Chapter 3: Broken Homes, Unbroken Bonds

In third grade,

Aunt Diane and Mr. Linwood suddenly got divorced—turns out Mr. Linwood had a mistress. The boss leaned on the balcony, a little downcast, and told me the news.

“My dad asked who I wanted to live with after the divorce.”

“What’d you pick?”

“My dad.” He answered without hesitation.

“You never thought about staying with Aunt Diane? She’s strict, but she’s still your mom. She probably doesn’t want to be separated from you.”

“She doesn’t want me—says having me around will mess up her chances of remarrying.”

…That blindsided me.

“Well, she’s not wrong.” Aunt Diane, role model for our times. I thought to myself, then said it out loud.

The boss rolled his eyes, not wanting to talk to me.

“Just kidding! Boss, if you’re feeling down, you can lean on my shoulder.” I patted my shoulder like it was super reliable.

He shot me a sideways look, his long lashes barely hiding his contempt.

“What’s there to be sad about? Maybe if I go with my dad, I’ll find Emily sooner.”

…Speechless!

So that was his real plan!

There was love in that family, just not much.

“If I go with my dad, I’ll have to transfer schools.” He paused, like he wanted me to react.

When I heard that, I had to think of sad stuff to keep from laughing out loud.

He saw I didn’t say anything, so he leaned in, curious.

“Laurel! Are you happy I’m transferring?”

What can I say! When you’ve got a boss breathing down your neck every day, and suddenly he’s going on a long business trip, who wouldn’t want to celebrate?

But I couldn’t show it.

“Of course not. I promised in my last life to work for you, do whatever it takes.”

I looked as sincere as possible. He half-believed me. “You better mean it.”

The day Mr. Linwood came to pick him up, I walked him downstairs.

We were silent the whole way—didn’t know what to say.

Right before he got in the car, I blurted out, “Boss! Will we see each other again?”

He waved without a word, rolling up the window.

“Boss, I hope you’ll be happy even without me around!”

The car pulled away, and I stood there watching him go.

—

We split up just like that.

The divorce went quickly.

The apartment next door went to Aunt Diane. My mom said Mr. Linwood gave her plenty of money—enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life, even the next one. She sounded a little envious.

I quickly reminded her, “Dad’s handsome and loyal—he’s your greatest treasure.”

She pinched my cheek, all shy.

After the boss left, Aunt Diane stayed at our place, looking lost all day.

At night, my mom would drink wine with her.

Once she got tipsy, she’d hug the boss’s photo and cry, telling my mom about the past.

That’s when I realized—no mom stops loving her kid for no reason.

Aunt Diane had found out about Mr. Linwood’s mistress while pregnant with the boss. She hated him, and that spilled over to her son.

My mom said Aunt Diane had been with Mr. Linwood when he had nothing, stuck it out through hard times, only to be betrayed.

That whole ‘preferring girls over boys’ thing? She was just disappointed.

Our four-person family suddenly became three. It felt strange at first.

More than once, I’d go to school in the morning and habitually call for the boss—only to remember he was off living the high life with his rich dad.

Okay, I admit it—life was a little boring without him.

I must’ve been conditioned by him.

A week later, a black Mercedes pulled up at school.

Everyone stopped and stared.

The boss stepped out in a little suit, looking sharp. The driver opened the door and handed him his backpack—he was every bit the young heir.

Then, following him out of the car was a glamorous, fashionably dressed woman.

She looked familiar. I stared—wasn’t that his fiancée, Emily?

I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Yep, it was her.

Money really does make things happen.

In just a week, he’d found the person we’d been searching for for years. And now she was always with him.

Talk about a classic childhood-sweethearts setup. I was in awe.

—

Emily gently fixed the boss’s hair and bow tie, her movements soft and caring.

But the boss kept shying away, looking embarrassed.

He turned and saw me, and for once, actually smiled at me.

“Laurel.” He called my name and ran over.

I didn’t even have time to ask why he was back. I pointed at him, then at Emily, stammering, “You… and Emily… what?”

His excited face immediately fell.

“You idiot,” he said, then turned and walked toward school.

“Mason, wait, take this!”

Emily ran over in heels, a little unsteady.

“This is the lunchbox Auntie made for you. Eat up at lunch—good nutrition helps you grow tall. Listen in class, and the driver will pick you up after school.”

Auntie? What kind of family dynamic was this? I was totally lost.

“What’s up, boss? Why are you back all of a sudden?”

At lunch, I couldn’t help but ask.

He poked at the fancy lunch Emily made, then pushed it to me.

“Here, you eat it. Shut up.”

I glanced at the lunchbox, swallowed, and decided to keep quiet.

I could ask after I finished eating.

“Boss, you still haven’t answered—why are you back?”

During PE, I tried again.

He looked utterly defeated, gritting his teeth.

“I didn’t like the other school, so I came back. Happy?”

“Oh! Are you going home to see Aunt Diane today?”

“No, my dad’s sending the driver.”

“Oh, okay.” I nodded and went quiet for ten seconds.

“So how did you find Emily?”

“Did you post a missing person notice?”

“Why do you call her Auntie?”

—

I bombarded him with questions, curiosity eating me alive.

He puffed out his cheeks, looking like he was about to explode.

I quickly backed down. “Never mind, you’re busy. We’ll talk another time!”

Then I bolted.

That night, I told my mom about it.

She tried to act casual, but couldn’t help gossiping.

“Is that Auntie pretty?”

“Yeah,” I answered without hesitation—Emily really was beautiful.

She was our boss’s college beauty queen, with a line of admirers that could circle the campus three times.

But our boss had stood out and won her heart.

Because of that, the other guys at school flamed him on the forums for months.

I’d read the posts: ‘A Hatred Deeper Than the Sea—Mason Linwood, Don’t Walk Alone at Night.’ There were tens of thousands of angry comments.

It made him famous at school.

Every time he got drunk at company parties, he’d brag about it.

The next morning, my mom insisted on taking me to school. I was pretty sure she just wanted to meet Emily.

We ran into them at the gate.

The boss got out of his dad’s Mercedes, followed by the butler and glamorous Emily.

Everyone stared.

My mom dragged me over to say hi.

“Mason, long time no see! Missed Auntie?”

The boss greeted her politely.

Then my mom locked eyes on Emily, looking not so friendly.

“Oh! This must be Mason’s stepmom! She is pretty—no wonder Charles Linwood dumped his pregnant wife for you.”

My mom practically shouted it for everyone to hear.

Emily’s cheeks turned bright red. She said a quick goodbye and got in the car.

My mom kept yelling at the car, all passive-aggressive, totally in her element.

I suspected it was a side effect of her years as a flight attendant.

Everyone stopped to watch the drama—standing up for her best friend against the mistress, right at the school gate.

The boss and I just stood there, dead inside.

But wait—stepmom?

How did this happen? The beautiful girlfriend became the stepmom?

Thinking back to the boss’s weird reaction yesterday, I suddenly got it.

I said goodbye to my mom, dragged the boss into school, and found a quiet spot.

“Boss! What’s going on? Stepmom? She’s your stepmom???”

He pulled his hand away, face dark. “None of your business.”

“Boss! Don’t bottle it up—talk to me, I can help.”

I looked concerned on the outside, but inside I was dying for the juicy details. (Shame on you, Laurel!)

The boss hemmed and hawed, then finally said, “She married my dad.”

—

Was I in some crazy soap opera? This was wild.

I wanted to confront Emily for him, but he told me to butt out.

His dream romance was over, and he was down for a long time.

I did everything I could to cheer him up, just like in my past life when I worked my tail off every day for a few bucks.

Work is in my DNA.