Chapter 8: A Deal Sealed with Pearls

Unlike before, this time my father ordered me to be dressed to perfection and sent me to Caleb, like an offering for him to decide my fate. He looked at me, lost in thought for a moment, but his eyes were devoid of emotion. After a long silence, he spoke coldly:

“As long as you promise me that, when your sister returns, you’ll give up the position of governor’s wife, I’ll marry you. You don’t need to worry—at that time, you’ll remain as my partner.”

It was the coldest proposal I’d ever heard, more business contract than love letter. I wondered if he even noticed my trembling hands.

I shook my head and said, my voice sharper than I intended:

“Fine. I’ll promise. But when she comes back, I want out. There’s somewhere else I need to be—and someone I want to see.”

His jaw tightened—he hadn’t expected defiance. But something in my voice made him pause, maybe even admire me for a split second. He exhaled in relief, finally letting down his guard. “That’s good.”

When the governor’s wife learned Caleb had chosen me, she didn’t make things difficult. Instead, she smiled and removed her pearl earrings, gifting them to me.

She pressed the pearls into my palm with a practiced grace, as if passing down the family’s secrets. Her smile was tight, but there was something almost kind in her eyes.

“It’s you—I’m at ease.”

When Caleb came to get me and saw me wearing the earrings, he frowned.

“These were meant for Lillian. You’re only keeping them for her. Don’t get any ideas.”

His words stung, but I refused to let them show. I lifted my chin and met his gaze evenly.

I replied, neither humble nor arrogant:

“The governor’s wife gave them; I can’t refuse.”

“To others, you’re out of reach. To me, you’re just a partner. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you.”

He flushed with anger, sneered a few times, and stormed off. I walked in the opposite direction, never stopping, never looking back.

The hallway echoed with our footsteps, tension hanging between us like a storm. I reminded myself that survival sometimes looks like pride.

A few steps later, Caleb drove back, pulled me into his truck, and held me close. He gritted his teeth:

“Anna, you’re really something! Even your sister wouldn’t dare talk to me like this!”

His grip was rough, but his voice shook. It was the first time he’d spoken to me like I was real. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all.

He was so angry he forgot to use any formal language and just blurted it out.