Chapter 2: Bruises and Bitter Promises

After leaving the family room, I hobbled back to my bedroom. My legs ached from kneeling, and I winced with every step.

The housekeeper hurried over, her hands gentle as she eased me down onto the couch. She pulled out the pain relief cream and started rubbing it into my bruises.

“How could your dad do this to you?” she said tearfully, rubbing the bruises on my knee.

Her voice trembled, thick with emotion. I could see the anger in her eyes, the way her jaw clenched as she worked. She’d been with our family for years, and sometimes I wondered if she was the only one who truly cared.

I let out a bitter laugh, joking, “Maybe Dad just wants me to bond more with the family ghosts.” The timing was so perfect, I almost laughed for real.

The words came out sharper than I meant, but the housekeeper just shook her head, a sad smile tugging at her lips. She squeezed my hand, silent but understanding.

“Things are gonna be better for you at the Whitmores,” she said, hopeful.

She knelt beside me, her eyes shining with hope. "You'll see, Miss Autumn. Once you're with the Whitmores, things will change. No one will dare treat you like this again." I wanted to believe her, but hope was a luxury I'd learned to ration.

I forced a smile and said nothing. For a moment, I let the quiet settle, wishing things could really be that simple.

Savannah would never let me marry into the Whitmore estate without a fight. She’d never let me just waltz in and overshadow her. I could almost feel her plotting from across the hall.

The next day, my aunt invited me to church to pray for blessings. She showed up at my door, a sweet smile plastered on her face, her voice sugary sweet.

I declined politely, saying I wasn’t feeling well. I faked a cough, hoping she’d get the hint.

I could see her tricks coming a mile away. I’d learned the hard way not to trust her when she was being nice.

If she wanted to wreck someone’s marriage, she’d surely go after her reputation first. That was always her play—tear someone down before they even had a chance to stand up.

But my aunt didn’t realize that when one branch of the Brooks family suffers, it drags the others down too. Every scandal, every whispered rumor—sooner or later, it comes back to haunt us all.