She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 92

"Get back to your own jobs. Don't bother me," Hulda said. The unspoken implication was clear: stay out of my way.

Cara looked as though she had just been granted a pardon and practically fled the kitchen.

The other nosy staff members didn't dare linger either, quickly scattering in different directions.

Herbert, however, remained. He walked up behind Hulda and watched as she methodically chopped vegetables.

"Did they always treat you like this?" he asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," she replied evenly, her voice devoid of any real emotion. She was simply stating a fact.

In reality, the staff had treated her far worse in the past.

Herbert's frown deepened. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Why would I?" she kept her eyes glued to her task. "They just follow the family's lead."

The Jewell family had never respected her or accepted her as a daughter-in-law, treating her like a glorified servant. The staff naturally followed suit; why would they respect someone the family treated like dirt?

And the root cause of all this misery was none other than Herbert himself.

If he had shown his wife even an ounce of care, his parents and sister would have at least tolerated her out of respect for him.

But since Herbert had always been entirely indifferent to her, why would his family treat her any better?

Herbert understood exactly what she meant. For the first time in their entire relationship, he actually had the patience to stand there and listen to her.

For some reason, as he stared at her profile, she felt completely different from the woman he thought he knew.

That subtle, unexplainable change drew him closer, so close that he could catch the faint, alluring scent of her perfume wafting from her neck.

"I'm already looking for an apartment for Sylvie. She'll be moving out of the house soon. Stop throwing a tantrum and just come home."

Hulda stiffened. She could feel his body heat and the warm breath brushing against the nape of her neck as he loomed over her.

Once, this sudden closeness might have made her heart skip a beat with joy. Now, it just made her skin crawl.

What was wrong with her? She never acted like this. Was she really just playing hard to get? He had already given her an out; all she had to do was be a good wife and come back home.

But staring at her apathetic face and her total refusal to communicate, a wave of profound irritation washed over him.

"My patience has limits. Don't push it," he finally snapped, turning on his heel and storming out of the kitchen.

Right as he left, his father, Wade Jewell, returned home for the evening. After checking on his grandson upstairs, the two men retreated to the study.

Because of Miles' upset stomach, Hulda had prepared a soft, easily digestible soup that required slow simmering.

Since it needed a bit more time on the stove, and the kitchen felt suffocating with the staff sneaking cautious, judgmental glances at her, she checked the timer and stepped out into the hallway.

She had no desire to go back upstairs and deal with Cora and Valery either, so she wandered around the ground floor aimlessly.

As she strolled past the Lounge Room, she happened to notice a Go board sitting on the center table. A game was laid out, halfway finished.

Staring at the black and white stones, a memory buried deep in the recesses of her mind began to claw its way to the surface, compelling her feet to step inside the room.