When Anthony’s sister got married, they demanded 288,000 dollars.

I had told my parents we would only ask for a symbolic 88,000.

How foolish I had been, lowering my own worth so easily. Looking back now, I feel that my willingness to compromise felt nothing short of pathetic.

***

On Monday, Anthony returned.

He looked exhausted, his face drawn with guilt.

I acted as if I knew nothing.

That day, I had overheard him arguing with his parents. He had fought back—maybe not enough, but at least he had tried.

Perhaps a part of him still cared.

So, I decided to give him a chance. A chance to prove himself. A chance to fight for me… and for himself.

I set the table, filling two tall glasses with red wine.

Anthony adjusted his glasses, looking hesitant. Guilt flickered in his eyes.

"Aurelia, I’m sorry… I’ve been busy lately and didn’t prepare a gift."

Today marked our sixth anniversary.

Every year, he gave me something, no matter how small, that he always remembered.

Maybe this time, the wedding had preoccupied him.

I pulled out a chair and gestured for him to sit.

"It’s okay. You know I’m not the type to care about gifts. What matters to me is sincerity…"

His face shifted as if something had just occurred to him.

For a brief moment, excitement flashed in his eyes.

I ate slowly, taking unhurried bites and sipping my wine, letting the silence stretch before casually steering the conversation.

"How’s the wedding discussion with your parents going?"

His chewing stopped. For a fleeting second, his expression stiffened before he forced a smile.

"It’s almost settled."

My voice turned colder, my grip tightening around the stem of my glass.

"What about the banquet? The betrothal money? Have they been decided?"

He gave a small nod.

"Yeah."

A bitter sting crept up my nose and I tilted my head back, draining my glass in one go.

My heart clenched, my thoughts tangled into knots I couldn’t unravel.

Was he truly just obeying his parents?

Or was he planning to stall, waiting until I was too far along, until I had no escape, before taking me in?

I looked at the man I had loved for six years, yet, in that moment, he felt like a stranger.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t know what I wanted.

I majored in fashion design.

Back in college, I had already sketched, sewn and perfected a wedding dress meant only for me.

And I had told him, so many times, I wanted to marry him in the dress I had created.

And now… was he truly going to stand by and let his parents scheme while shattering my dream with his own hands?

Doubt gnawed at me, creeping into every corner of my mind, unraveling the last threads of trust I had left.

After that night, I packed my things and moved back to my mom’s place.

Life carried on. I went to work every day, stuck to my routine, never missing a beat.

After all, I wasn’t the one who should be panicking.

And sure enough…

A week passed before someone finally cracked.

Just before the end of my shift, my phone buzzed with a string of messages.

[Aurelia, I’ll pick you up after work. My mom made all your favorite dishes.]

Anthony rarely took me home unless it was for something important.

This time, it was clear he hadn’t come up with this on his own.

After a moment of thought, I typed a single word in reply.

[Okay.]

One way or another, I deserved an explanation.

The doorbell rang, and in an instant, Anthony’s mom was at the door, rushing forward with a radiant smile.

"Aurelia! You’ve finally arrived! I’ve missed you so much!"

I forced a smile, my face carefully blank.

"Auntie, I’m sorry. With the wedding coming up soon, I’ve been spending more time with my mom."

Her face lit up and she seized my hand, patting it reassuringly.

"Don’t worry, dear. Once you’re married, I’ll make sure Anthony takes you back to visit often."

She spoke cheerfully, but her eyes kept drifting, almost as if searching for something lingering on my stomach.

As she led me to the table, I noticed Amelia, Anthony’s sister, sitting there.

She gave me a stiff nod, her face like stone.

It was clear she wasn’t in the best of moods.

Anthony thoughtfully pulled out a chair for me and the whole family echoed in unison, urging me to sit carefully, as though even sitting down could harm me.

I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.

Pregnancy, what a powerful weapon it had become.

I had barely taken a few bites when Zora, Anthony’s mother, got straight to the point, her smile stretching wide as she placed a piece of meat in my bowl.

