I was born infertile and told Rod Krueger this news when we started dating.

He smiled and took my hand, promising that he would be my salvation.

But after eight years of dating, he exposed the secret in public at the engagement party.

“Shirley, since you are born with a disability and cannot have children, I ask you to transfer all your dowry and gifts to my name as compensation. Is that too much?

“You also know that my family is from the countryside and is very conservative. Marrying you means that my parents will be criticized by others for the rest of their lives. You don't want to see them sad, do you? Bringing my parents to live in your villa is the only way.”

I swallowed my grievance and angrily slammed the table as I snapped, “Really? Then it's okay not to get married.”

***

The engagement party was held at the most expensive hotel in the city. As soon as my parents arrived, Rod and his relatives immediately set their eyes on my mother’s Hermes.

Rod’s mother slapped her thigh and her eyes lit up instantly as she said, “Oh my, my in-law spends so much on a bag. Isn't that a waste?

“You only have one daughter, Shirley and she can't have children. I think you should save some money. It's unfair for our family to marry a disabled person. Can't you just leave all the money for the young couple to live on?”

Rod's face flushed red and he hurried to stop her chatter.

“Shirley, don’t think too much. My mother has no ill intentions. She just wants us to have an easier life after marriage.”

Although my parents were unhappy, their upbringing did not allow them to lose their temper on the spot.

As soon as the two of us sat down, my mother immediately spoke up to save my face, “Although my daughter is in poor health, my family is not short of money. We can support Shirley even if she never gets married. 

“It was your son who said he didn't mind at first. Now that he's getting engaged, what does it mean to bring this up?”

Seeing that his mother was angry, Rod immediately put on a flattering expression and explained, “My mom just said it casually. Don't worry, I only need Shirley. It doesn't matter if I have a child or not. 

“It doesn't matter if I don't have a child. I will take care of Shirley with all my heart and will definitely make her happy.

“Uncle, Aunt, just leave Shirley to me, don't worry.”

Rod’s mother hurried to explain, “Yes, I just said it casually. What girl doesn't want to get married? Don't take it to heart.”

My mother snorted coldly and the matter was over.

She put my dowry neatly on the table.

A river view villa, a Porsche supercar and a bank card with a deposit of 125,000.

Rod’s mother smiled instantly and she kept patting Rod’s father's thigh as whispering, “This is a fortune!”

Rod’s father's face turned red and he was so excited that he could not speak.

Seeing this, my mother chuckled and said, “This is my dowry for Shirley. The betrothal gift is as originally agreed upon, 25,000 dollars. Isn't that too much?”

Rod’s mother waved her hands quickly as she answered, “Not too much, not too much.”

My mother raised her chin proudly before she stated, “Then take the money and give it directly to my daughter. She will manage the money herself in the future.”

Rod’s mother's face turned red and she took a long time to explain, “I've already given that money to my son. We'll be a family from now on anyway, so there's no need to calculate it so clearly, right?

“It's all for the young couple to live on. It doesn't matter who the money is given to, what do you think, Mrs. Dudley?”

This sentence made the atmosphere in the box awkward.

I looked at Rod and wanted to ask him for an explanation, ‘Why is it different from what we talked about before?’

But the next second, he opened his mouth and said, "25,000 dollars has indeed been transferred to my account. After all, Shirley is just a girl, it's not safe for her to handle such a large sum on her own.

“The dowry will also be transferred under my name for easier management. That way, if anything ever happens, we won’t have to trouble Shirley. She’s young and doesn’t really understand how these things work."

He said nice things, but he had no intention of doing anything for me.

My father's face immediately turned red with anger before he barked, “What do you mean by that? Go ask anyone with common sense, where do marriage gifts come from?

“The gifts and dowry are a woman's premarital property. And now, right after the engagement, you're already asking for money?

“Do you truly want to marry my daughter, or are you just here to drain our blood and strip our family clean?”

My mother also looked upset by this conversation.

Seeing the relatives around her talking, Rod’s mother could no longer sit still and argued, “Mr. Dudley, you don't have to say such harsh words, right? 

“Every place has its own customs. In my hometown, money is managed by men. My income over the years has been with my husband and nothing has happened.

“Besides, the dowry and betrothal gifts are childbirth subsidies for the woman. Don't bully us rural people because we don't know the law. Can your daughter give birth? What subsidy do you need?

“Your daughter was born disabled. My family is already indebted to our ancestors by marrying her. You should give the money to my son as a guarantee.”

Rod’s father also echoed hurriedly, “Yes, your daughter can't have children. If she cheats on her husband and gets divorced in 20 years, my son will be past his best childbearing age. Who will you let him find in the future?

“In my opinion, this money must be used as compensation for my son. Even if your daughter runs away, my son won't have to live out his life alone.”

My father was so angry that he covered his chest and my mother stood up immediately to sneer, “It's not the first day your son has known about my daughter's affairs. He had previously said that the money would be in my daughter's hands. Now that they are getting engaged, you are turning your back on us, right?

“It's not like my daughter can't get married. Do you think my family has to rely on your son? Your son is a loser who doesn't even have a stable job. It's a blessing for your family that my daughter likes him.

