Mrs. Cross had never liked Evelyn from the moment Vincent first brought her home. At first, I thought she disliked Evelyn because she was just the adopted daughter of the Carter Family, and perhaps, she found the match inappropriate.
But she would rather have Vincent marry me, someone with nothing to offer, than see her son involved with Evelyn.
Usually, to create opportunities for me and Vincent to be alone, she often went on trips with her friends, leaving us to ourselves.
Behind the scenes, she even came up with strategies for me on how to win over Vincent. Every time this happened, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.
I couldn’t tell her that, in fact, less than a month after I moved into the Cross Family, I had already ended up in bed with Vincent. I was afraid that if she knew the truth, she would think of me as a woman with impure motives and would come to despise me.
Mrs. Cross refused to eat breakfast, threw her spoon down and stood up, trying to pull me out of the house.
Vincent immediately grabbed me by the arm. "Mom, I need to talk to Diana."