"Aurelia, now that you're pregnant, it won’t be long before the baby arrives. You and Anthony should hurry up and get your marriage certificate. Otherwise, things will get messy when it’s time to register the child."

I forced a smile, keeping my voice calm.

"Auntie, there’s still plenty of time. We haven’t even had the wedding yet."

For a split second, Zora’s smile faltered, her eyes flashing with something complicated.

She put down her spoon and fork and turned to Anthony with a dramatic scowl.

"I told you to mention this to Aurelia and you still haven’t?"

Anthony fumbled, unable to get a single word out.

Then, Zora turned back to me, her expression all business.

"Aurelia here’s what we were thinking. Weddings are expensive, so we figured we could skip it and save the money for when the baby arrives."

I feigned surprise, widening my eyes as I looked at everyone.

"No wedding? But I’ve already designed my wedding dress."

Anthony looked troubled, his lips sealed in silence.

I turned to Zora, my voice steady.

"Auntie, you might not know this, but in my family, there’s a tradition: we can’t get a marriage certificate without holding a wedding banquet first."

Zora froze for a moment, her face twisting with surprise before she let out a couple of awkward laughs.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her tone a little too casual.

"I see… Well, it’s up to you two. If you want a wedding, then have one. But as for the betrothal money, let’s just skip it. When the baby’s born, I’ll spend that money on the child anyway. No matter how you look at it, it’s still going to be for your family."

What a clever scheme. It was so smooth and subtle.

I feigned surprise, coughing as if I had choked, quickly waving my hands in mock panic.

"Auntie… That’s not how traditions work. The betrothal money goes to my parents, not to me and certainly not to my child."

Zora’s face darkened in an instant.

I couldn’t help but feel a flash of amusement. I pressed on, my voice steady but pointed.

"Isn’t it the same in your family? I heard from Anthony that when Amelia got married, her betrothal gift of 288,000 dollars went straight to you."

The room froze.

A heavy silence fell over the table and the shock was written all over their faces.

Satisfaction curled in my chest. I was no pushover.

If you treated me well, I’d repay it tenfold. But if you tried to take advantage of me? Well, don’t expect mercy.

Finally, Oliver, Anthony’s father, who had been sitting at the head of the table, spoke. His voice was sharp, his gaze cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Then tell me, how much betrothal money do you want?"

I lowered my spoon and fork with a calm expression and spoke without hesitation.

"Not much. Just 88,000 dollars, the same last digits as Amelia’s."

Zora’s eyes went wide in surprise. She shot up from her seat, fury spreading across her face.

"That’s not much? Are you trying to bleed us dry? You can have 8,800 dollars, but 88,000? Absolutely not!"

She snapped her head away, her gaze fixed stubbornly elsewhere, unwilling to meet my eyes.

Amelia, who had been tightly wound the entire evening, finally reacted. She shot me a cold glare, her voice dripping with reproach.

"Aurelia, what’s this nonsense? Is this how you speak to your elders?"

I stood, about to fire back, but Anthony’s hand caught mine, halting me.

He shook his head, silently urging me to stay silent and not escalate things with his sister.

At that moment, I froze, realizing that what was right and wrong was as clear as day.

But him… six years of my youth, wasted without a second thought!

I jerked my hand away, my words sharp and full of frost.

"What do I want? Isn’t it me who should be asking that?"

"Isn’t it the norm to discuss dowries and wedding banquets before marriage?"

"You want a wedding but refuse to spend a cent. Tell me, where in the world does such a good deal even exist?"

I raised an eyebrow, my lips curling into a wry smile. "How about I cover the dowry and Anthony marries into my family instead? The child can even carry my surname."

Zora’s fury was palpable. Her hands shook as she pointed at me, her face flushed with anger, her teeth grinding together.

"You're out of your mind! Making demands like that, where do you expect us to find that kind of money? You’re just making life difficult for us old folks!"

Oliver’s palm slammed against the table with enough force to rattle the dishes.

His expression was dark, his voice cutting through the tension in the room.

"I’ve never seen anyone so desperate for money. Are you marrying or selling yourself?"

"Sell me?" I scoffed, the words dripping with contempt.

