Chapter 2
Charles gave a short laugh.
"You're really going to do the math with me now?" he said.
"We're already divorced. What else is there to do but split things up?" I shot back.
He stared at me for a long moment, then turned and walked out.
"Go to your parents' place for dinner tomorrow. They want to discuss the tea house," he said.
"The Rainleaf Tea House?" I asked.
He paused for a moment.
"Lily's health isn't great, so the Wynns want to keep her busy. Your mom said that old tea house is just gathering dust anyway," Charles said.
In my last life, it was at this very dinner that the Rainleaf Tea House changed hands.
"That was my grandma's gift to me," I said.
Charles didn't even look back.
"The Wynn family raised you. Don't act like you're the only one who's ever had it rough," he said.
After the door closed, I swapped in my old SIM card and shot a message to someone I hadn't talked to in forever.
Summer: Joe, can you look into the clay seal for me?
He replied almost instantly, just three words.
Joe: I'll be waiting.
The Wynn family served eight courses, but not a single one was safe for someone pregnant.
My mom sat at the head of the table, and Lily was draped in a pale shawl, with a bottle of medicine in front of her.
My dad slid a document across the table to me.
"Summer, sign it," he said.
I flipped to the first page.
It was the Rainleaf Tea House Trusteeship Agreement.
Trustee: Lily Wynn.
"Trusteeship?" I asked.
My dad cleared his throat.
"You're pregnant, and your mood's all over the place. How are you supposed to run that old tea house? Lily's good with people and everyone likes her. Just let her handle it for you for now," he said.
My mom jumped in.
"If you really cared about the baby, you'd stop stirring up trouble. Charles is already cutting you some slack by letting you come back," she said.
Charles sat across from me, not touching his cutlery.
Lily nudged her medicine bottle aside and murmured, "Summer, please don't misunderstand. I'm just managing it for you. I'm not here to take what's yours."
I looked at her.
"Then why did you take the clay seal before anyone even asked?" I pressed.
Her smile froze for a second.
My mom slammed her hand on the table.
"Are you really going to go on about that worthless old seal all night? Haven't you had enough?" my mom snapped.
I closed the document.
"Without the clay seal, you can't make this agreement official. What's the rush?" I said.
My dad's face darkened.
"Since you came back from the sticks, we made sure you had everything you needed, got you married into the Rivers family, and now you're carrying their baby.
"Instead of trying to keep things smooth between our families, you still won't let go of that tea house," he said.
"That tea house belongs to the Wyatt family," I said, my voice steady.
"You're part of the Wynn family, too," my dad shot back.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"I was a Wyatt until I turned eighteen," I replied.
The table went quiet.
Lily's eyes grew red-rimmed, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"Summer, are you blaming me for taking your place in the family? If you really hate me, I can move out," she said softly.
Mom wrapped her in a hug.
"Why would you even think about moving out? This is your home, always has been, always will be," she said.
Then she shot me a look, pure annoyance written all over her face.
"Summer, look at what you've done to your sister!" she snapped.
Charles finally spoke up.
"It's just a trusteeship agreement. Just sign it. It's for everyone's good," he said.
I shot back, "Is this really what's best for the baby?"
"The baby needs a stable home. If you keep fighting with the Wynn family, it's not going to do him any good," Charles said.
I picked up the pen.
Lily lowered her head, reaching for her medicine bottle, like she was finally relieved.
When the pen touched the paper, I didn't sign my name.
I wrote two words.
No Trusteeship.
My dad slammed his fork down.
"Summer!" he shouted.
I stood up.
"If you want the tea house, go get the Wyatt family to sign off on it. Coming to me won't do you any good," I said.
As I reached the door, the housekeeper stepped in front of me.
"Ms. Wynn, Mrs. Wynn said you're staying the night," she said.
I glanced at the bottle of medicine sitting on the table.
"Who prepared this medicine?" I asked.
The housekeeper didn't dare answer.
Lily stood up, her voice shaky and on the verge of tears.
"Summer, that's my fever medicine. Do you really think I'd mess with something like that?" she said, sounding hurt.
I picked up the bottle and sniffed it.
The bitter taste was mixed with a familiar, metallic tang.
In my last life, right before the abortion, my mom had made me take this same bitter, metallic pills.
I set the bottle back down on the table.
"If it's yours, then take it," I said, my voice steady and cold.
Lily's face drained of color, her expression shifting in an instant.
Charles caught up with me in the yard.
"Do you have to make things so awkward for everyone?" he asked.
I walked out, umbrella in hand.
"All I did was tell her to take her own medicine," I said.
"She's still running a fever," Charles said.
"I'm pregnant," I shot back.
He fell silent.