Chapter 11

AVA

Eventually, the time came to serve the cocktails. I moved through the crowd, offering drinks to the guests, all the while feeling the piercing stares and hearing the whispered judgments.

"Sweet girl, what's your name again?" an elderly lady, who seemed to be in her early fifties, asked as I handed her a glass of cocktail.

"Ava, ma'am," I replied with a curt nod.

"Aren't you the new daughter-in-law of the family?" She cupped my chin, a doting look on her features.

I nodded once more, a warm smile spreading across my face. "I am, ma'am," I politely replied.

At once, a sorry look washed over her face. "Then why are you doing this? Serving the guests like a waiter? This isn't befitting of someone of your status as the daughter-in-law of this family," the concern in her voice was evident.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. What could I tell her? That Uncle John literally forced me into serving like a waiter because it was the only thing I could do that was fitting for my status?