Chapter 1: The Woman Outside
“Boo-hoo. Boo-hoo.””
The laughter around me grew louder as the water hit my face.
I stood barefoot on the wet lawn, my traditional dress clinging heavily to my body. Water ran from my hair, down my cheeks, and soaked the embroidered fabric that had taken me two months to prepare.
Across the garden, Amelia Whitmore held a green garden hose like a weapon.
She was still wearing the white engagement dress her fiancé had bought her that morning—a sleek, expensive gown that sparkled beneath the string lights.
She pointed the hose at me again.
“Look at you,” Amelia said.
“Do you honestly think this is a public park?””
A few guests covered their mouths, laughing.
Others simply watched.
No one stopped her.
I tightened my fingers around the handle of my handbag.
“I’m here because I was invited,” I said quietly.
Amelia rolled her eyes.
“Invited?”” She laughed.
“By whom?””
I looked past her toward the enormous mansion.
Music drifted through the open French doors. Crystal glasses clinked. Servers moved between tables covered in white linen.
This was Amelia’s engagement party.
Her future in-laws had spent a fortune turning the backyard into a private celebration.
And somehow, I had become the evening’s entertainment.
Amelia stepped closer, still holding the hose.
“You walked through my gate dressed like that?””
She looked me up and down.
Then she smiled.
“Beggars really have confidence these days.””
Another wave of laughter.
My jaw tightened.
I could have walked away.
I almost did.
Then Amelia aimed the hose directly at my chest.
The water blasted me again.
A young woman near the dessert table gasped.
“Amelia!”” she said.
“You’re going to ruin her clothes.””
Amelia laughed.
“That’s the point.””
She turned toward her friends.
“Someone should teach people the difference between a luxury estate and a soup kitchen.””
More laughter.
I stared at her.
There was something almost childish about the way she enjoyed humiliating someone who could not—or would not—fight back.
I calmly wiped water from my eyes.
“You’ve made your point.””
Amelia snorted.
“Oh, I haven’t even started.””
She lifted the hose higher.
“Maybe she needs another lesson.””
“Amelia,” one of the guests said nervously, “seriously, stop.””
But Amelia ignored her.
The water struck my face so hard that I had to turn my head.
I heard someone whisper, “This is going too far.””
Then someone else laughed.
And that was when I understood.
They were not embarrassed for me.
They were entertained.
So I stopped trying to reason with them.
Instead, I looked down at my handbag.
It was still dry inside.
I had protected it with one arm from the beginning.
Amelia noticed.
“What are you hiding?””
“Nothing that concerns you.””
She gave a mocking smile.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s precious.””
She stepped onto the wet grass.
“Maybe I should check.””
“No.””
My voice was soft.
But this time, Amelia paused.
Her smile faded for a second.
Then she laughed again.
“There she is.””
She pointed the hose at my face.
“The poor woman finally found her voice.””
The guests laughed.
I looked directly at Amelia.
“You should put that hose down.””
She stared at me.
Then she tilted her head.
“Or what?””
I said nothing.
A breeze moved across the garden.
Water dripped from my sleeves.
My handbag felt heavy in my hand.
Amelia shook her head.
“You know what I think?””
She stepped closer.
“I think women like you believe expensive clothes, fancy cars, and rich people somehow owe you respect.””
Her voice became louder so everyone could hear.
“They don’t.””
She squeezed the handle.
Water exploded across my shoulder.
I closed my eyes.
And whispered, “Uh-oh.””
Amelia grinned.
“Did you just say uh-oh?””
I opened my eyes.
“Yes.””
She laughed.
“Why? Are you going to cry?””
I tightened my grip around my handbag.
“No.””
“Then what?””
I looked directly at her.
“You will regret this.””
For one second, the garden went quiet.
Then Amelia burst out laughing.
“Oh, please.””
She turned toward the guests.
“Did everybody hear that?””
The crowd erupted.
Someone clapped.
Someone else shouted, “Call security!””
Amelia laughed so hard she nearly dropped the hose.
Then a voice came from inside the house.
“What happened?””
Everyone turned.
The music continued for another few seconds.
Then a man appeared through the open doors.
He was tall, sharply dressed, and holding a half-finished glass of red wine.
Daniel Carter.
Amelia’s fiancé.
His eyes swept across the garden.
Then they stopped on me.
His face changed instantly.
The wine glass slipped from his fingers.
It hit the stone patio and shattered.
Daniel ran.
He tore off his jacket while crossing the grass.
“Mom?””
Amelia’s smile vanished.
Daniel reached me, wrapped his jacket tightly around my shoulders, and stared at me as if he had just watched the world collapse.
His voice shook.
“Mom… what happened to you?””
No one laughed anymore.
And when Daniel turned toward Amelia, there was something in his eyes that made her take one step backward.
“Mom?”” she whispered.
But that was not the worst part.
Daniel looked down at my handbag.
His expression suddenly turned pale.
May you like
Because he knew exactly what I had brought to his engagement party.
And he knew why I had come.
