I broke up with my girlfriend, who valued her brother over me.

Isabel Cobb and I had been dating for two years and were planning to get married.

The first time I visited her family, her mother, Britney Cobb, demanded a bride price of 288 thousand dollars. I gritted my teeth and agreed.

Then she asked for 88 thousand dollars to buy jewelry and a diamond ring, and I agreed again.

She said the wedding banquet would cost 60 thousand dollars, and I still agreed.

But when they asked to put Isabel's brother's name on the marriage house, I couldn't hold back anymore.

Seeing my face darken, Isabel tugged at my sleeve, saying, "My mom just wants what's best for me."

Britney fanned the flames. "Isabel is so beautiful. She could easily find a rich guy. You're lucky we're even considering you. If you can't meet our conditions, forget about marrying her."

Angry, I shook off Isabel's hand. "Forget it. This marriage is off."

Britney crossed her arms and sneered, "That's your decision. Don't regret it."

Six months later, outside my new villa, she shouted, "If you don't marry Isabel, I'll make your life miserable."

...

When I was dating Isabel, I knew she gave all her earnings to her family.

From the moment she started working, she handed her entire monthly salary to Britney. She even had to ask Britney for money to buy a toothbrush.

She always emphasized to me that her father had passed away years ago while Britney was in poor health and unemployed, and her younger brother was still in vocational school. Life was tough, and as a daughter, she had to support her family.

I admired her filial piety. I didn't mind her family's situation; instead, I felt even more compassionate toward her.

After we started dating, I covered all her expenses—clothes, meals, and social outings.

Although my income wasn't high, I was willing to support the woman I loved.

But I didn't expect Britney to only care about her son, while Isabel willingly played the role of a supporter.

I wanted to help her, but I almost got dragged down myself.

The first time I went to her house to meet her family, I finally understood what kind of hardship she had been talking about.

I bought supplements, coffee, and milk, and spent over 2,000 dollars on a new phone for Isabel's brother.

Based on Isabel's descriptions, Britney was frail and modestly dressed.

But the moment the door opened, I realized my imagination was off.

Britney wore a red wool coat and looked incredibly healthy—far from someone who was supposedly frail and sickly.

She looked me up and down, saw my plain jacket, and quickly glanced at the gifts I brought. Her expression showed a hint of disappointment and disdain, but she still invited me in.

Feeling awkward, I set down the gifts and noticed a young man, about 21 or 22, sitting on the couch playing video games. Guessing he was Isabel's brother, Vince Cobb, I quickly took out the new phone.

"Vince?" I asked. "I got this phone for you. Do you like it?"

Vince looked up, glanced at the phone, and tossed it on the couch. "What kind of crappy phone is this? I don't want it. I want the latest model, the one that costs over 8,000 dollars. It's great for gaming."

I was stunned. This was the responsible, motivated brother Isabel had spoken of.

Isabel quickly pulled me to sit on the couch and brought out a plate of fruit.

Britney sat beside me and started interrogating me, as if she were doing a background check.

When she found out my family was from the countryside and I earned just 12,000 dollars a month, her face showed disappointment. But when I mentioned my family had paid 1.2 million dollars in full for a house, her expression improved slightly.

My family, although living in the countryside, had a large orchard and earned a decent income. But still, 1.2 million dollars was all their savings.

Britney cleared her throat and got to the point. "Isabel is beautiful, and lots of people are after her. If you want to marry her, you can't skimp on the formalities."

I quickly assured her, "Britney, don't worry, I sincerely want to marry Isabel."

She nodded. "For the bride price, Isabel's cousin got 188 thousand dollars last year. Isabel is younger and prettier, so I think 288 thousand dollars is reasonable, don't you?"

I couldn't believe my ears.

In our area, bride prices were usually between 100 thousand and 200 thousand dollars, and the bride's family typically gives back some of it. In some cases, they even let the bride take it all back, and the in-laws might give a dowry.

Seeing Isabel's family's situation, I knew they wouldn't give anything back.

I thought about how frugally I'd lived over the years. Other than spending on Isabel, I rarely spent money on myself.

I had about 300 thousand dollars in savings. I decided to give them the money.

Seeing me agree, she continued, "For jewelry, usually, it's five pieces of gold and a diamond ring. I'll tell Isabel not to choose anything too expensive. Let's say 88 thousand dollars."

My heart sank. 88 thousand dollars? Not expensive?

But I thought, if I didn't buy the jewelry for Isabel, her family probably wouldn't either. We needed something decent for the wedding, so I agreed.

She nodded, seemingly satisfied with my attitude.

Then she calculated that the wedding banquet would cost about 60 thousand dollars, which I would also need to pay.

I didn't argue.

Even though I'd have to borrow money for everything besides the bride price, I figured getting married was a big deal. It was normal to go into some debt.

Just when I thought we had finished discussing the wedding and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Britney spoke again.

She pointed to her son, who was playing video games beside us. "You need to put my son's name on your marriage house."

I was stunned. Put my brother-in-law's name on the house? What kind of custom was that? That was 1.2 million dollars.

Seeing I wasn't speaking, Britney's face turned sour, and she looked at Isabel.

Isabel gently tugged my sleeve. "Reed, my mom just wants what's best for me. Please agree."

Britney nodded. "Yes, I just want to ensure Isabel's future. If you ever cheat on her, this house would belong to my son. That way, Isabel will have something to rely on."

