David Young was the guy my mom set me up with on a blind date.

There wasn't much to complain about. He was good-looking, honest, and drove for a ride-hailing company. His job offered health benefits, and his salary was decent. On our dates, he always insisted on paying.

Once a woman turned 25, it was like there was this expectation to settle down and start a family. The pressure from home to get married was getting to me, so I decided to give David a try.

After a few months of dating, we were already heading toward marriage.

To be honest, I didn't have any real feelings for him.

I told him seriously, "I don't plan on having kids."

He nodded and said, "Okay, whatever you say."

That was how he answered everything, no matter what I brought up.

Since he agreed, I figured we could just make do and get by.

My best friend, Zoey Joyce, didn't agree at all. "You've only known David for how long? What if he's just pretending? He could be fooling you into marriage, and later he'll pressure you into having kids."

I nodded but then shook my head. "It doesn't look like he's into me anyway. We're just trying to get by. I'm so tired of the nagging about marriage. Every New Year, relatives and friends ask about it. I just want to get married and move out, so I don't have to hear it anymore."

When we discussed it at our engagement, my mom was the first to get upset.

She said, "How can you not have kids? Isn't the point of marriage to have children? Who's going to take care of you when you're old if you don't have any?"

David's parents, on the other hand, didn't seem too bothered. They even stepped in to smooth things over.

They said, "Young people these days face a lot of pressure. It's normal not to want kids.

"Each generation has its own path. We should respect their choices."

...

We went through all the formalities, and just like that, David and I became a legally married couple.

The first two months passed peacefully, but by the third, my mom started pushing again.

She said, "Lola, it's been three months since you got married, and there's still no news?

"You're at the perfect age to have kids. If you don't take advantage of it now, you'll regret it."

I was getting irritated. "At my age, isn't everything the perfect time? Why is having kids the only thing you're focused on?"

...

Every time I called my mom, it turned into an argument about this. Eventually, I got so fed up that I stopped answering her calls.

One day after work, I came home to find my parents and David's parents all sitting together.

The five of them were gathered, waiting for me—the star of the show.

My mother snapped, "Lola! Now that you're married, do you think you can ignore me? I worked hard to raise you, and you can't even pick up my calls?"

She glared at me like I owed her millions.

My mother-in-law, Sofia Young, stopped her from hitting me, telling her to calm down and talk things through.

I didn't want to deal with my mom's baseless anger, so I turned to leave.

I said, "Looks like I came back at the wrong time. Didn't mean to interrupt your family meeting."

David grabbed my arm, a bit panicked. "Lola, we've been waiting for you."

I shot back, "Were you waiting for me to get off work or waiting for me to have a baby?"

Sofia smiled and said, "Lola, we older folks might not get your generation's thinking. Maybe your mom's words were a bit harsh, but there's truth in them. Don't take it too personally.

"I support your decision not to have kids, but people change. What if you regret it later? It'll be too late by then.

"I had a colleague who was in the same situation. She didn't want kids when she was young, but when she hit her 40s, she regretted it. By then, it was too late, and her husband ended up having an affair and a baby with a younger woman.

"A woman isn't like a man. A man can change his mind at 50 and still have kids, but once your chance is gone, it's gone. Your mom's just looking out for you. Sometimes it's worth listening to your elders."

It was clear to me—everyone in that room, my parents, and David's family, were all here for the same reason.

They all wanted me to have a child.

I said, "But I'm still so young, I don't want to be tied down by a child. Can't we put this off for a few years?"

My mom retorted, "You're 27 years old! Do you still think you're young? Your elementary school classmates' kids are already old enough to buy soy sauce, and they're about to have their second child."

When I graduated at 22, I wanted to work in a big city, but my mom said I was just a kid who didn't know better and told me to stay close to home.

But now, just five years later, I'm suddenly an old person in her eyes.

I found it a bit funny. My life seemed to have always been arranged by my family.

I said, "What if I insist on not having a child?"

My mom suddenly stood up, her face contorted. "Then you're no longer my daughter."

Maybe it was because I openly defied her in front of everyone, and she couldn't save face. My mom then said harshly, "Don't call me mom anymore. I don't have a daughter like you!"

Silence filled the room. David watched like an audience member, and Sofia didn't say anything more. They were all waiting for me to give in.

Finally, my dad spoke up. "Lola, just listen to your mom. We won't do anything to harm you."

No one was on my side.

I gritted my teeth, wanting to leave.

Suddenly, my mom went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. "You won't have me as your mom anymore!"

Everyone rushed to take the knife away, shouting and arguing.

I looked at David, and he looked back at me, his eyes seeming to say, "Give up the struggle."

This was a family of lunatics.

They quickly returned to normal.

Because I agreed to prepare for pregnancy.

Deep down, I still couldn't completely cut ties with my parents.

