He didn't owe me anything. The bitterness I ate was my own willing choice.
Now, I was done being his silent, invisible workhorse.
I wanted to see just how Nathaniel Swanson would become a "celebrated artist of virtue and talent" without my help.
Word that Vivian Bennett had fallen for some penniless nobody spread through the county fast.
For reasons no one could figure out, she'd accepted Nathaniel's pursuit, and the two of them were constantly seen walking together.
Every time Stella spotted them, she'd grumble for ages:
"What does Vivian see in him? No parents, can't do anything but paint—the man can't even farm a single acre right."
"You think Nathaniel's got something on Vivian? How else did he get his hooks into her?"
"Hey—you don't think Nathaniel's gonna follow Vivian back to the city, do you…"
She chattered on and on with her gossip, never giving me a moment's peace.
I set my high school textbooks down in front of her and told her to study with me.
"What's the point of studying this stuff?" Stella looked baffled. "The college entrance exam's been suspended for ages. You'd be better off helping your sister in the fields."