Phoebe's POV

The more I thought about it, the more something didn’t sit right.

I remembered how, last year, my mom had specifically called me and said, “Your cousin is getting married soon, but she doesn’t have a place to live yet.”

I couldn’t understand it. Who planned a wedding without even preparing a home?

Back then, she kept trying to convince me, saying, “Your place is already renovated, it’s just the soft furnishings left. Why not sell it to her family instead? You know Fiona only graduated two years ago and she’s still trying to get her business going. She doesn’t have much money right now. Just take a grand and five hundred for it. It’s more of a gesture, really.”

I was stunned. I’d paid three hundred grand in full for that place, and she wanted me to give it away for basically nothing? At that point, why not just say “gift it”?

Obviously, I flat-out refused.

“All these years, our family’s done more than enough for Auntie’s side. That house is mine and Raven’s. There’s no way I’m giving it away. If they want to get married, they can buy their own place. Can’t afford it? Then rent. But don’t even think about touching ours.”

My parents were furious because of that. Right there and then, they blew up and accused me of being ungrateful and not valuing family.

But two days later, they cooled off and came back around, acting all nice.

After that, my mom told me she felt something eerie in the house, so she asked a priest to come look at it and bless it.

I didn’t think much of it and handed her the keys.

I never imagined that they were setting me up the whole time.

Now, I was keeping my emotions in check, quietly working out a plan to get my house back.

After the cemetery visit, everyone went back to my parents’ house for dinner.

Seeing the family sitting around laughing and chatting softened me a little. So I decided to give my parents a chance to come clean themselves.

“Mom, Dad,” I said, “Raven and I are planning to get married in two months. Can you give me back the keys later? We want to start cleaning and decorating the house.”

As soon as I mentioned the house, the room tensed.

My aunt and cousin froze mid-movement and stared at me in shock.

My cousin’s husband, on the other hand, smiled brightly. “Wow, congrats to you and your fiancé! Where’s the place you bought?”

It was obvious that he had no idea what was going on.

So I answered casually, “At Willow Creek Drive, Silvergrove—”

Before I could finish, my mom abruptly cut me off. “Alright, alright, everyone’s hungry. Go start cooking, will you?”

I looked at her, but she wasn’t flustered. She wasn’t even guilty, just annoyed.

My dad, though, looked uncomfortable. Yet he pretended to go outside for a smoke.

Even so, I chose to hold back. I didn’t want to blow everything up just yet, not unless I had to.

So I headed to the kitchen, and Raven followed me in.

“Phoebe, I’ll help you,” he said gently.

My aunt, watching him from behind, clicked her tongue and commented, “Phoebe’s fiancé may not be handsome or classy, but at least he’s handy around the house.”

Both Raven and I frowned at that.

Before I could say anything, her son-in-law jumped in. “Mom, are you taking a shot at me? Saying I’m lazy? Fine, I’ll go help too.”

But before he could even move, my mom and aunt stopped him.

“You’re a grown man. What are you doing going into the kitchen? Sit down,” my mom said, half-laughing.

Looking at him with pure affection, she added, “Don’t get the wrong idea, Ted. She wasn’t insulting you. She was complimenting you. What she meant to say is, you’re handsome, elegant, and a university professor with a stable job. Honestly, you’re the kind of son-in-law most people only dream of.”

Then she glanced at Raven, and her tone turned sharp. “Unlike Phoebe’s choice… tall and skinny—just looks unlucky. Some people really are born to work themselves to the bone, can’t even wait to be told what to do—they just jump in to serve.”

That was it. I was done.

I could tolerate her criticizing me, but not Raven.

He had a master’s degree and worked in international trade. His monthly salary easily tripled that of a university lecturer.

Phoebe's POV

Besides, he was the man I love, and soon, he’ll be family. No decent person would speak about him like that, no matter what they thought.

I was just about to speak up when Raven gently pulled me back and shook his head. “Let it go. We’re with family. It’s not worth starting drama.”

Touched by his patience, I leaned into him and gave him a grateful smile, motioning for him to sit down. “Want some strawberries? I’ll wash them just for you. All yours.”

He smiled and nodded.

I rinsed the strawberries and handed them to him, then turned to finish cooking.

Suddenly, my mom’s voice rang out from behind me. “Those strawberries were for Fiona and Ted! And look at you two, sneaking them like thieves!”

Before I could say anything, she snatched the whole plate right out of Raven’s hands.

“Mom, I bought those strawberries,” I said calmly. “Yours are still in the fridge.”

Yet she seemed not to hear a thing. Instead, she shouted toward the kitchen, “Wash another batch!”

I couldn't make sense of it anymore.

Growing up, my mom had always favored Fiona. Every time there was something good to eat at home, she’d call my cousin over to get some.

One time, I bought my parents a massage chair to help them relax. The next day, my aunt had already taken it home.

I never understood my mom’s obsession with helping her sister’s family. We all had our own households now. Isn’t it normal to put your own family first?

I could put up with being treated unfairly, but I refused to let my husband go through the same.

Resolved, I marched into the living room and yanked the plate of strawberries right out of my cousin’s hands. “If you want some, wash your own. I cleaned these just for Raven.”

Fiona froze, caught off guard.

But my mom came over and smacked me on the back of the head. “Well, look at you! Got yourself a man and now you’re too good for the rest of us? All this fuss over some strawberries?”