Family relationships were quite strange. On one hand, I wanted to escape my original family, but on the other hand, I hoped to be accepted by them.

My mom was happy again and turned back into a loving mother. "Lola, all mothers want the best for their children. When you have kids and reach my age, you'll understand my good intentions."

Sofia agreed, "Conditions are much better now than in our time. You just focus on having the baby. I'm retired now, so I can take care of the child without you worrying."

My mom was pleased. "We'll take turns caring for the child. I'll do Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and you'll do Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Sundays, we'll all have dinner together."

...

The atmosphere in the room became lively. My mom and Sofia were happily discussing the wonderful scenarios of caring for the child.

My nose felt sore, and I remembered when I was little, every time I didn't obey my mom, she would get angry and keep criticizing me. Even though I wasn't wrong, I would still give in.

After I gave in, my mom would be very nice to me again, telling me all sorts of reasons why it was "for my own good".

I suddenly regretted it. I should have moved farther away from home back then.

David seemed to notice I was crying and came over to comfort me. "It's okay, I'll take good care of you. When the baby is born, I'll be a good dad."

It was the first time I saw such eager anticipation in David's eyes.

I knew he didn't have feelings for me either, but I didn't expect that all the promises made before marriage were just lies.

After getting married, of course, there would be pressure to have kids. He knew all of this.

Three more months passed, and my belly was still flat.

This didn't surprise me much.

David could be described as having a low sex drive, or maybe he had someone else in his heart and wasn't interested in me.

My mom pulled me aside one day. "Why don't you go get checked out at the hospital?" she asked. "You eat so much junk food. What if there's a problem?"

I was ticked off. "Mom! Why do you assume I'm the one with the problem? What if it's David?"

"Just go get checked. Think of it as a regular check-up," she insisted.

"No way! If we go, we're going together!" I shot back.

My mom got angry again. "You never listen to me. You'll be the one who suffers in the end."

I bolted out of there, vowing to skip weekend dinners at my parents' house from then on.

A few months dragged by. Sofia started asking about our progress.

"Why don't you two go to the hospital?" she prodded. "You've been married almost a year with no news. The neighbor's daughter-in-law got pregnant right after her wedding."

I kept my eyes down and said nothing. David didn't come to my defense either.

Sofia went on, "You stay up late and eat badly. Your bodies can't handle it. Go to the hospital before you end up with a deformed baby and everyone suffers."

The whole time, she kept glancing at me. I could tell they all wanted me to get checked.

I'd had enough. "Fine, David and I will go together. If I can't get pregnant, divorce is on the table."

Sofia squirmed. "I raised my son myself. No junk food for him. His company physical showed he's perfectly healthy."

"Company physicals don't check fertility. Who knows if your son can perform?" I snapped.

Then I realized I hadn't hung up on Zoey earlier.

My outburst startled Sofia. David's face darkened.

"I'm a doctor," Zoey said. "Usually when couples come in, it's the man who can't perform."

I quickly hung up. Sofia's face fell. After a long pause, she said, "Lola, you shouldn't hang out with that kind of friend."

I'd known Zoey since middle school. When I was struggling with my grades and on the verge of a breakdown, she pulled me back from the edge. Her courage was a light I couldn't match but that always guided me.

Zoey's words must have gotten under David's skin. To prove himself, he agreed to get tested with me.

The results showed David had dead sperm.

When we got the news, David moped around and slept all day.

Both sets of parents gathered again.

Sofia plastered on a fake smile. "Lola, you can't rush these things. It's best to let nature take its course. You're both still young, there's no hurry.

"Lots of couples choose not to have kids these days. They're just as happy.

"Not having kids is easier. You get to sleep through the night. I never got a good night's rest when David was little."

I listened, finding it all ridiculous. They'd been pushing me to have a baby, even worrying I couldn't. Now they'd done a complete 180.

This time, my mom stayed quiet, just saying she'd respect my choice.

She'd asked if I wanted a divorce.

I thought about it and said no.

I never wanted kids anyway. David being infertile suited me fine. If we divorced, my parents would just set me up with other guys and keep pressuring me to have a baby.

"That's fine," my mom said. "We pushed you to have kids because we were worried David would find another woman to have his baby if you didn't. That's how society is - if the wife doesn't have kids, she often gets divorced. I just didn't want you to end up alone when you're old."

I was touched, but also sad. My mom might never understand how much I enjoy being on my own.

But Zoey was like a fortune teller. "If you were the one who couldn't have kids, David would definitely divorce you. But now, watch, his whole family will beg you to stay. They'll bend over backward for you."

David took over all the housework. When he wasn't busy, he'd pick me up from work. He cooked all my favorite foods, gave me access to his credit card for skincare products, and Sofia kept inviting me over for dinner.

I couldn't find fault with this new life, but Zoey warned me to be careful. "Don't fall into David's honey trap."