Chapter 1
I married the most renowned physician in town. Everyone said I was lucky.
Then he brought back a young orphan, Cecelia Ochoa, and took her in as his apprentice.
When I fell ill during pregnancy, he repeatedly let her—trained for barely half a month—treat me. I vomited until I was on the brink of collapse. He only said she needed experience.
The day I lost the child, I drank the medicine she prescribed and immediately started bleeding.
He held the crying girl in his arms and said it was my own carelessness.
When his mother, Carlie Keller, suddenly fell gravely ill, he thought it was my mother instead. He let Cecelia "practice" acupuncture on her.
Carlie died. And Cecelia shoved a medical into my hand, screaming, "Eleanor killed her."
When everyone rushed in, I stood there, holding the medical tool beside the bed.
He looked at the dead woman—his own mother—and slapped me hard across the face, eyes red with fury. "How vicious."
I slowly lifted my ruined right hand—the hand that once saved him from a blade. It could no longer even hold a medical tool.
"Zander." I wiped the blood from my lips. "You protected her and killed your child. Now you've killed your own mother. This divorce letter—I should be the one writing it to you."
Years later, I ran a tavern kitchen. Zander and his prized disciple were driven out of town after botching the treatment of the mayor's wife.
When we met again, he was begging on the street. I calmly instructed the staff, "Fresh slop today. Don't forget to feed the dogs."
*****
Everyone said I was lucky.
I was just a country girl, but I married Zander Keller, the most respected doctor in town.
Zander was the most famous doctor around—handsome, polite, and amazing at what he did.
When the matchmaker showed up, my parents couldn't believe their ears.
"Mr. Keller? The same Mr. Keller who runs Elixor Pharmacy in town?" my dad blurted out.
The matchmaker grinned, her eyes nearly disappearing into her smile. "That's right. Mr. Keller said he likes Eleanor. She's honest and reliable, the kind of girl you can count on to build a good home."
I eavesdropped from behind the door, my heart thundering in my chest.
Zander, that man in the white coat I'd only ever seen from a distance, was actually going to marry me?
On our wedding day, I wore a bright dress and sat in a plain wedding carriage, carried all the way from the village to the town.
Peeking through the gap in the carriage curtain, I saw the shops and people in town. Everything looked so much fancier than anything back in the village.
As we passed Elixor Pharmacy, I saw Zander standing at the entrance, dressed in a suit, looking refined and elegant.
Our eyes met through the carriage curtain, and he gave me a subtle smile.
At that moment, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
On our wedding night, when Zander lifted my veil, his eyes sparkled for a moment before he gave me a warm smile. "Eleanor, from now on, you're part of the Keller family. I promise I'll always treat you well."
He kept his word.
For the first six months after we got married, he was genuinely good to me.
Every morning before heading to the pharmacy, he'd always tell me to sleep in a bit.
And when he came home at night, he'd bring my favorite snacks. He knew I loved the honey cake from Briar & Co. Bakery on the east side of town.
His mother, Carlie, treated me like her own daughter.
When I first moved in, I shyly called her "Carlie," but she took my hand and said, "Don't call me that. Call me Mom, just like Zander does."
My nose stung, and I nearly cried.
My mom passed away when I was just ten, and after my dad remarried, I ended up feeling like I didn't belong in my own home anymore.
Now, I finally had a mom again.
I called her "Mom," truly from the heart.
Carlie patted my hand, her eyes growing misty. "Sweetheart, from now on, this is your home."
If only life could always be like this.
*****
But things changed after Zander saved Cecelia Ochoa in early spring.
That day, Zander had gone to the neighboring village for a house call, and when he came back, there was a young woman in his carriage.
The girl was badly injured and completely unconscious.
Zander said he'd found her by the side of the road, looked like she'd fallen off the mountain.
Carlie, ever kind, quickly cleared out the guest room for her.
Following Zander's instructions, I took care of her every day—giving her medicine and washing her.
Even while unconscious, she was stunning; her features looked like they belonged in a painting.
While wiping her face, I felt a strange, uneasy feeling in my chest.
Seven days later, Cecelia finally woke up.
Her eyes were soft and dewy, her gaze timid, and her voice gentle. "Thank you, Mr. Keller, for saving me."
Zander brushed it off. "Just doing my duty as a doctor."
After Cecelia recovered, she didn't leave.
She said her hometown had been struck by disaster, and everyone else in her family was gone. She had nowhere else to go.
As she spoke, tears fell onto the back of her hand, sparkling and clear.
Carlie relented. "Then you can stay for now and help out with the chores."