Gilded Lies Exposed

We had agreed to spend the New Year with our own families, but at the last minute, my husband, Drake Murrell, changed his mind and insisted I go back with him this year.

I agreed, planning to take this opportunity to finally tell him the truth about who I really was.

When we first got married, my parents told me to keep a low profile so that Drake, who came from a single-parent household, wouldn’t feel pressured.

So I hid the fact that I was the daughter of the richest family in the capital, the Thorntons.

When we returned to his hometown, I specifically bought my mother-in-law, Diana Murrell, a pair of gold bangles. She accepted them with a beaming smile, praising me again and again for being such a thoughtful daughter-in-law.

However, the next day, as I passed by the old oak tree at the edge of Willow Creek, I overheard her talking about me with a group of people.

"Oh, you have no idea. My daughter-in-law is absolutely ridiculous!"

My hand froze midair, still holding my phone, as I instinctively ducked behind a haystack.

I heard her continue loudly, "She bought me a pair of gold bangles this year. The moment I touched them, I knew they were fake! I’m telling you, they’re probably those cheap online knockoffs, like the kind that cost next to nothing and start fading the moment you wear them!"

I was stunned with anger. She called pure gold fake?

Looks like the million-dollar New Year gift I had prepared for her wasn’t necessary anymore.

Diana Murrell smugly munched on a handful of walnuts. "Anyway, I’m not wearing that kind of junk. I’d be a laughingstock if people saw me wearing fake gold. What if it stains my wrist?"

"That can’t be right, can it? Liana seems like an honest girl," Martha Kane chimed in.

"Honest? Does being honest put food on the table?" Diana scoffed. "Just look at how shabby she is. She probably barely makes anything all year. Not like Rosalie, who’s about to become a manager at a big company."

The group of women around her burst into sharp, grating laughter. "Oh my God, who even tries to fool their mother-in-law with fake gold these days? That’s unbelievable."

My nails dug deep into my palm. The edge of my phone pressed hard against my skin, but I felt nothing.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

A message from my mother, Mikaela Thornton, popped up. Only one short line: "You’ve made it to your in-laws’ place, right? It’s the holidays. Keep the peace. Do more, say less."

I stared at Mom’s profile picture, forcing the anger in my chest down. Then I turned and walked back into the yard.

I had just carried the cleaned chicken into the kitchen, and before I even had time to wash my hands, the sound of a car engine came from outside.

A sharp screech of brakes followed, stopping right at the front gate.

"Oh! That must