Chapter 31

The sky on Christmas Eve was incredibly beautiful. Though it was late, everyone grew increasingly excited. Eventually, Henry and Judy went to bed early, not staying up for the countdown. Shawn had returned to his room shortly after dinner and hadn't come back out. Kathleen joined the maids in the courtyard, huddled around a charcoal fire, chatting warmly as they stayed up to wait for the countdown. After talking for a while, she sent a text to Chelsey, checking how things were going. … About half an hour later, Chelsey called back, and Kathleen stepped aside to take the call. "Hello, how did it go?" Kathleen asked. "I'm about to lose my mind!" Chelsey's voice was tense with frustration. Kathleen immediately frowned with concern. "What happened?" "I told my mom I wanted to break up with Damian, but she refused. She said everyone already knows we're dating. If we break up now, it'll give people something to gossip about. "I'm not afraid of gossip! The worst part is, she hid my