shattering the silence of the back garden. Her perfectly manicured fingers dug into Althea’s shoulder with enough force to make the slender woman stumble slightly. The lightweight plastic watering can Althea had been using to water the white roses fell from her hand and shattered upon hitting the sharp-edged stone tiles.

Althea didn’t flinch. She merely winced at the harsh grip, then quickly composed herself. With calm eyes, she met her mother-in-law’s gaze, her hands folded neatly in front of her. The pale blue house dress she wore fluttered gently in the spring breeze, lending her an even more delicate air—but her gaze remained steady, unshaken.

“How dare you make such a shameless request?” Kate continued, her voice seething with rage. Her eyes blazed. “You’re well aware my son is about to marry Vanessa, aren’t you? Of course you know that—and yet you still have the audacity to beg for Daven’s attention?”

Althea gave a faint smile, about to speak—but Kate cut her off sharply, clearly unwilling to hear a single word in return.

“You look like some pathetic little love-starved beggar.”

Once more, Althea offered a small, wistful smile. It was the kind of smile that whispered warmth in the middle of a storm. “I’m not asking for Daven’s love, Mrs. Callister,” she replied, her voice soft yet laced with a steely kind of courtesy. “All I asked for was time. Thirty days of his time.”

“And what do you think you can accomplish in thirty days, huh?” Kate stepped forward, the heel of her designer shoe crunching over the broken watering can with a sharp, splintering sound. “You think you can make Daven fall in love with you? That’s never going to happen. Burn that into your pathetic little mind, Althea. Daven loves Vanessa. He always has and always will. You’re nothing but an obstacle to their happiness.”

Althea exhaled slowly, bowing her head for a moment as she fought to steady the storm churning inside her. Then she looked straight into her mother-in-law’s eyes. Her gaze was still calm—but this time, it carried an unmistakable strength.

“I never wanted to get in anyone’s way,” she said quietly. “But I’m not something to be discarded either. I’ve been Daven’s wife for nearly a year, even if no one has ever acknowledged it. I just want to end this marriage... peacefully.”

Kate scoffed sharply; her face flushed with fury. “End your marriage peacefully? You really have lost your mind, Althea.”

Her words didn’t shake Althea—though her heart ached with every syllable. From the very beginning, she had never been welcomed into this home. The only person who had shown her any kindness was Eve, the warm-hearted older woman who treated her like family.

How could Althea not love her? Eve had become like a mother to her—a comforting figure who filled the void left by the one she had lost. Eve had become the grandmother she never had, the only light that gave her strength to keep enduring her cursed life inside the Callister household.

Because everyone else? They treated Althea with nothing but contempt. Mockery. Loathing. As if she were some scheming intruders who had come to ruin everything. As if she were a cunning woman with hidden intentions. But not once—not even once—had Althea ever thought to use her circumstances to her advantage.

If she could have one wish, she would choose a quiet life with her late mother over any of this. She had never wanted to live in this grand, glittering house. Not if it came at the cost of her dignity.

“You’ve already made a mess of everything, Althea. And now? Now you’re making it worse?” Kate’s voice cracked with rage. “Vanessa’s been preparing everything—her dream wedding, the family gathering, every important guest. And now, because of some ‘final request’ from a nameless, orphaned girl, it’s all been postponed!”

Althea lowered her head, biting her lower lip to keep her pain from spilling out. When she finally spoke, her voice was clear.

“Yes, I’m nothing more than a girl with nothing—no wealth, no power, no name. But I still have my dignity, Mrs. Callister. And all I want is to hold on to that.”

Althea’s words were met with a scornful scoff from Kate. The older woman looked at her daughter-in-law with disbelief, clearly unable to comprehend the way her mind worked.

“You can keep your dignity, Althea. But at the very least, you should know your place in this house.”

“I’m fully aware of that, Mrs. Callister,” Althea replied calmly.

Kate opened her mouth to retort again, but the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted her. Daven appeared from behind the glass doors of the house, his suit still perfectly in place. The weariness from a long day’s work was evident on his face.

