My sister-in-law knocked down the wall between the two largest rooms in my house, transforming them into her own private bedroom.

The second-largest room, which has an attached bathroom, was given to my in-laws. As for my husband and me? We were left with the smallest room that was barely big enough to fit a bed.

I was upset and tried to reason with them.

But my father-in-law immediately took his daughter's side.

"Are you getting married or not?"

"If you don't want the baby in your belly, then go get an abortion. We're not short on grandchildren, so don't think you can use the child to threaten me."

I turned to leave, but not to the hospital.

Later, they came to my neat house again and begged me to go back.

——

Aeson Curry and I had been dating for five years. We registered our marriage last month and planned to hold the wedding during the National Day holiday.

On the eve of the wedding, my husband took me back to his hometown.

That was the first time I saw the house we'd be living in after marriage.

It was a spacious two-story villa.

Aeson led me upstairs to drop off our luggage.

But once we got up there, we both froze.

The largest bedroom was filled with my sister-in-law's belongings. Clearly, she was living there.

The other second bedroom, which had a toilet, was occupied by my in-laws.

This meant the only room left for us was the smallest one and it didn't even have a toilet.

I wasn't happy about it.

Aeson didn't look too pleased either.

He immediately went downstairs.

"Hela, why are you staying in the master bedroom? And wasn't this originally a four-bedroom house? You even knocked down two rooms to make one big space just for yourself."

His sister casually blew on her painted nails, then looked at me provocatively.

"So what? Can't I stay in the master bedroom after I get married?"

"Of course you can't."

Aeson snapped.

"What kind of married woman comes back to her parents' home and takes the master bedroom? Your husband isn't living here. You're hogging the master bedroom in both your in-laws' and your own parents' houses. How does that make sense?"

Hela suddenly jumped up. Her bright red nails pointed at my husband, but her words were aimed at me.

"You petty, small-minded people! This is my parents' house too. How dare you complain about which room I stay in? This is outrageous!"

She then turned to Hector.

"Dad, be fair. Tell me, can't I come stay at my own family home?"

The older man took a slow drag from his cigarette before delivering his verdict.

"Of course you can, dear. Stay wherever you like. You don't need anyone's permission."

Aeson was clearly upset. He felt I was being wronged.

Even Maia hesitated, quietly agreeing that the arrangement wasn't quite right.

"Well, you two can take our room with the bathroom. Your father and I will move out."

Hector agreed, but Hela immediately bristled.

"Why should they? You're just letting them push you into the smaller room the second they come back? Who do they think they are?"

This time, not only Aeson but I was also furious.

Seeing my face turn dark, my husband quickly pulled me into the room.

"Think about the baby, don't get upset. I'll handle everything."

He went back out and had a heated argument with his sister.

Hela burst into fake tears, dramatically packing her things as if she were about to leave.

"Now I get it. A married daughter is like spilled water and this home is no longer mine to return to. Dad, Mom, I'm leaving. I won't ever come back."

Maia's eyes welled up.

"Oh, my poor daughter. You've suffered so much. It's your brother's fault for marrying such an unreasonable woman."

Hector slammed the table.

"Whoever wants to kick my daughter out, I'll kick them out first!"

If I continued to stay without any self-awareness after everything that had been said, I would come to loathe myself.

I pulled open the door and looked at Hela, who was still feigning her departure.

"You don't need to go, Hela. This will always be your home. I'll be the one who doesn't come back."

"Whether it's the main room or the smaller one, you can knock down all the walls if you want, no problem at all!"

I turned and walked out without another word. Aeson immediately grabbed our luggage and followed.

But then, my mother-in-law yanked me back.

"Iris, what do you mean by this? The wedding's just days away. Are you trying to make a scene?"

What a joke. I'm the one making a scene, she said?

This was my wedding and yet I wasn't even given the main bedroom, not even a room with its own bathroom. Now, that woman had the nerve to say I was the unreasonable one?

My father-in-law wasn't any better. He slammed the table angrily again.

"If you two walk out of this house today, don't ever come back. Don't just put on a show!"

Hela kept adding fuel to the fire.

