Chapter 4
Seeing no way out, I thought about hiring a maid myself. But Anna was dead set against it.
She snapped, "What's so hard about a little housework? Even when I was pregnant with James, I was still working on the farm.
"Do you think money grows on trees? Since you're home all day and not working, can't you at least try to save some money and take some of the pressure off James?"
Those years of torment aged me overnight: wrinkles lined my face, and my hands were covered in calluses.
Even the career I was so proud of ground to a halt.
When I bumped into the ever-glamorous Claire again, I looked even more worn out than she did. And she'd already been through childbirth.
This time, I was dead set on breaking free from the Harrington family's toxic grip. No way was I going to follow any of their stupid house rules ever again.
I didn't get out of bed until almost noon.
As soon as I opened my bedroom door, Anna, who'd been lounging on the couch, practically flew to the door and started yelling at me.
She snapped, "What's up with you? It's only the second day after the wedding, and you're already sleeping in. How can you be so lazy?
"We didn't bring you into this family to put you on a pedestal. Don't you know how things work around here? You should've been up early, serving me coffee and showing some respect.
"And breakfast? Just look at the time. I'm starving! James is already out working, and you're still snoozing. You didn't even bother to make him anything to eat. Is this what a wife is supposed to be like?
"Quinn, are you even listening? You're part of the Harrington family now, and you have to play by our rules."
Hearing the same old lines from my previous life, I let out a cold laugh. I swatted Anna's hand away and headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up.
After freshening up, I went for a more polished makeup look. With Anna still ranting behind me, I walked out of the house without a backward glance.
I pulled out my phone, ignored the dozen or so missed calls from James, and dialed a number I hadn't touched in years.
I said, "Finn, I saw your name on the guest list. So, you're back, huh?
"Heard you've got yourself a new girlfriend: Claire Linwood, right?"
Back in my previous life, Claire showed up around this time.
I remembered she even threw a fashion show.
I looked it up online last night, and it turns out, this was exactly when it happened.
After that fashion show, Claire's reputation really took off.
Not long after she went back abroad, she got married.
But her husband passed away young, and she inherited most of his estate. She returned home with Lucas to build a new life.
Claire never mentioned anything about her late husband when she was with me, so in my previous life, all I ever knew was that his last name was Reed.
I never even caught a glimpse of his photo.
It wasn't until I was on my deathbed that I finally heard Claire and Lucas mention a name: Finn Reed.
No one ever knew that Finn was my childhood friend.
After high school, his whole family moved overseas.
Right before he left, he told me he liked me.
But with us about to be split up by an entire ocean, it was pretty clear this thing was doomed before it even began.
When I started college, I ran into James, and just like that, I lost touch with Finn for good.
Ironically, our missed chance ended up becoming the very obstacles that kept James and Claire from ever falling in love.