Chapter 21

Jessie froze for a few seconds. She had thought Eileen was about to give her a hard time. She hadn't expected that they actually shared the same kind of pain. "Zane, now that you've made up your mind to marry her, you'd better treat her right. If I ever find out you're not good to Jessie, don't blame me for throwing you out of this family." If anyone else had said that, Zane would've thrown them out long ago. But since it was Eileen, he merely chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Mom. In my world, there's only marriage or widowhood. Divorce isn't an option." Eileen personally took Jessie's hand and led her to the center of the living room. In front of everyone, she declared, "From this day on, Jessie is my daughter-in-law and the lady of the Stafford family. I expect every one of you to show her the same respect you show me." With Eileen backing her up, no one in the Stafford family dared look down on Jessie anymore. Eileen didn't enjoy noisy gatherings. After publicly standing up for