One year, one love by Aurora Miller

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13:04 Wed, 26 Feb EEE.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

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Doris led Peyton to a cozy little coffee shop near the hotel. Doris ordered two coffees, and they sat across from each other, a sense of unspoken tension lingering in the air.

Peyton reached across the table and clasped Doris’s hand, her touch warm but tentative. “Doris, how have you been these past few days?” she asked, her voice gentle, almost hesitant.

Doris’s chest tightened at the question. Her eyes stung with an ache she wasn’t ready to confront. She gripped her coffee cup tightly, the warmth seeping into her fingers as if to ground her.

“I’m fine, Mom,” she replied, her voice steady but her emotions teetering dangerously close to the edge. Forcing a smile, she added. “The coffee here is pretty good. You should try it.”

Peyton took a sip, nodding faintly. “It is good, she murmured, a fleeting smile tugging at her lips before fading into silence. The lines of hesitation etched deeper into her face, betraying the fact that she had more on her mind.

Doris finally broke the quiet. “Mom, did you come to see me about something?”

Peyton glanced up, her expression shifting to one of quiet determination. She decided to cut to the chase. “Doris, Claudia’s parents are coming from back home to discuss Rupert and Claudia’s wedding arrangements with us.

“Rupert’s the youngest, and we want to do this properly, make it a little more special. Since you work at Hampstone Hotel. I figured there’s probably an employee discount. Could we book the event there? What do you think?”

Doris’s smile froze, and she scoffed internally, ‘Of course. In their eyes, Rupert is always the precious baby, the only one worth their love and attention. They’d move heaven and earth for him, but for me, it’s just this–a middle child whose existence barely registers.

She swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat and forced herself to respond evenly. The employee discount is just 10% off. If it’s only a few people, a medium table should be enough.”

Peyton shook her head. “A medium table won’t do. Claudia’s grandparents, both sets of them, along with her uncles and aunts, are all coming too.

“They haven’t been to Hampstone before, and they’d like to visit while they’re here. Plus, they’re arriving a day early and will need to stay overnight at the hotel.”

Doris stared at her mother in disbelief. “Mom, they’re coming to discuss a wedding, not attend one. Why do they need to bring the entire extended family?”

She couldn’t wrap her head around the logic. Every one of these additional guests would mean more expenses for her parents–expenses they could ill afford. Doris thought of all the times her mother scrimped and saved, only to pour everything she had into Rupert’s life.

Peyton sighed, a note of weariness in her voice, “They want to come. If we don’t let them, they will say we’re being stingy.”

A flicker of anger sparked in Doris’s chest. “So let them say that. Mom, you’ve already bought Rupert and Claudia a place. Then her family asked for 100 thousand dollars as the wedding gift and you also went along with it.”

had

to prepare.

always doting on his youngest child, only knew how

coming along just to add to the celebration–do you know how much that’s going to cost? The money you’ve worked so hard for, your savings from decades of sacrifice… It’s not something

she tried to appeal to reason. “I understand you want to be a good mother–in–law, and I have

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Chapter 10

all these extras, these demands from her family. It’s

the frustration simmering within her was hard to suppress. Deciding not to press the issue further, she shifted the conversation “Moin, our hotel is

starts at over 700 dollars. Add a fancy dinner with fine wine, and the total easily climbs to tens of thousands of

price–to–quality ratio? You could save that money for the actual weiding, where it would really matter.

softened her tone, trying to reason with her mother, I remember there’s a three–star hotel near Rupert’s new

a good discount. After the meal, they could even visit Rupert’s new

Could you go with me, though? I’m afraid I might mess it up

my friend to see if there are rooms and a dining hall available on that day,” Doris replied calmly. “Once I confirm, I’ll take you there.

bring her husband and in–laws to the dinner. Doris, as part of our family, as Rupert’s sister,

might feel resentful, but discussing Rupert’s wedding is a big deal. Families should present a united front. Don’t let people laugh at us. Will you listen to

had her reasons, even if they weighed heavily

He’s got a quick temper, but everything he does is for your own good. He

and Dad always say it’s for my own good, but have you ever stopped to ask if this version of ‘good is

not what I want, then it’s not really good for me. Please, don’t worry about me anymore. I just want to focus on

brows knit together in concern.

Doris didn’t want to continue the endless, fruitless argument. Cutting her mother off gently, she said, “Mom, do you have anything else to talk about? If not, I need to get back to work. Once I’ve sorted out the hotel. I’ll let you know,”

she stood up, “I should get home to cook dinner for

dad.”

Doris pulled out her phone without waiting

take the subway. Don’t waste your money on me,” Peyton said

argument. Despite everything, she couldn’t bear the thought of her mother enduring the discomfort

rideshare car arrived, the faint hum of its engine filling the

closed the door after her mother got in, leaning down to give her one last reminder. “Mom, text me when

26 Feb EEE

Chapter 10

unspoken worries. “Doris, don’t

you come home. While you’re

began to move, Peyton reached out from the window, grasping Doris’s hand firmly. She pressed a small object into her