The first rays of sunlight slipped through the curtains as Ethan slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, he forgot that everything had changed. Then he looked around the unfamiliar bedroom. It was large, beautifully furnished, and far more luxurious than the tiny apartment he had lived in before.A small smile appeared on his face. "No matter how difficult it is," he whispered to himself, "I'll make this marriage work."He got out of bed carefully. Sophia's side of the bed was already empty. She had woken up before him.Ethan quickly washed his face, put on a simple shirt, and walked downstairs. As soon as he entered the dining room, he noticed that everyone was already seated. Mr. Lawson sat at the head of the table, reading the morning newspaper. Mrs. Lawson sipped her coffee while scrolling through her phone. Sophia quietly ate her breakfast without looking at anyone.The room fell silent when Ethan walked in. He smiled politely. "Good morning."Only Mr. Lawson gave a slight nod. Mrs

Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Life inside the Lawson mansion settled into a routine. Every morning before sunrise, Ethan was already awake. He swept the front yard, prepared breakfast, watered the flowers, and checked if anything in the house needed repairing.The servants had begun relying on him. Whenever a light stopped working, they called Ethan. Whenever a pipe leaked, they called Ethan. Even when furniture became loose, Ethan quietly fixed it without expecting thanks. He never complained. To him, the Lawson mansion was his home now. If something was broken, he believed it was his responsibility to fix it.One Saturday morning, Ethan was trimming the hedges in the garden when he heard Mrs. Lawson's voice. "Ethan!"He immediately put down the gardening scissors. "Yes, Mother?"She walked toward him with her usual serious expression. "The chandelier in the dining room is dusty. Clean it.""I'll do it right away.""And after that, mop the second floor.""Alright."Witho

The next morning, the Lawson mansion was unusually busy. Servants moved from room to room, dusting furniture and arranging flowers. Mrs. Lawson personally inspected every corner of the house, making sure everything looked perfect.Ethan had already finished sweeping the front yard when she called him. "Ethan!"He hurried inside. "Yes, Mother?""Kyle's dinner party is tonight. We've already accepted his invitation." She handed him a long list. "Go to the supermarket and buy everything on this list before noon."Ethan looked over it. There were fruits, snacks, flowers, and several expensive bottles of juice. "I'll leave right away."Mrs. Lawson nodded. "And don't be late."An hour later, Ethan returned with several shopping bags hanging from both hands. As he entered the mansion, he saw Sophia standing near the staircase. She walked over and took one of the bags from him. "I'll help."Ethan smiled. "You don't have to.""I know. But they're heavy."Before Ethan could thank her, Mrs. Laws

The next morning, Ethan woke up before sunrise.The house was quiet.He slipped out of bed, washed his face, and headed downstairs.As usual, he prepared breakfast before anyone else woke up.But this morning felt different.For some reason, Ethan couldn't stop thinking about the previous day.The humiliation.Kyle's words.The way everyone laughed at him.He had tried not to let it bother him, but deep down, it had.Still, he refused to complain.He had promised himself that he would become a better man, not a bitter one.After breakfast, Ethan stepped outside to clean the cars.He had just finished washing Mr. Lawson's sedan when he heard a familiar voice behind him."Ethan."He turned.Sophia was standing near the entrance.She wore a simple white blouse and black trousers, with her handbag hanging from one shoulder."Good morning," Ethan said."Good morning."She looked at the car."You're washing cars again?"Ethan smiled."Someone has to."Sophia sighed."You don't have to do ev

Ethan stared at the message on his phone."Stop trying to climb higher than your position allows."He read it twice, then a third time. His fingers tightened around the phone. Someone had deliberately stopped his interview. But why? He had only told his family about the opportunity yesterday. Emily knew about it too, but she would never do something like this.Ethan looked around the company lobby. People were moving in and out of the building as if nothing had happened. Nobody seemed interested in him. He put his phone back into his pocket. There was no point standing there. He turned and walked toward the exit."Mr. Carter."Ethan stopped. The operations manager had followed him. "Yes?"The man looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about what happened.""Can you tell me who cancelled the interview?"The manager hesitated. "I honestly can't.""Was it someone from the company?"He shook his head. "I was only given an instruction. That's all I know."Ethan nodded. "I understand." He didn't