"Yeah, I want to see if she really dares to leave. Iris, with your family's background, you're lucky to marry into ours. You should be grateful. What are you acting so high and mighty for?"

She wasn't wrong. Their family was wealthy. This was just their old house; they owned several properties in the city. But every single one was under my in-laws' names.

Not a single apartment belonged to either my husband or me. They acted as if I were a gold digger, guarding their assets as if I were a thief.

I didn't want to get tangled up with them. I was pregnant and getting angry wasn't an option.

Aeson understood how I felt, so he led me away quickly.

Behind us, I heard the sound of Hector smashing a cup.

"Get out, all of you! I'm canceling the wedding and don't you dare come back begging me later!"

I wouldn't beg. Not him, not anyone.

It was already late, so my husband found a nearby hotel for us to stay the night.

His eyes were red as he held me tightly in his arms.

"I always knew they favored my sister, but I never thought they'd treat my wedding like this."

"I'm sorry, babe. I've made you suffer."

I comforted him gently.

"It doesn't matter, as long as I have you. This wedding isn't a must-have for me."

He thought for a while, but still felt that he couldn't get over it.

Other families celebrate their sons' weddings joyfully, giving their best, but what about his parents?

He picked up his phone, holding onto a last shred of hope and told his mother I was pregnant.

It really didn't take long for my in-laws to show up. And to my surprise, Hela came with her son as well.

Maia peered at my belly.

While Hela scoffed with her nose in the air.

"Hmph, so what if you're pregnant? Every woman gets pregnant. My son was born years ago, tsk … "

Aeson couldn't take her attitude.

"Did I ask you to come?"

That set her off and she immediately squared up for a fight.

"Aeson, why are you talking like this now? This is all that Iris's doing, isn't it? I knew it, she's ruined you."

"You used to be so obedient, never daring to talk back to me. If I asked for money, you gave it. If I wanted something bought, you'd rush to get it."

"Now, why can't you stand the sight of me? You even scolded me for staying in the master bedroom."

I couldn't hold back anymore. This sister-in-law was always so sarcastic.

"Aeson is my husband. If he's not helping me, who else would he help? You?"

"You see, Mom, Dad? I told you, when it comes to choosing a wife, you need someone decent. Iris was never the right choice."

"I've said it before. My husband's younger cousin would've been perfect for Aeson. She's beautiful, sweet and most importantly, she gets along with me! But nooo, you just guys wouldn't listen!"

"You guys … "

Hela was about to launch into another rant when my husband cut her off coldly.

"Mom, Dad. Iris is pregnant. Just over a month. We just found out."

Maia was delighted, nodding with a wide grin.

"Oh, wonderful, wonderful! What a double blessing!"

Hector was just as pleased.

But the troublemaker sister-in-law sneered.

"Oh, so you're pregnant and suddenly think you deserve the master bedroom? Think you can kick me out now?"

"Let me tell you, just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you get to take over this house!"

"My son is the eldest grandson in this family. Don't think you can use your baby to scheme your way into anything."

I really couldn't stand her arrogant attitude.

"Hela, I only told everyone that I'm pregnant. I haven't said a single word about anything else. You've already created a whole drama in your head, haven't you?"

"Don't you think you're overthinking things?"

Her face flushed red, then quickly darkened.

"Fine. You're pregnant, so what do you want? A house? A car? Or just money?"

Hela's words were dripping with sarcasm. I was about to fire back when Aeson stepped in front of me.

He looked directly at his sister and said, word by word.

"You asked what I want, right? I want you to get out of the master bedroom. Take your son and go back to your own home."

His sister shrieked.

"Mom and Dad, see? I told you! I told you they can't stand me staying with my own family! Why should he get to live here just because he's the son? I'm your daughter, too. Why can't I stay?"

Before my in-laws could speak, my husband continued to confront her.

"Because you're a troublemaker. If you live here, our family will never have peace."

Oh dear, she was now truly on the verge of losing it. How could she recover after being openly cursed at by my husband like that?

Hela raised her hand and slapped Aeson across the face.

