Everything That’s Yours Will Stay Yours
In a quiet little town nestled between gloomy hills and misty fields, where autumn carried the scent of damp earth and melancholy, life moved as slowly as a lazy river. On the edge of town, hidden under the shade of old linden trees, stood a house where Emily lived. Her life seemed like something out of a fairy tale—wealthy parents, a grand manor, and her kind Aunt Mary, who’d stepped in as a second mother. But behind that picture-perfect life, shadows loomed, ready to ruin everything.
“Been pushing your food around for two weeks now—fallen for some boy, have you, Em?” Aunt Mary asked, wiping her hands on her apron.
“Well… there is a guy,” Emily admitted, blushing. “He’s in a different class, good-looking, but acts like he doesn’t even see me. No clue how to talk to him.”
“Don’t you dare chase after him!” Mary frowned. “A girl shouldn’t run after a lad. Back in my day—”
“Oh, Aunt Mary, not the ‘back in my day’ speech!” Emily laughed, finishing her breakfast. “I’ve got to dash, can’t be late. Lecturer’s strict—he’ll kick me out.”
“Go on, then,” Mary sighed, crossing her as she shut the door behind her, worry flickering in her eyes.
Emily had grown up wanting for nothing. Her parents, wrapped up in their careers, had left her upbringing to Aunt Mary, her mum’s older sister. Everyone called her Mrs. Mary Whitaker, but to Emily, she was just Aunt Mary—warm but firm, teaching her life’s lessons as if she knew fate wouldn’t always be kind.
Mary had her own sorrows. Young and in love, she’d married a forester named George, but their happiness was short-lived. A year later, he vanished—rumors said he drowned in the marshes. They’d searched, but never found him. Mary was left alone, no husband, no children. She’d thought about becoming a nun but laughed it off. “What kind of nun would I make? Too young, and I’ve got a sharp tongue.” She stayed in the village until her sister Lydia called her to the city.
“Mary, come live with us,” Lydia had insisted. “We’re always working—you could look after Emily, help around the house.”
“Oh, Lyd, I’d love that!” Mary had replied. “George was a good man—I’ve cried all my tears for him. Afraid I’ll waste away from loneliness here. No more marriage for me. I’ll come, take care of everything.”
And so Mary became part of their family, though she called herself the housekeeper. She cooked with passion, tended the garden, planted flowers. To her, Emily was like a daughter—she walked her to school, bought her toys, sewed her dresses. The house was full of warmth, but Mary warned Emily, “Learn to work hard, love. Today you’ve got everything—tomorrow, who knows? Learn to cook—it’s a woman’s secret weapon. Cook with love, and you’ll draw the right man to you.”
“Got any secrets of your own?” Emily would tease.
“Course I do! Every good cook does,” Mary would say with a wink.
Emily fell for Daniel, a tall lad from another class. She thought he didn’t notice her, but she was wrong. Everyone at uni knew Emily came from money. Daniel, raised by a single mum, was charming but rough around the edges. Mary’s suspicions flared the day Emily came home glowing.
“Aunt Mary, he noticed me!” she gushed. “We walked home together—he bought me ice cream!”
“Crafty, knowing girls love sweets,” Mary muttered. “Bring him round. Let me see him.”
A month later, Daniel visited. Mary fed them, watching him closely. Once he’d left, Emily bounced over. “So? Isn’t he brilliant?”
“Pretty enough,” Mary said flatly. “But not for you. His eyes were greedy—took in everything the second he walked in. That boy’s envious, Em. He’s not the one.”
“Oh, Aunt Mary, you’re imagining things!” Emily huffed. “It’s my life, I’ll choose who I want!”
Mary sighed, fearing for her girl. “Let her learn the hard way,” she thought.
Her instincts were right. Four months later, Emily’s gold ring went missing. No one else had been in the house but Daniel. Emily kept quiet, not telling her parents, but confessed to Mary.
“Told you—he took it,” Mary said. “We ought to report it.”
“No,” Emily begged. “Don’t upset Mum and Dad. This stays between us. I know the truth now.”
She confronted Daniel: “I know you stole my ring. No one else could’ve.” He flushed. “You’ve lost it! Why would I want your stupid ring?” They fought, and it was over. Mary comforted Emily, relieved she’d dodged disaster.
In her final year, Emily met Oliver at her friend Sophie’s birthday. They hit it off instantly, dating soon after. Sophie warned her, “Don’t bring him home yet. Make sure he loves you, not your money. Meet at mine.” Emily agreed. Oliver, already working, took her to the theatre, bought flowers, doted on her. Emily melted—even Mary asked to meet him.
Oliver arrived with bouquets for Emily and her mother. Her parents welcomed him warmly, but Mary’s verdict was firm: “Phony. Can’t keep still—eyes darting, twitchy. He’s trouble.”
“Aunt Mary, that’s nonsense!” Emily argued. “We’ve never fought! He’s sweet!”
But fate struck hard. Emily’s parents died in a crash on their way back from a nearby town. Mary, shattered, barely held herself together. Emily was devastated—her world collapsed. The funeral was arranged by her father’s company. After the wake, she and Mary sat with tea, numbed by grief.
“Em, I’ll always be here,” Mary whispered. “Everything that’s yours will stay yours.”
“I’m not worried about that, Aunt Mary,” Emily replied. “This is your home too.”
One day at a café, Emily overheard Oliver on the phone: “You should see her house! She’s alone now, just her and that aunt. Gotta marry her quick—get my hands on it all.” Stung, Emily grabbed her bag and fled. Oliver chased her, but she leapt onto a bus. At home, she sobbed as Mary held her. “You’ll find someone who loves you for you.”
Emily graduated and got a job at her father’s old friend’s firm—Charles Hamilton. He’d promised at the grave to look after her. There, she met James—smart, quiet, steady. Charles praised him: “Reliable, sharp, never misses a deadline. He’ll be department head soon.”
James took ages to ask Emily out, but finally did over coffee. “If I asked you to dinner, what would you say?” he mumbled, blushing.
“I’d say yes,” Emily smiled, touched by his nerves.
They started dating. James only knew her parents had passed, assumed she lived modestly with her aunt. “Come meet my mum,” he offered. His mother, Margaret, was kind, just like him. “Love, we’re simple folk,” she said warmly.
Later, Emily invited James home. He froze at the manor but stayed polite, bringing Mary flowers, talking to her like family. “Em, he’s the one,” Mary said. “Humble, kind—no envy in him.”
They married soon after. Charles arranged the wedding, happy for his friend’s girl. Now, Emily and James have twin boys. Mary, though older, still helps around the house. James is CFO under Charles, who sees him as his successor. And Emily knows—everything that’s hers, truly hers, is love, family, and the home where happiness lives.
