Chapter 4: Bruises and Bargains

After another fifteen minutes, the lady and Logan got up. Their quiet footsteps retreated down the hallway, leaving the smell of lavender and the faintest whiff of Logan’s cologne behind.

I returned to my room to rest for a while, then went in to set up breakfast. The kitchen was already humming—coffee brewing, bacon sizzling, and the housekeeper barking orders like a drill sergeant. The radio played old country hits in the background.

Logan stared at me. “Why are you wearing such odd clothes?”

I didn’t know how to answer, nervously pressing my lips together. The turtleneck felt itchy against my skin.

Logan was rough, always leaving telltale marks. I could only wear turtlenecks to hide them. It was the sort of thing the other maids gossiped about in whispers, but never said to my face.

The lady gently nudged him. “Have you forgotten, Logan? Kay is mute and cannot speak.” Her tone was sweet, but her eyes dared me to contradict her.

I quickly nodded, my hands folded tight in front of me.

When serving the lady, I would inevitably run into Logan. To avoid being exposed, the lady forbade me from speaking. Everyone in the Callahan household believed I was mute.

Logan raised his brows, looking interested. “This little mute in your wing really is delicate and pitiful.”

The lady scolded, “Husband, what do you mean by that? Have you taken a liking to her?”

Her gaze turned cold, a faint hostility in her eyes. Her fingers curled around her coffee mug, knuckles whitening.

Logan replied, “I haven’t blamed you, yet you blame me instead.”

He rolled up his sleeve, half-smiling. “Look—wasn’t this your doing last night?”

He showed a ring of teeth marks. The purplish bruise stood out stark against his tan skin.

My body stiffened. The coffee in my cup trembled slightly.

Logan had been too rough last night. I’d cried myself hoarse, and in desperation, I’d bitten him.

He was a soldier, his body covered in scars from deployments—he wouldn’t care about such a small wound. The bite was nothing compared to the jagged scar running up his forearm from a training accident years ago.

Now, pretending to seek accountability, he was only flirting. The gleam in his eye was pure mischief, and it made my stomach twist with anxiety.

I knelt there, hands and feet icy. The tile pressed cold against my skin.

I don’t know how much time passed.

Suddenly, scalding tea splashed onto me. The pain shot through my thigh, sharp and sudden.

I looked up to see the lady’s furious face. Her lips were pressed tight, eyes rimmed red.

Her hand cracked across my face. For a second, all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.

The next moment, she spat, “You little tramp! How dare you bite the heir—are you trying to provoke me?” Her voice cracked through the air like a whip.

I had no chance to explain.

The lady had my hands and feet tied and dragged me to the mudroom, giving me neither food nor water.

Logan went to inspect the National Guard units outside Boise and would not return for several days. His absence left the house feeling emptier than usual, the quiet interrupted only by the ticking of the kitchen clock and the sound of distant traffic on the highway.

For as long as he was gone, I was locked away. The darkness smelled of mildew and old boots, and my stomach growled until it was too tired to protest.

When I was on the verge of collapse, Holly bribed the old housekeeper at the door and brought me a bowl of soup.

She was my younger sister, brought with me as part of the lady’s household staff when she married into the Callahan family.

She knew nothing of the nightly substitution.

“Sis, how did you anger the lady?”

Holly lay on the ground, peering at me worriedly through the crack beneath the door. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her voice shook with worry.

I shook my head and only asked when Logan would return.

Holly said, “The women in the kitchen say he’ll be back tonight, and he’ll go to the lady’s rooms.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and asked what was happening outside. My voice was raspy from thirst, barely more than a whisper.

Holly replied, “The eldest son’s health is worse again. Even the specialist says there’s no hope. They’re preparing for his funeral.”

Logan, in fact, had an older brother.

Born with a weak heart, he had survived until now, but was now at death’s door, which was how Logan inherited the family fortune.

“The eldest never married. Mrs. Callahan doesn’t want him to go to the grave alone, so she wants to find him a widow bride.”

At this, Holly sighed softly. Her breath left a little patch of fog on the linoleum, fading almost as quick as her hope.

After the ceremony, the woman must remain a widow for life.

The eldest had only a few days left.

To become his widow bride meant a lifetime alone.

Not even the maids and housekeepers in the household were willing, let alone young women from good families. No one wanted to be shackled to a name and a grave.

At dinner, I was released.

The lady ordered someone to prepare food for me, told me to rest, and to serve the heir well that night. Her words were honey-sweet, but her eyes warned me not to cross her again.

She smiled faintly, her tone gentle and apologetic. “Kay, I was too hasty in punishing you. I only meant to lock you up for half a day, but the house was busy and I forgot you. Don’t blame me.”

I answered softly that I didn’t dare. I forced a smile, my voice barely audible above the clatter of silverware in the next room.

The lady nodded slightly.

After a few moments of silence, I couldn’t help myself and brought up the matter of leaving the household. The words stuck in my throat like dry bread.

Her expression changed instantly. “You want to leave?”

I answered carefully, yes.

Her manicured fingers turned the lid of her teacup, her tone casual. “My health still isn’t well. Logan can’t do without you.”

I looked up in shock.

She had promised me three years—

The lady smiled lightly. “If you insist on leaving, then I’ll have Holly take your place. You’re sisters, your voices and figures are similar.”

I felt as if I’d fallen into an ice bath. My hands shook so hard I nearly dropped my cup. I wanted to beg, but the words stuck like glue to the roof of my mouth.

After a long moment, I heard my teeth chattering. “Then... can the heir give me a proper place?”

“You want to become the mistress?”

The lady sneered. “If I wanted Logan to take another woman, I have a hundred to choose from. You’d never be one of them.”

“Don’t even think of taking Logan’s path. In his eyes, you’re just a plaything. Even if you finally become his bed companion, I can get rid of you with a snap of my fingers.”

I could barely breathe. “But... a maid will eventually be married off.”

Was I to be her substitute in bed for life?

The lady said carelessly, “The gardener’s son is your age. When you turn sixteen next year, I’ll arrange for you to marry him.”