"Aeson, you've really been bewitched by Iris! You don't even care about your family or your sister anymore!"

My heart ached for him. I gently caressed his face.

"Hela, how dare you slap him? Ever since you were kids, you've received all the family's favoritism. But ask yourself, has Aeson ever been cared for like you have?"

I knew what kind of life my husband had lived all these years.

In most families, sons and daughters are treated equally. But my in-laws? They coddled their daughter like a precious jewel in their palms, while treating their son like a worthless pebble on the ground.

Something to be kicked or stepped on whenever they please.

When Aeson told me that before, I didn't believe it.

What kind of family treats their son like that? But now, seeing it with my own eyes, I was genuinely stunned.

My in-laws' faces fell when they heard what I said.

"Iris, what are you talking about? When have we ever treated Aeson badly? You don't know anything, just spouting nonsense."

My husband, who had just been slapped by his sister, was furious, his eyes reddening as he raised his voice.

"Was she really talking nonsense? Mom, Dad, ask yourselves honestly. After all these years, how have you treated me compared to Hela?"

"If word got out, people would think I was adopted, not your real son!"

Slap!

Hector slapped Aeson again.

"What kind of rubbish are you spouting? Your sister's a girl, what's wrong with us treating her a little better?"

"You're a grown man, yet you're jealous of your own sister! So what if we bought her a few properties and not you?"

"All you care about is our money. No wonder you'll never amount to anything. Your sister's right, this Iris has poisoned your mind, turning you against your own family!"

"If you had any self-respect, you would never try to come back to this house."

Hector paused to catch his breath, then glared at me.

"Let me be clear. If you want to marry into my family and be our daughter-in-law, you must listen to my daughter."

"We're not one of those families that favor boys over girls. In our house, the daughters come first. And if she wants not just the master bedroom, but the whole house, I'll give it all to her."

Hela held her nose up in the air like a queen, while my husband looked at them with nothing but utter disappointment.

Finally, I asked one last question.

"Then where will our child live?"

When I visited earlier today, I noticed the only spare room had already been taken by Hela's son.

My sister-in-law gave me a contemptuous glance.

"If you can't even prepare a place for your own child, what's the point of having one?"

"Why don't you go back to your mother's place and have her get it for you? But looking at you, so desperate to get your hands on other people's stuff, I'm guessing your whole family's broke too."

"Iris, if you can't afford to raise the child, then just don't have it. Don't go thinking you can rely on my parents."

"They owe you nothing."

I smiled. No, they didn't owe me anything and I never asked for it.

"Uncle, Auntie. Is that how you feel, too?"

Hector barked back.

"Yes! Don't threaten me with a child. We already have a grandson. I'm not falling for your tricks of threatening not to have a baby."

"Get out. That kind of nonsense won't fly here."

Alright, since things had come to this point, I just went ahead and kicked them out.

"Remember what you said today. Don't come crying to me later."

Hela stretched her neck out, still trying to provoke me.

"Iris, you'd better behave yourself and know your place. If you do, there's still a spot for you in this family. Otherwise, hmph … "

Otherwise, my ass. I raised my hand and slapped my sister-in-law right across the face.

"Hela, shut your filthy mouth. Don't think everyone sees you as some kind of treasure. You're trash."

Whoa. That did it. All four people across from me were about to lose it. Hela had never been hit before in her life.

She charged at me to hit me back.

But my husband kicked her in the stomach.

"If any of you lay a hand on my wife again, don't blame me for turning my back on this family."

Hela started shrieking, Maia burst into tears and the older man was shaking with rage.

"Fine then, Aeson! Iris! Since you dared to hit our daughter, know this—nothing in this house has anything to do with you."

"Every house, every last cent, it's all going to Hela. You two? Don't even dream about it."

God, this was hilarious. Every single one of them kept bringing up money and property.

Like, I married into this family just for their damn houses.

I grabbed a nearby trash can and threw it at them.

"Get out!"

Finally, there was a bit of peace and quiet.

Aeson looked heartbroken. No matter what, they were still his parents and sister.

I comforted him.

"Don't worry. It won't be long before they come crawling back, begging for our help."