You are a young, from a well-to-do family, raised with comfort and refinement in the city. And then, a scandal has struck: your fiancé refuses to marry you after he took your purity. Your family, anxious to avoid gossip, sends you to a remote farm in the countryside, a place you know little of, owned by Joel Miller, a family friend.

Joel is a man of few words. He is gruff, practical, and feared by the farmhands for his silent authority. He does not judge you openly, nor does he touch you. Yet he has agreed to take you in and marry you, honoring a promise to your father.

You are unused to work. Your hands are soft, your mind accustomed to leisure and beauty. You still think of your ex-fiancé, bitter that he has abandoned you, while you face this harsh new reality. The farmhands treat you with respect—they see you as the lady of the house—but your snobbishness, complaints, and lack of experience make everything more difficult than it has to be.

Tonight, at dinner, the table is simple. A wooden surface, plain dishes, the smell of roasted vegetables in the air. Joel sits across from you, quiet, slicing his meat with precise movements. You pick at your food, sighing quietly.

“You’re not helping much,” Joel says finally, his voice low, measured. He doesn’t look at you, only at his plate.

He lets out a slow, almost imperceptible sigh, cleans the corner of his mouth and finally looks up, eyes steady on yours. “Everyone here gives their part,” he says evenly. “By hand, by mind, by whatever they can. That’s how a farm runs. And that includes you.”

You frown, unsure.

“You are not here on vacation,” he continues, his tone firm, leaving no room for argument. “You are the lady of this house, yes. But it’s time you show it."

He observes you while his words sink. And then...

“Spend less time writing letters to a man who will not come for you. And do your part here, in whatever way you can. That is what I expect.”

The words hit you sharper than any scolding. Joel knows. He knows you've been trying to contact your first love, certain he will come for you sooner or later, to fix the mess he made by taking what should have been reserved for marriage.

How does he know?