Chapter 4: The Doctor’s Visit and Family Fallout

Caleb looked back at me, wary.

He squared his shoulders, bracing himself as if expecting a fight. In his shoes, I would’ve done the same.

A staff member led a doctor in at the door.

Dr. Howard, the town’s family physician, always smelled faintly of coffee and wintergreen. He was the kind of doctor who still made house calls, always keeping a stethoscope slung around his neck like a badge of honor.

I pointed to Jenny. “Dr. Howard, please check on this young lady.”

There was a sudden hush in the room. All eyes turned to Jenny, who seemed to shrink into herself.

Jenny panicked and hid behind Caleb.

She grabbed the sleeve of his old blue shirt, eyes darting from me to the doctor. Instinct kicked in—self-preservation, maybe, or just plain fear.

Caleb shot me a look of disappointment and disgust. “That’s not necessary—”

His jaw tightened, his words clipped. Underneath the anger, I saw something almost like guilt.

My mom saw what was happening and had two strong housekeepers hold Jenny still. Fearing for her baby, Jenny didn’t struggle and let Dr. Howard take her pulse, her pretty face pale.

The whole scene played out with awkward efficiency—hands gripping arms, the doctor’s gentle but firm reassurance, my mother’s glare burning holes through Jenny’s resolve.

“…The pregnancy is a little unstable, but not serious. I’ll prescribe something to help,” Dr. Howard said.

He spoke with the certainty of someone who’d delivered half the town’s babies. His prescription pad flicked open, the faint scent of rubbing alcohol trailing him.

My mom was furious. “Shameless girl!”

Her voice cracked like a whip. Years of Southern manners gone in an instant, replaced by cold fury.

Jenny was both ashamed and scared, her face flushed. She instinctively tried to kneel and apologize.

In our house, humility was always expected from staff, but this was something different. Jenny’s knees buckled—out of habit, out of fear.

Caleb pulled her up. “You’re no longer a staff member of the mayor’s house. You don’t have to kneel to them.”

He helped her stand, one hand firm on her arm, his face set. For the first time, he seemed to remember she was someone’s daughter, too.

He added, “Mrs. Parker, Jenny is my fiancée now. Please watch your words.”

His tone was formal, almost rehearsed. Like he was reading lines in a play and had forgotten who his audience was.

He still thought he was the mayor’s right hand, a rising star, and that everyone had to respect him.

He stood a little taller, chest puffed out, as if clinging to a dignity he hadn’t quite earned yet.

My mom was so angry she threw a mug.

The mug exploded against the floor, sending coffee splattering across the baseboards. The smell of bitter roast filled the tense silence.

My dad glared coldly. “The valedictorian is pretty bold, daring to lecture the lady of the mayor’s house!”

Dad’s voice was steely, the kind he used when chewing out city council members. In Silver Hollow, that tone meant trouble.

Caleb’s face stiffened as he realized his place.

I saw the realization dawn in his eyes—he’d overplayed his hand. He wasn’t the king of the hill yet.

“Other than the unstable pregnancy, anything else?” I asked.

I needed answers, fast and clean.

Dr. Howard shook his head. “No.”

He slipped the prescription into Jenny’s hand with a reassuring smile.

I looked at Caleb. “Listen up: your fiancée is leaving my house healthy and whole. If she ends up hurt or worse, don’t blame us.”

My tone was sharp as a lawyer’s—measured, official, the kind of warning that would stand up in any American court.

“Also, by law, a staff member of the mayor’s house who has an affair with an outsider without proper notice can be fired on the spot.”

In a town like ours, contracts matter. I wanted everyone to know there was no secret, no scandal—just rules, plain and simple.

In other words, I could have fired Jenny openly—there was no need to secretly push her to suicide.

No backroom drama, no whispered accusations. Just the facts.

Caleb understood. His expression was uncertain.

He looked like he wanted to argue, but for once, he was at a loss for words.