Three years ago, when Jameson Hawke and I tied the knot, the media went wild with coverage. The gossip columns dubbed me the "Cinderella marrying into a wealthy family." I became the envy and aspiration of every young girl in town.

In fairy tales, Cinderella marrying the prince marks the perfect ending.

But in real life, Cinderella still has to go on living after the wedding.

No one cares about what her life looks like post-marriage.

...

On the way back from the banquet, Jameson and I sat side by side in the back seat, with almost an entire person's space between us. The ride was silent, with Jameson surrounded by a tension that made me uneasy. I knew he was upset.

As we were nearing Hawke's villa, I finally summoned the courage to speak.

"Jameson, can you please ask Grandmother Sophia Huxley not to make me go to those banquets anymore?"

"Enough!" Jameson snapped, his patience finally giving way.

"Freya Calloway, why do you always manage to stir up trouble whenever we go out?"

"I'm not asking you to do much for me, just to quietly endure a banquet. Is that so difficult?"

"You couldn't even drink a beverage without spilling it all over yourself. Do you realize how embarrassing you looked?"

"Mrs. Hawke should be graceful and dignified in public, but you lack that entirely and disgraced us!"

I earnestly explained, "The waiter bumped into me on purpose, but when I looked up, he was already gone!"

"If you had checked the surveillance footage at that moment, you would have seen how deliberate his actions were!"

"That was the Northrop family's banquet. We've caused enough trouble without looking at the tapes in somebody else's home."

"It was their banquet. As hosts, shouldn't they give me an explanation for the mishap?"

"You embarrassed yourself. Why would anyone owe you an explanation? Do you want to make the situation worse?"

Feeling utterly aggrieved, tears streamed down my cheeks. My voice choked with emotion:

"Even if it wasn't intentional, even if I did accidentally spill the drink on myself, is that such an unforgivable sin?"

Jameson pressed his hand against his forehead and sighed in frustration. "Freya, Hawke Group isn't just any small company. Every family member represents more than themselves—they represent the Hawke Group's reputation. As the mistress of Hawke Group, your public image is crucial, especially with how pervasive the media is now—"

I bit my lip. "Haven't I told you repeatedly that I don't want to attend those banquets? I don't hold any position at Hawke Group. My presence is irrelevant."

"How can it be irrelevant? Do you think your role is to do nothing, to sit at home and be Mrs. Hawke every day?"

Jameson massaged his temples, attempting to maintain his composure. "A husband and wife are one unit. You need to consider my position too. Sophia insists on bringing you to the banquets because she values you. She is willing to teach you; you should show gratitude."

"She never taught me anything!" I defended myself loudly. "Every time she takes me to a banquet, she abandons me. I can't even find her in the crowd."

"Facing unfamiliar environments, unfamiliar faces, and the intimidating figures, I get scared too, you know?"

"Freya, those social events and etiquette aren't that difficult. Why won't you invest a bit of effort to learn them?"

"Jameson, haven't I learned enough already? I've tried hard. What more do you want from me?"

"You've tried hard?" Jameson scoffed. "If you had tried hard, you wouldn't still be an outsider in this circle after three years."

"I'm an outsider because they don't want to accept me, they don't want me to fit in."

"They? Who are they?" Jameson asked.

"Everyone!" I answered emphatically.

Jameson seemed exasperated, almost laughing in anger, "Could you stop being unreasonable?"

"I'm telling the truth. Your father, Oscar Hawke, your grandmother, Sophia, your uncles and aunts, the other executives of the company, and everyone from Northrop's family never intended to accept me."

"If they didn't accept you, Sophia and Oscar wouldn't have allowed us to marry."

"To get their approval, I kneeled all night outside Sophia's room and took ten lashes from Oscar. Freya, we've come a long way, can't you cherish this? Can't you let me..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but I understood.

He wanted to say, can't you let him feel that his efforts back then weren't in vain?

The very thought betrayed his regrets. It showed that he already regretted his past sacrifices to marry me, regretted marrying an ordinary girl with no background, and regretted rejecting the Hawke family's arranged marriage proposal.

Initially, I wanted to have a sincere conversation with him. To explain that I haven't been idle these past few years.

The first time I attended a party, I was bullied by Matilda Northrop and Jameson's cousin, together with other heiresses. They mocked me for not being able to appreciate wine.

Determined not to embarrass Jameson, I studied everything about wine and even apprenticed under a wine connoisseur. The master praised my rapid progress, claiming I could be considered an expert.

