Country Girl — Episode 1

Three days earlier, the Mercers had arrived at our farm with a shocking truth. I was their missing daughter. Before I left, my adoptive mother taught me one rule. Straighten your back.

If they can't handle your pride, let them choke on it. So I stayed silent and watched everything. The Mercer gates were taller than our barn. A butler waited at the entrance.

Inside, the staff stood in two perfect lines. The moment I stepped through the door, a girl in a white dress came down the Evelyn Mercer, the girl who had lived my life in this house for 18 years. Her back was straight, her smile polite.

In her hands was a pair of slippers. Chloe, you finally made it. We didn't have anything prepared for you yet, so you can wear these for now. The slippers were yellowed and grimy, with one heel completely crushed.

I crossed my arms and didn't take them. The room fell even quieter. I'm sorry, I just thought you'd be tired after the drive. Changing shoes might make you more comfortable. If you don't want these, I can take mine off and give them to you A cold laugh came from the front driveway. A handsome man leaned against a sports car.

Marry a farm girl like her? Over my dead body.