And the woman telling them they belonged downstairs had absolutely no idea.
My name is Rachel Collins.
Before I married Ethan, I was Rachel Parker.
That distinction would become very important before the evening was over.
I grew up in a family where money was never something we took for granted.
Dad worked night shifts at a manufacturing plant. On weekends, he repaired cars in our driveway for neighbors who couldn’t afford a mechanic.
Mom cleaned offices, worked part-time at a school cafeteria, and somehow still managed to make every birthday feel special.
We weren’t starving.
But we knew what it meant to wait until payday before buying groceries.
I remember Dad coming home one winter night with a fever so high he could barely stand.
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