“All the gifts and dowry must be given to my daughter. There is no room for negotiation. If you don't agree, don't get married. I will take my daughter back now!”

His mother kept calling me disabled, which was just rubbing salt into my wounds.

I could not help but question Rod, “Didn't you say you wouldn't mention this? It's fine if your parents knew, but what do you mean by saying it in public now?

“Your work was arranged by my family, so what is this now? I just want to ask you one question, did you discuss today's matter with your parents?”

Rod's face darkened and his tone became a little impatient, “We’ll be family from now on, so there’s no need to keep secrets between us.

“Besides, once we’ve been married for a few years without children, it’ll be impossible to hide it anyway. It’s better they know now than wonder later.

“My parents are doing this for our own good, aren't they? You are the only daughter in your family. When your parents are gone, won't all the money be yours? 

“This dowry is a drop in the bucket for your family, but it's something my family could never earn in a lifetime.

“I’ve already taken a lot of blame for your infertility and I'm just asking your family to give me some money. You can't be so stingy, right? Who can I go to for justice if my family's descendants are cut off?”

When I looked straight at the man in front of me, I almost did not know him.

When we first met, he took the initiative to pursue me. So, I immediately confessed my secret of being infertile.

He said he did not care and only wanted to live in a world of two people from that moment on.

He also said he would keep the secret for me.

At worst, he could take the initiative to get sterilized after marriage and tell others that he was infertile.

But when facing reality, everything had changed.

The wounds that I exposed when we were in love became the sharp knife that he used to stab me.

“Rod, are you still a man? What qualifications do you have to say these things to me?”

“I found you a job, I bought your car and I paid for the renovations of your house in your hometown. You know I'm not in good health and I've done my best to make up for it. Are you still not satisfied?

“And now you want to take even my dowry and betrothal gifts? Are you and your family so determined to drain me dry, until there’s nothing left of me?”

After a few words were shouted, the scene suddenly became noisy.

“This guy wasn't after the money from the beginning, was he?”

“The woman is really nice. She almost treats his parents like gods. The betrothal gifts and dowry belong to the woman. Isn't this just living off her?”

“How dare a gigolo speak so shamelessly? This entire family is nothing but a pack of greedy gigolos!” 

“I've never seen such brazen people, demanding both dowry and betrothal gifts. It's not like they just found out she couldn't have children. What is this if not taking advantage of someone else's misfortune?”

“They humiliated the girl’s family right at their own engagement party! Those who knew the details called it an engagement, but those who didn’t would’ve thought it was a public feud between enemies.”

Tears welled up in my mother’s eyes as she was so angry that she kept searching for the medicine bottle on my father’s body.

I was just about to call emergency services.

As soon as I took out the cell phone, it was knocked to the ground by Rod’s mother.

Not feeling satisfied yet, she stepped on it twice.

The triple-fold screen went black instantly and broke into pieces.

“You little bitch, why are you talking so harshly? We are all family; shouldn't you give a little respect? You should be proud of my son's work and earning money, you know!

“If it weren't for you, would my family have been extinct? My family has been a single-line family for three generations! I only have this one son, so what's wrong with me asking for some security for my son?

“I’m putting it right here. You won't be able to enter my house until these dowries are changed into my son's name!”

As soon as she finished speaking, my father's trembling body fell to the ground.

His lips were bruised, but his hands were still pointing at Rod’s mother angrily.

The latter took several steps back and kept some distance.

“Don't blackmail me. Everyone present is a witness. I didn't do anything to you!”

Seeing that something was about to happen, the relatives from both families fled the box on the pretext of having something to do.

My mother anxiously took out her phone and called an ambulance.

At this moment, Rod walked up to me and said, “You don't want the news of your infertility to spread, do you? The Dudley Family has such a big business, they must have some face.

“My mother is doing this for our own good. Besides, we'll be a family from now on, so it doesn't matter who has the money, right?

“As long as you agree to my conditions, I will get the marriage certificate with you immediately.”

Seeing my father in imminent danger, I could no longer suppress the anger in my heart.

I slapped Rod hard in the face and shouted, “Don't flatter yourself! I’m telling you, I won't get married.

“You can have a baby with whomever you want, just give birth to a son to inherit your family's pots and pans.”

Rod got angry after being beaten. He raised his hand to take revenge on me.

But when he caught a glimpse of the property certificate on the table, his expression instantly calmed down.

“Think about it yourself. Who else would want a hen that can't lay eggs except me?” he mocked me in a cold tone.

I sneered on the spot, “Rod, don't you understand what I'm saying? I'm saying, let’s break up, I don't want to get married.

“Get lost! I don't want to see you again.”

Rod was about to speak when his mother grabbed his arm and spat hard in my face, “Son, don't talk too much to her. She is born with a disability and won't be able to get married. There will be many times when she kneels down to beg you.

“Isn't it just a couple of lousy coins? Her family doesn't even have a son, who will the money go to after they die?

“It's already a great honor for our family to accept a disabled person. Just wait and see. Once the news of this bitch's infertility spreads, she will come back to beg you in two days.”