He glanced briefly between the two women before speaking in a flat tone, “Is there a problem?”

Kate turned to him, letting out a dramatic sigh. “Of course, there’s a problem. Your precious wife is trying to sabotage your wedding with Vanessa. She made an absurd request, and you—” she pointed a manicured finger at him, “—you agreed to it? I honestly don’t understand what you were thinking, Dave!”

Daven didn’t answer right away. His eyes were fixed on Althea. She didn’t say a word, but he knew she wouldn’t deny it. She wasn’t like the rest of the people in this house, hiding their motives behind masks.

“She only asked for my time, Mother. Just one month,” Daven said at last. “And I agreed. I’ve already spoken to Vanessa and explained everything. She’s willing to give me that time. Our love has already stood the test of time, Mother. It’s been a year since I married this woman, and Vanessa still waited for me. She didn’t mind giving me thirty more days.”

Kate could hardly believe what she was hearing. She buried her face in her hands in sheer frustration. But there was nothing more she could do. She had no choice but to go along with whatever her son had decided.

“Just make sure this shameless woman is out of the Callister family’s life when the month is over, Daven. I don’t want my beloved daughter-in-law waiting any longer.”

“Yes,” Daven replied curtly.

Althea, who had been standing quietly between them, spoke again.

“I know exactly where I stand. And I will leave once my time is up. But for now... I just want to spend what’s left in peace. That’s all I ask.”

Kate hissed under her breath, then turned away sharply.

“I will never see you as part of this family,” she spat before disappearing down the hallway, her footsteps sharp and swift—like every word she had just hurled.

Althea let out a long breath once the woman’s figure vanished from sight. Her hands trembled slightly, but she hid them beneath the folds of her dress. Only one figure remained, still standing there, watching her with that same cold stare—like she was nothing more than a discarded object.

“I didn’t realize my wife was so stubborn,” Daven mocked. “Do you want to be my wife that badly?” He let out a scoffing chuckle, laced with disdain.

“Do you regret agreeing to my request?” Althea asked softly, her gaze gentle but clouded with pain and disappointment.

Daven held her gaze for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. But I still think it’s ridiculous.”

“That’s fine,” Althea said, forcing a smile that barely reached her eyes. “What matters is... I won’t regret it.”

For a moment, the only sound between them was the breeze. Daven turned his face away, though his eyes lingered on her cheeks, flushed under the afternoon sun—or perhaps from holding back tears she refused to shed.

Without another word, he turned and began to walk away. But just before he vanished through the doorway, his voice called out behind him.

“If you’re this insistent... does that mean you’re ready to share my bed tonight, Althea? Isn’t that what you wanted— to become my wife in every sense of the word?”

Althea blinked, stunned. She was the one who had made that request, after all—asking to truly be his wife. Which meant... he had the right to touch her. Anytime. For the next thirty days.

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

“Yes,” she answered, her voice firm. She couldn’t back down now, could she? Even if the thought alone made her body tremble with fear.

But Daven’s response was as cold as ever.

“Too bad... I’m not interested.”

“But you already made a promise, Daven,” Althea said, her voice steady, stripped of shame. She had nothing left to lose—especially not her pride.

Daven laughed, but there was no warmth in it.

“You’re really clinging to that, huh?” He took a step forward, eyes never leaving hers. “Tell me, Althea. Do you want to be my wife that badly?”

She took a step back, instinctively. “It’s not like that—”

“Oh? Then what is it?” he snapped. “You begged for this. You practically signed yourself up to be mine—for a month.”

His voice was low, dangerously calm. He reached out, fingers brushing her chin—not tenderly, but not cruelly either. Just enough to force her gaze upward.

“Tomorrow night,” he said, gaze locked on hers, “I’ll come home not as the man you married on paper—but as the husband you insisted, I become.”

Althea’s breath hitched. Her hands curled into fists beside her dress, but she didn’t look away.

“I hope you’re ready,” Daven added, pulling back just slightly. “Because I won’t stop to ask if you’ve changed your mind.”