She then turned to my cousin with a sweet smile and cooed, “I’ll wash more for you two. Just sit tight.”

Then she turned around and gave me a cold, hard glare. “What are you standing there for? Get back in the kitchen! Or do you want us to starve?”

My fists clenched in anger.

That was it for me. I was done with this place. This would be our last meal here. After today, Raven and I weren’t coming back.

When dinner was finally ready and everyone was digging in, I took the chance to bring up my house again.

“Mom, we need to start the interior setup soon. Don’t forget to give me the keys.”

Clueless, Fiona’s husband was cheerful as he invited, “You guys should come check out our place! We live in Willow Creek Drive, too. Guess we’re neighbors now. We spent seventy grand on the furnishings. Looks pretty good if you ask me.”

I smiled politely and replied, “Nice! What's the house number? I’d love to drop by and get some ideas.”

He was about to answer when Fiona quickly shoved a shrimp into his mouth. “Freshly peeled! Eat before it gets cold.”

Seeing I wasn’t letting it go, my mom’s expression darkened. “That house? I’m keeping it for retirement. Your dad and I don’t want to stay in the countryside anymore. You two can just buy another one.”

She then pointed at Raven with a smug look and taunted, “Didn’t he say he earns a lot? Let him pay for the new one.”

Raven’s face immediately turned grim upon hearing that.

But I quickly stepped in, “That house cost three hundred grand. And of that, two hundred grand was from Raven. He transferred it to me directly. At the time, he was working overseas and couldn’t sign in person. That’s why the property title only has my name. But we have all the transfer records.”

Humiliated, my mom’s face immediately dropped.

But my dad jumped in, trying to ease the tension. “It’s All Souls' Day. Let’s not talk about this today.”

Phoebe's POV

Yet, I stood my ground. “No. I’m pregnant. We can’t keep waiting.”

My mom’s face immediately twisted with anger. She stared straight at my belly and snapped, “You’re already pregnant, so what do you need a house for? Just get married already! You two are renting now, right? Then keep renting after the wedding. What’s so special about owning a place?”

Her words hit a nerve. I glared at her and coldly replied, “Mom, I already bought that house. Why should I rent when I have one? I just want to take back what’s mine.”

But she just glared right back at me, her tone just as cold. “I already told you. I’m keeping that house for retirement. You’re not getting it. I raised you all these years. What’s wrong with me keeping a house in return?”

“You’re already pregnant. Even if you end up eating scraps, you’ve got no choice but to marry Raven. Just look at him, he looks like a broke loser! What if he dumps you? And with you like this, who’s going to offer a decent bride price? You’ve completely ruined your worth!” she yapped.

I was so furious, I shot up from my chair, causing the cutlery in front of me to fly onto the table.

“Mom, you’ve gone too far! Raven and I have been together for six years. My pregnancy is a good thing. How can you keep flipping sides like this? We bought that house ourselves and never asked you for a single cent. So, who are you to interfere with our lives like this? You can insult me all you want, but don’t you dare talk about Raven that way!”

My mom was already shaking with rage as she pointed at me. Suddenly, she clutched her forehead and collapsed onto my dad’s shoulder.

“Stop yelling! Your mom fainted from anger!” My dad yelled at me as he quickly helped her to the sofa.

My aunt also shot me a scolding glare before rushing to check on her, too.

Even so, I didn’t budge. I wasn’t falling for it.

She didn’t have high blood pressure or any heart condition. This was just her usual performance.

I’d seen this act too many times over the years.

Fiona, my cousin, suddenly sneered at me. “Looks like Auntie didn’t tell you the truth, huh? Your wedding house is already mine. Signed and sealed.”

“You know how much I paid? A grand and five hundred!” She laughed. “Actually, not even that. Your mom didn’t just give it away. She even paid me forty grand on top of that to decorate it!”

My fists clenched in anger.

When I was buying that house, my parents told me they had no savings and they barely had three grand in a fixed deposit. But now I find out they gave Fiona forty grand?

Fiona’s husband looked genuinely shocked. “So… that house was originally yours?”

Fiona wrapped her arm around him like nothing was wrong and cooed, “Don’t worry, babe. All the paperwork is legit. Auntie gave it to us as a wedding gift.”

I reached for Raven’s hand as he was already trembling with anger.

Who wouldn't? More than half of that house had been paid for by him.

He’d trusted me enough not to insist his name go on the title. And now, my mom had sold it behind our backs.

Despite the tension, Fiona just kept going, as smug as ever. “I still need more money for my startup. Thirty grand more, to be exact, and Auntie just agreed to help. She’s planning to take out a high-interest loan.”

Greedily smiling, she added, “You and Raven have good credit, right? Since we’re all here, let’s apply today! Oh, and your car. It’s brand new, isn’t it? I’m due any day now and I need something spacious. Your car is perfect for that. Just give it to me.”

Unbelievable. She was beyond shameless. Not even human.

Fed up, I snapped, “In your dreams! I will get my house back. And my car? Don’t even think about it.”

Fiona’s eyes widened in fury, then suddenly, she stood up and flipped the entire table.

Dishes went flying and shattered across the floor, and I yanked Raven back with me just in time.

Then, right on cue, Fiona screamed in mock horror, “Phoebe! Don’t be mad! No need to flip the table!”