Chapter 2: The Price of Loyalty

Just moments before, my small-town fiancé—Caleb—stood on my porch, shoulders hunched against the last drizzle of summer rain. The air still smelled of wet grass and distant thunder. He was over six feet, but the way he slouched made him look smaller, almost swallowed by his faded, too-short joggers and battered white sneakers that looked older than our childhood memories.

I felt a bitter taste rise in my throat, embarrassment prickling as I imagined the neighbors peeking through their lace curtains. “What did you just say?” I asked, my voice deceptively casual.

Caleb tugged at his shirt, eyes darting everywhere but mine. “I… I just wanted to ask if you could help me out with high school. Because of, you know, that promise we made when we were kids.”

He hesitated, voice cracking. “I’ll pay you back. Someday. I promise.”

As soon as he finished, he looked down—shoulders hunched, his whole posture like a kid called to the principal’s office, just waiting for the worst.

I almost laughed, but the stakes were too high. Before I could reply, Jenna leaned in, chewing her gum and lowering her voice so only I could hear: “Miss Natalie, that childhood promise doesn’t mean anything now. You don’t owe him. He’s not even your real fiancé yet, and already asking for money? Bless his heart—who knows how greedy he’ll get?”

She glanced at her phone, tapping out a text with one hand. “You could use this to get your granddaddy to break off the engagement. Then you’d be free to be with Ryan, who actually cares about you.”

Her words dripped with Southern sugar and poison—like all the best gossip in Savannah. She glanced at Caleb like he was something stuck to her shoe.

I was about to agree when suddenly, another wave of comments flashed through my mind:

[@SouthernSweetTea: Caleb finally asks for help, but she’s gonna shut him down.]

[@HiddenGeniusWatch: If he wasn’t desperate, he’d never ask. He’s got more pride than all those old money boys.]

[@BackstageBelle: The housekeeper’s daughter is scheming—she knows the male lead’s true worth.]

[@PawnToQueen: Natalie’s about to lose everything—watch her fall.]