I stood up in anger. "If you want Isabel to have security, I can add her name to the house, but why does it have to be your son's name?"

Vince, still playing his game, chimed in, "My mom said, whoever marries my sister has to buy me a house."

That was some nerve.

Britney said matter-of-factly, "Yes, that's how it is. I can't afford to buy my son a house, so we have to figure something out from his sister."

She sounded all justified.

Isabel looked at me expectantly.

I suspected they were seeing me as an easy mark.

My parents and I earned our money through hard work, not by picking it up off the street.

Britney said disdainfully, "Isabel is so beautiful. She could easily find a rich guy. You're lucky we're even considering you. If you can't meet our conditions, forget about marrying her."

I shook off Isabel's hand. "Forget it. This marriage is off."

Isabel was disappointed. "You can't even agree to such a small condition. You don't love me at all."

Vince, still playing his game, laughed at me. "Ha, what a loser!"

Britney, arms crossed, sneered. "If you don't want to marry, fine. That's your decision. Don't come crying to us later."

I stormed out, hearing Isabel shout behind me, "If you walk out, don't come back looking for me."

Britney added fuel to the fire. "Let him go. Thinks he's all that. Even if he crawls back begging, don't pay him any mind."

I left Isabel's home and shivered as a cold wind hit me.

What a fool I'd been.

I'd thought her family was so pitiful. I was ready to help them out. Instead, they tried to saddle me with responsibilities through marriage.

I'd wanted to rescue Isabel from her misery, giving her a happy life and warm home. Turned out, she was happy as a clam there, even helping her family take advantage of me.

All that talk about her sick mom and young brother was a load of bull. They were just lazy bloodsuckers desperate to find a meal ticket.

Thankfully, I saw their true colors in time. Otherwise, they would've bled me dry.

I decided to break up with Isabel.

Since I'd been covering her expenses, she'd moved in with me.

Back at my apartment, seeing all the clothes and shoes I'd bought her, I kicked myself again for being such a sucker. I'd given her my heart and soul, but I was just a tool for her to help her brother.

I packed all Isabel's stuff and called a cab to drop it off at her place.

When I called to tell her to come get her things, she thought I wanted to make up. She was cold as ice.

As soon as she picked up, her smug attitude practically oozed through the phone. "Reed, don't try sweet-talking me. If you don't agree to my mom's demands, we're through."

It looked like money and property were the real test of love. The sweet girl from before had turned into this.

I shouted into the phone, "I sent your stuff to your building entrance. Come get it yourself."

Isabel couldn't believe her ears. "W-what did you say?"

I repeated, "Come get your things. We're done. Hope you find someone to buy your brother a house soon."

I hung up before she could react and took off in the cab.

I finally realized that I had to respect her fate. Being a saint was not an option.

That night, I drowned my sorrows alone at home.

Three years of love ended like this. I felt sad despite everything. After all, she was the girl I'd given my whole heart to.

In my drunken haze, I said goodbye to the past.

The next day, I was late for work.

As I rushed to the office, I saw Isabel waiting for me.

She came right over when she saw me.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her face haggard. It looked like she'd had a rough night too. For a moment, my heart softened.

She stared at me. "Reed, are you really this heartless? Throwing away three years of love over a house?"

I laughed bitterly, "Aren't you the heartless one? Ruining our marriage to buy your brother a house."

She gazed at me intently. "Reed, just agree to my mom's request. She's had it tough all these years."

Her words snuffed out any warmth I'd felt. "Your mom had it tough? What about my family? Does your mom's tough life mean my family owes you a house?"

Isabel grabbed me, teary-eyed. "Reed, give the house to my brother. We can rent a place. I'm willing to struggle with you."

I laughed angrily, "What do you mean you're willing to struggle with me? That struggle is your choice. Why should I give your brother my house and rent one?"

Isabel screamed, "I've been with you for three years and you dumped me over a house? Are you even human?"

What kind of logic was this? How unreasonable could she be?

I said, "Isabel, how am I dumping you? I came with a dowry, engagement ring, and fully paid house to marry you. Your family made unreasonable demands. How is that my fault?"

Isabel pointed at me, shaking. "Fine! You'll regret this."

She ran off crying.

Watching her go, I felt awful.

I went to work late and lost my attendance bonus, which added to my frustration.

At my desk, I couldn't focus. I pulled out my phone and posted on social media. [Single again. Saying goodbye to the past.]

Next, I deleted Isabel from my contacts. Time to forget the past and start fresh.

Looking at my bank balance, I suddenly thought that if I didn't get married, I should live in the present and splurge a bit.

No sooner said than done. I quit my job on the spot and decided to take a nice trip to relax.

Leaving my building with my suitcase, I saw the lottery store. The owner greeted me, "Reed, where you off to? Haven't seen you buy tickets in ages."

I used to buy tickets now and then for fun, but I hadn't lately with all the wedding planning.

Thinking about all that money in my account, I splurged and bought 1,000 dollars worth of tickets.

Then I set off on my spur-of-the-moment trip.

My first stop was the frontier I'd always dreamed of visiting.

The grasslands were gorgeous. As I lay there soaking in the blue sky, white clouds, and herds of animals, my phone rang.

It was the lottery store owner. "Reed, you lucky dog. You hit the jackpot."

Jackpot? I shook my head and pinched myself hard. It hurt. Not a dream.

The owner exclaimed, "You won 50 million. Kid, you've struck it rich."

I'd won the lottery. That family of leeches was the real joke now.