"Wanting a dowry means I’m selling myself?" I let out a laugh, bitter and cold. "Then your daughter must have fetched a pretty penny, hasn’t she?"

“So your daughter is a prized gem, but I’m just some worthless object?”

“You used to say you treated me like your own daughter. What a farce. What a disgusting joke.”

Amelia shot to her feet, her body trembling as though I’d struck her with a slap. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but all they held was fury as she glared at me, her hatred cutting deep.

"Aurelia, not only are you rude and disrespectful, but as a woman, your heart is as vicious as they come. And to think my brother treated you with nothing but devotion. What a waste; you two should just break up!"

I shook my head, my exasperation boiling over.

Never had I witnessed anyone play the victim so shamelessly. How dare she, a woman herself, stand there and say that?

I pushed my bowl aside, rising from my seat, my resolve unshaken.

"And what about my perspective?" I shot back.

"It was perfectly fine for you to demand 288,000, but when I ask for a mere 88,000, I’m suddenly greedy? Who’s the real one with the insatiable appetite here?"

"My family’s not struggling. We don’t rely on dowry money to put food on the table. All I wanted was a little respect, nothing more."

We stood there, glaring at each other, neither of us willing to back down.

Zora’s face twisted with fury, her lips pulling back into a snarl as she rushed to shield Amelia, her stance protective.

"What kind of woman are you?" she spat, her voice dripping with disdain.

"And what kind of woman is my Amelia? My Amelia is pure, proper, a true lady. You? You’re already carrying someone else’s child.”

“Who else would even consider you? Anthony choosing you is your good fortune and still, you demand a wedding and dowry? Take a long, hard look at yourself."

She glared at me like I was something beneath her, her words cutting deep.

After all this time, the truth slipped from their lips at last.

So, to them, a woman was nothing once she bore a child?

And they thought they could use the baby to twist my arm?

I let my eyes sweep over the room, a cold laugh escaping my lips, its chill biting through the air.

"What a pity…"

Zora scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain.

"What’s so pitiful? Married life is the same for everyone in the end."

"No…" I interrupted sharply.

"The pity is yours. Your little fantasy has crumbled to dust."

Confusion spread across the room. They didn’t understand.

Zora’s fury was unmistakable. Her forehead bulged with veins as she jabbed a trembling finger at me.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself!" she barked, her voice seething with venom.

I ignored her, turning my gaze to Anthony instead.

"I was never pregnant."

My voice was soft, but it echoed like a thunderclap in the silence.

"You're lying to me, aren’t you?" Anthony’s voice cracked with disbelief. His hands seized my shoulders, shaking me with desperation.

Zora darted forward, yanking him away with a vicious tug.

"Don’t touch her stomach!"

Then, her tone turning venomous, she said, "You fool. No wonder you were so easily fooled."

“She was simply weaving a lie, hoping for the bride price and a grand wedding.”

Anthony seemed to hear none of it, his expression hollow like his soul had been sucked into an abyss.

The shattering sound of porcelain broke the heavy silence.

Amelia leaped from her seat, fury blazing in her eyes. At last, the emotions she’d been bottling up exploded.

"Enough, Aurelia! What do you want from us? Will you only be satisfied when our entire family is in ruins? You’re a harbinger of disaster!"

My mind went still, the air buzzing with noise.

My eyes drifted to the broken pieces of porcelain scattered on the floor and suddenly, memories rushed back to me, the first time I had met the Hector Family.

They had been nothing but kind, careful with me as if I were some priceless treasures. They had filled my bowl with the finest food, making sure I never lacked anything.

But people were experts at hiding their true selves, weren’t they?

A chill swept over me and all I wanted now was to escape this place.

I slammed the medical report down onto the table, each word escaping my lips with cold precision.

"From now on, I want nothing to do with your family."

The shock on their faces was palpable, their eyes glued to the report, especially to the glaring words: "Not pregnant."

I couldn’t help but chuckle, the mockery slipping easily from my lips.

"Surprised?"

"If that’s not enough of a shock, let me add one more little secret for you."