I Thought Love Had to Be Earned Through Chores, They Hugged Me Chapter 03

I Thought Love Had to Be Earned Through Chores, They Hugged Me Chapter 03

After the banquet, Catherine brought in a psychologist.

He asked what I liked to do in my free time. “Work for other people.”

“And if you didn’t have to do anything at all?”

I thought about it. “Then I’d find something to do.”

He paused. “How would it feel if you didn’t work at all?”

“Panic. I wouldn’t be able to breathe.” I answered honestly. “There was a family once—said they’d take me in for free, let me eat without working. Three days later they dumped me at a rest stop. So yeah. If I don’t work, I get thrown away.”

A dull thud came from outside the door. When I stepped out, all I caught was Catherine’s back as she hurried away.

That night, Annabel’s diamond bracelet went missing. The whole family tore the house apart searching. Finally, a maid found it—tucked inside my toolbox.

Annabel’s face was pale. “Marnie, if you wanted it, you could have just asked. That’s a birthday gift from Mom. It means the world to me.”

Cole’s expression went dark. “Marnie Grant. Hand it over.”

I stared at the bracelet. Worth over three million dollars. At twenty dollars an hour washing dishes, that was seventeen years of labor. No breaks. I pulled out my calculator—but Butler Henderson spoke first. “The young lady filmed everything before she started cleaning. It’s her standard practice.”

Professional habit. Back at the diner, if a single chopstick went missing, the boss deducted it from my pay.

Henderson pulled the footage up on the big screen. There it was—after I left the room, Annabel’s personal maid crept in and slipped the bracelet into my toolbox.

Cole’s face shifted.

The maid dropped to her knees on the spot, confessing she’d been jealous that I’d come back and immediately won everyone’s favor.

Annabel slapped her, eyes red. “Marnie suffered for thirteen years out there—how could you do this to her?” She turned and grabbed my hand. “Marnie, I’m so sorry. I should’ve kept a tighter leash on my staff.”

I pulled my hand back immediately. Not out of anger—her skin was too soft. I was afraid the calluses on my palm would scratch her, and I couldn’t afford the damages.

Edward had the maid dismissed. The matter was closed.

I picked up my toolbox and headed for the study to fix a broken light. Cole blocked my path. He stared at me for a long moment, then spoke, his voice stiff. “The bracelet. I was wrong about you.”

I nodded. “It’s fine. I handle false accusations well.”

His frown deepened. “You’re not even angry?”

“Anger reduces productivity.”

I stepped around him. The moment I reached the study door, I smelled it—something burning. I kicked the door open. The wiring inside the wall was glowing red, sparks jumping toward the curtains. I grabbed the fire extinguisher, killed the flames, and yanked the main breaker with my bare hands. The hot copper burned straight through my glove—blisters rising instantly across my palm.

Cole burst in just as I was crouched on the floor, patching a temporary line. He hauled me up by the arm. “What’s wrong with your hands?!”

“It’s fine. I’ve still got my left.”

“Marnie Grant!”

First time he’d ever called me by my full name—and he wasn’t yelling. It threw me off.

Annabel appeared in the doorway, her voice soft. “Marnie really is something else. She’s barely been back a few days, and Mom and Dad can’t stop hovering. Even Cole’s starting to worry about her.”

She was smiling. But her eyes held nothing close to warmth.

The next morning, she came to find me. “Marnie, this weekend is Mom and Dad’s twenty-fifth anniversary. I want to surprise them. Will you help me put together the dinner?”

She held out the kitchen key. I stared at it. Twelve tables. From grocery shopping to the final plate—all me. This wasn’t a dinner party. This was a gift from heaven.

I grabbed her hand. “Don’t worry, Annabel. From this moment on, my life belongs to the kitchen.”

She looked at me and smiled, slow and deliberate. “Good. Then you’d better make sure you last all the way to the end, Marnie.”