Chapter 3

3

When I got home, the house smelled like a home-cooked meal.

"Mom, Dad, I'm back," I called out.

My mom dropped her work and rushed to hug me. "Rowan! You're just in time."

"Go wash up. Your dad made your favorite spicy garlic shrimp," she said, her eyes crinkling with joy.

I felt a lump in my throat. My dad walked out of the kitchen wearing a faded apron.

"Rowan, come taste this. Is it spicy enough for you?" he asked with a warm smile.

My dad was the gentlest man I knew. My mom was a lioness who never bowed to anyone.

But in my last life, Caleb's mother insulted me so badly that my father's hands shook with rage.

When I tried to end it all, my mother had screamed and cried, begging me to come down from the roof.

I ate the shrimp, my tears hitting the plate. I wouldn't let them down again.

A few days later, we arrived at the Sterling estate. I was dressed in a simple shirt and jeans.

My mother was wearing her most expensive suit. She had spent hours on her hair and makeup.

"Rowan, why are you dressed like that?" she fretted. "No makeup? You should have worn the dress I bought."

In my last life, I wore a beautiful green gown, and they still called me a monster trying to play dress-up.

I smiled and took her arm. "Let's just go in, Mom."

The butler stopped us at the gate. He looked at us with pure disgust.

"This is a private event. We don't allow beggars inside," he sneered.

I stepped in front of my mother. "I am Caleb's fiancée."

The man burst into a loud, mocking laugh. "You? A fiancée?"

He wiped a tear from his eye. "Security! Get these grifters out of here, especially the scaly freak."

I narrowed my eyes. "Didn't Caleb tell you we were coming?"

The butler glared at me. "Don't you dare use the young Master's name. Look at your face before you claim to be his bride."

I was used to the insults, but my parents weren't. My dad snapped and slapped the butler across the face.

"Stop it!" a voice boomed. "Rowan, what do you think you're doing?"