Chapter 2 · His Maid, Not His Wife

Chapter 2

I moved in with the Goodmans and worked as their housekeeper.

Victor and Luna felt really guilty and offered to help me get a proper job.

I shook my head and said, "I'm just a country girl. All I can do is cook and clean."

I didn't have a single cent on me.

The money for my trip to find Nathan was scraped together, penny by penny, by the folks back home.

I needed to earn some money first so I could pay back the travel money my neighbors lent me.

Seeing how determined I was to be their housekeeper, Victor and Luna had no choice but to agree.

When I stepped into the kitchen, it was like my body remembered every move.

The meatloaf and glazed meatballs I made left Victor and Luna totally stunned.

Luna exclaimed, "Jessica, I never knew you could cook like this."

I gave a wry smile to myself.

Of course, I could cook well. In my previous life, I spent forty years serving the Goodman family in this very house.

I knew what everyone liked to eat better than any housekeeper ever could.

Victor loved meatloaf, so I shamelessly hung around the back door of the state-run restaurant for a whole month.

Finally, the chef relented and taught me his secret recipe.

Luna loved glazed meatballs, and I burned my hands countless times frying them until the caramelized coating was just right: crispy, glossy, and packed with flavor.

Nathan eyed the clam chowder, let out a cold laugh, and said, "Drop the act.

"Think you can become my fiancée just because you learned to cook a few dishes my parents like?"

Victor slammed his hand on the table. He snapped, "Eat if you want, or get lost!"

Nathan threw his fork down on the table, grabbed his coat, and stormed out.

Once again, Victor and Nathan parted ways in anger.

I tried not to cry, wishing I could just bury my face in my bowl.

I hated that I'd come back to life at the most useless age.

No one to lean on, no place to call home.

Even the reference letter from my hometown pastor had long since expired.

If I didn't swallow my pride and keep clinging to the Goodman family, I'd probably end up as a drifter, getting sent back to my hometown.

I just had to wait a little longer.

Once I saved up enough money, I could move out of the Goodman place or maybe find another family to work for.

That way, I could finally get a work permit and a place of my own.

I wanted to put down roots in this city and go to school.

This time around, I wanted to be someone who actually made a difference.

Thanks to my efforts to avoid him, even though Nathan and I were living under the same roof, we barely saw each other for ages.

While he was at work, I cleaned the house, did the laundry, and made the meals.

By the time he got home, I'd already had dinner in the kitchen and was holed up in the housekeeper's room with a book.

Soon enough, I got my first month's paycheck.

Luna handed me 400 bucks.

I took out 350 bucks and sent it back home, asking the village head to help me pay back the folks who'd lent me money.

With the remaining 50 bucks, I decided to head to the general store and buy some pencils, erasers, and notebooks.

But to my surprise, I ran right into Nathan and Yvonne at the store.

When Nathan saw me trailing behind them, his face darkened with annoyance, and he barked, "Jessica, don't you have any shame?

"I've said it before: I'm never going to accept some old-fashioned arranged marriage.

"Even if you chase me to the ends of the earth, I'd never marry a country bumpkin like you."

Everyone around started laughing and whispering.

My cheeks burned with humiliation, and I blurted out, "I'm not following you. I just came here to buy some pencils."

Yvonne tugged Nathan's sleeve and said softly, "Nathan, maybe we've got Jessica all wrong. She probably really is just here for pencils."

Nathan scoffed, "She's practically illiterate. What does she even need pencils for?

"Yvonne, you're way too innocent. You don't know what some women will do just to stay in the city."

I lifted my head and stared Nathan down, forcing myself to speak up, "If I really wanted to stay in the city, I wouldn't have called off our engagement."

Chapter 2

I moved in with the Goodmans and worked as their housekeeper.

Victor and Luna felt really guilty and offered to help me get a proper job.

I shook my head and said, "I'm just a country girl. All I can do is cook and clean."

I didn't have a single cent on me.

The money for my trip to find Nathan was scraped together, penny by penny, by the folks back home.

I needed to earn some money first so I could pay back the travel money my neighbors lent me.

Seeing how determined I was to be their housekeeper, Victor and Luna had no choice but to agree.

When I stepped into the kitchen, it was like my body remembered every move.

The meatloaf and glazed meatballs I made left Victor and Luna totally stunned.

Luna exclaimed, "Jessica, I never knew you could cook like this."

I gave a wry smile to myself.

Of course, I could cook well. In my previous life, I spent forty years serving the Goodman family in this very house.

I knew what everyone liked to eat better than any housekeeper ever could.

Victor loved meatloaf, so I shamelessly hung around the back door of the state-run restaurant for a whole month.

Finally, the chef relented and taught me his secret recipe.

Luna loved glazed meatballs, and I burned my hands countless times frying them until the caramelized coating was just right: crispy, glossy, and packed with flavor.

Nathan eyed the clam chowder, let out a cold laugh, and said, "Drop the act.

"Think you can become my fiancée just because you learned to cook a few dishes my parents like?"

Victor slammed his hand on the table. He snapped, "Eat if you want, or get lost!"

Nathan threw his fork down on the table, grabbed his coat, and stormed out.

Once again, Victor and Nathan parted ways in anger.

I tried not to cry, wishing I could just bury my face in my bowl.

I hated that I'd come back to life at the most useless age.

No one to lean on, no place to call home.

Even the reference letter from my hometown pastor had long since expired.

If I didn't swallow my pride and keep clinging to the Goodman family, I'd probably end up as a drifter, getting sent back to my hometown.

I just had to wait a little longer.

Once I saved up enough money, I could move out of the Goodman place or maybe find another family to work for.

That way, I could finally get a work permit and a place of my own.

I wanted to put down roots in this city and go to school.

This time around, I wanted to be someone who actually made a difference.

Thanks to my efforts to avoid him, even though Nathan and I were living under the same roof, we barely saw each other for ages.

While he was at work, I cleaned the house, did the laundry, and made the meals.

By the time he got home, I'd already had dinner in the kitchen and was holed up in the housekeeper's room with a book.

Soon enough, I got my first month's paycheck.

Luna handed me 400 bucks.

I took out 350 bucks and sent it back home, asking the village head to help me pay back the folks who'd lent me money.

With the remaining 50 bucks, I decided to head to the general store and buy some pencils, erasers, and notebooks.

But to my surprise, I ran right into Nathan and Yvonne at the store.

When Nathan saw me trailing behind them, his face darkened with annoyance, and he barked, "Jessica, don't you have any shame?

"I've said it before: I'm never going to accept some old-fashioned arranged marriage.

"Even if you chase me to the ends of the earth, I'd never marry a country bumpkin like you."

Everyone around started laughing and whispering.

My cheeks burned with humiliation, and I blurted out, "I'm not following you. I just came here to buy some pencils."

Yvonne tugged Nathan's sleeve and said softly, "Nathan, maybe we've got Jessica all wrong. She probably really is just here for pencils."

Nathan scoffed, "She's practically illiterate. What does she even need pencils for?

"Yvonne, you're way too innocent. You don't know what some women will do just to stay in the city."

I lifted my head and stared Nathan down, forcing myself to speak up, "If I really wanted to stay in the city, I wouldn't have called off our engagement."