Chapter 1

My brother's girlfriend got pregnant before they were married, and his house was still under renovation.

So, they quickly had a wedding and moved into my house.

Just because I brought a friend to stay over for one night, my sister-in-law threw a fit:

"Aren't you getting a little too old to be living off your family? Always mooching, and now you're bringing friends home? Are you planning to live here forever?"

I immediately threw her luggage out the door and shot back:

"Who do you think you're talking to? My name is the one on the deed. If you don't like it, you can get out!"

My parents had bought both me and my brother a house early on.

My brother’s house was being remodeled to fit Verity’s tastes, but before it was finished, Verity suddenly found out she was pregnant.

For the sake of the baby’s health, they moved into my house instead.

Dax treated her like royalty, taking care of every little thing—doing laundry, cooking, giving her back rubs after work.

Verity’s guest suite didn’t have a private bathroom, so she asked if we could switch rooms. Since she was pregnant, I agreed.

Then, a bit embarrassed, Dax came to me and asked, “Can we replace the plants in your botanical collection with roses?”

Because she was pregnant, Dax did anything to make her happy.

I didn’t want to make things difficult for him, so I agreed and replaced the plants I had cared for over three years with roses for Verity.

But today, my college friend Ariadne was in Summersville for business, and we made plans for dinner. We reminisced over a seafood boil and had a bit too much to drink. I figured it would be safer for her to stay at my place instead of going back to her hotel alone.

We got home around midnight, doing our best to be quiet so as not to disturb Dax and Verity. After a quick wash, we went straight to bed.

The next morning, as soon as I stepped out of my bedroom, there was Verity, storming up to me, practically seething:

"Isla, are you out of your mind? Aren’t you too old to still be single? Living here for free, and now bringing friends back? Are you planning to stay here forever?"

Ariadne, looking guilty and uncomfortable, quickly apologized, "Isla, did I cause any trouble for you? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll leave right now."

I held her back and gently patted her shoulder, "You have nothing to apologize for. Your flight’s in the afternoon, right? Let’s have lunch first, and I’ll take you to the airport."

Verity’s face twisted in anger, and she snapped, "What do you mean by that, Isla? You will apologize to me today, or get out of my house!"

I actually laughed. My house? The deed still has my name on it. When did this become her house?

And she wanted me to apologize? Either her ego was bigger than anyone else's, or she was completely out of her mind.

There was no way I was letting this slide.

I turned, walked into her bedroom, grabbed her suitcase, and stuffed it full of her clothes. Then I threw it right out the door.

"Don't think just because you're pregnant you can act out like this. I’ve been putting up with you long enough." I pointed to the door and said coldly, "And by the way, this is my house. If you want to stay here, show some respect. Otherwise, you can leave."

Verity was stunned. She just stared at me, then laughed mockingly. "You’re throwing me out? I’m carrying the Montgomery family’s future grandchild. Everything your family owns will be Dax’s one day. You’re just an outsider. All I have to do is say the word, and you’ll be kicked to the curb."

I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to say something so outdated in this day and age. Was I hearing this right?

I smiled and said, "Go ahead and try. Let's see who really runs this household."

Verity was furious, slamming the door behind her with a loud bang.

Soon after, I heard her crying on the phone to Dax.

“Your sister is being horrible to me. I don’t even know what I did wrong, but she told me to leave!”

“She insulted me, said I was shameless for getting pregnant before the wedding. I can’t take it anymore.”