But at the next party, when Matilda found out that wine couldn't stump me anymore, she switched to conversing in French with the others. These heiresses had all studied abroad and basic French conversation was effortless for them.

Though I graduated from a prestigious university, I came from a small town where I received rote French education — good at exams, poor at listening and speaking.

I couldn't understand what they were saying, but their sneering glances told me enough. Returning home, I enrolled in one-on-one online tutoring with a foreign teacher, studying late into the night.

Eventually, I could converse fluently with the teacher. At the next party, when Matilda realized I understood their French, she started discussing luxury brands.

Similarly, I began cramming information on luxury goods after returning home.

Time after time, I realized it was futile. Even if I understood everything they talked about, I could never fit in, because they never intended to accept me.

When they had nothing left to taunt me with, Matilda resorted to having a waiter spill a drink on me, humiliating me in front of everyone. In her domain, within her circle, she had endless ways to trouble me.

I stood alone, with no one to back me up. The Hawke family members never saw me as one of their own. Before we got married, Jameson's grandmother, Sophia, approached me.

I still remember the look of disdain she gave me.

"I agreed to let you marry because I couldn't bear to see Jameson harm himself over you. He knelt all night and took lashes from his father, now he's in the hospital."

"He's the only heir of the Hawke family, and my heart aches for him."

"So, I let this marriage happen, but don't be too pleased.

"I'm telling you now, your marriage won't last long!"

Back then, I was only ecstatic about marrying Jameson, thinking Sophia's words were merely out of spite.

Now, I understand, the old are indeed wise.

After getting married, I experienced Sophia's torment.

Sophia forcefully demanded that I attend various banquets and events with her. Once we arrived, she would leave me standing alone, completely ignoring me.

She allowed Matilda's heiress clique to bully and exclude me, never stepping in even when I was humiliated.

Because she did it on purpose. She wanted to make me feel inferior and timid, to highlight the gap between myself and the Hawke family, and to make me give up.

I had mentioned this to Jameson over the past three years.

But he never had the patience to listen, always advising me to be more accommodating to Sophia, saying I should respect my elders.

When I told him that Matilda was deliberately making things difficult for me, he didn’t believe me either.

He said Matilda, being the heiress of the Northrop family, wouldn’t stoop so low as to bother someone who married into the Hawke family.

When I tried to explain further, he got impatient. "I've just taken over the Hawke Group. Every day is exhausting. Freya, could you be a little more understanding and not bother me with such trivial matters?"

Gradually, I stopped saying anything.

Normally, after the embarrassment at tonight’s banquet, I would have come back wanting to have a serious conversation with Jameson.

I wanted to tell him about my situation over the last three years, to say that I no longer wanted to go to places where I didn't belong.

But now, sitting in the car, looking at Jameson’s annoyed face, I suddenly didn’t want to say anything.

When someone is unwilling to listen, saying more is useless.

I was tired too.

It felt like all the energy had drained from my body, not a word would come out.

As soon as we walked in the door, the butler, Hugo Voss, came straight to me. "Mrs. Hawke, Sophia wants to see you in her room."

I used to be very afraid of Sophia from the Hawke family.

This Sophia seemed to have mastered the art of changing faces, showing different sides to different people.

In front of others, she always appeared kind and amiable.

In front of Jameson, she always acted caring towards me, playing the role of a loving grandmother-in-law.

But alone with me, she was strict and harsh.

If I did something slightly wrong outside, she would call me into her room and scold me with a cold face.

For a period, Sophia became a source of psychological shadow for me.

Whenever I faced her, I couldn’t help but feel scared.

When we first got married, because I was deeply in love with Jameson and saw him staying up all night for work, I didn’t want to bother him.

I silently endured all the mistreatment.

I thought back then, Sophia surely wouldn’t treat me this way forever.

With time, people reveal their true selves, and after we got to know each other better, she would surely stop scolding me.

But I was wrong. Sophia took joy in making things difficult for me and never tired of it.

I realized that some people don’t grow soft-hearted and kind with age.

Unable to bear it anymore, I told Jameson about it.

But he didn’t believe me.

"Why didn't Sophia torment you right after we got married, and only remembered to trouble you after so long?"

"She did. Right after we got married, Sophia often called me into her room to scold me. She even said I didn’t deserve to enter the Hawke family."

"So why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I felt sorry for you back then. I didn’t want to disturb you with this."

"Freya, even if you lie, make it more believable. Sophia is my elder. I don’t want to hear you slandering her again."

That was the first time I felt completely powerless.