While we were getting ready for the wedding, my mom suddenly changed her mind and asked for a dowry. Upset, my fiancée, Jeane Lambert, ended up marrying my cousin instead.

I was feeling embarrassed after being dumped. That was when Clara Martin, my childhood friend, unexpectedly appeared.

She agreed to marry me, and to my surprise, my mom dropped the dowry request so the wedding went ahead smoothly.

Three years later, my cousin and Jeane topped the local wealth rankings.

Meanwhile, I had become a stay-at-home husband.

During the Thanksgiving, everyone came over to my mom's house for dinner. That's when I overheard a conversation between her and Clara.

"Mom, you really are smart! Coming up with the idea to add a dowry so the Lamberts would call off the engagement. That way, Victor could marry the one he loves. But ... if Arthur ever finds out you set him up to marry me for Victor's sake, do you think he'll be able to forgive you?"

——

I had just gotten back from the market with some groceries. Before I even stepped inside, I heard them talking in the courtyard.

Mom was casually snacking on sunflower seeds as she answered without a hint of guilt,

"I'm his mother. I gave birth to him and raised him. What couldn't he forgive me for? Even if I made sure he never got married in his entire life, he still wouldn't dare say a thing."

"It's really unfortunate for you. You clearly loved Victor too, but for his happiness, you agreed to marry Arthur."

My wife, Clara, let out a sigh.

"For Victor's lifelong happiness, sacrificing my own marriage was worth it. He's so sincere and kind, I couldn't bear to see him suffer."

"If he can marry the one he loves, join a wealthy family and live without worries, then my wish will have come true."

My mom gently patted Clara's shoulder.

"Now you have your own happiness. Victor and Jeane have a son who's handsome and adorable. With such good genes, the Lamberts gave him a reward of ten million. They even hired three nannies to take care of him. He's destined to live a life of wealth and ease."

Clara smiled contentedly.

"Yeah, just look at how happy he was just now. Even though Jeane was busy today, she even personally brought both him and Nathan over. It proves that the choice we made back then was the right one."

My heart ached so much I could barely stand. So that was the truth.

My mom cared more for my cousin than she ever did for me and even my wife's heart belonged to him.

So, what am I, really? A complete fool?

They're the ones I love the most … but I was never the one they stood by.

Suddenly, my daughter who had been sleeping on my back woke up and started crying loudly.

I had gone grocery shopping alone, carrying my little girl who's just over a year old. Sometimes, I still felt sorry for my mom … she's been managing everything on her own for so many years. I didn't want to leave all the work to her, but she clearly cared even more about other people's kids.

"You're back? Did you get Victor's favorite crab?"

"And the yogurt that Nathan likes?"

My mom and Clara peeked in to ask, but no one took the bags from my hands.

I brought the groceries into the kitchen, quickly put my daughter down and made her some formula milk first.

Meanwhile, my mom and Clara went back to the living room to entertain Victor's son. The three adults were happily playing with the little boy.

I pressed my hand to my chest. I'd only just come out of surgery. I was still recovering, yet I had to take care of my daughter by myself and cook for everyone.

A lump formed in my throat. I always knew my mom favored my cousin, but I never realized it was this obvious.

Clara noticed I was busy and said nonchalantly,

"Arthur, don't worry. Take your time. It's okay if dinner is a little late."

My mom smiled warmly and said,

"See? Clara really cares about you. You picked the right wife."

Is this what caring looks like? Just words with no real actions behind them.

After finishing her milk, my daughter started crying, wanting to be held.

"Be good and go find mommy. Daddy still has to cook."

But she wouldn't let go, clinging to my leg and crying. She and Clara weren't close … Clara barely spent time with her.

My mom frowned, clearly annoyed.

"Clara isn't feeling well. Don't let her get tired, just carry the baby yourself!"

Really? I saw Clara holding Victor's son, playing with him using a new toy she just bought. She hadn't looked sick at all.

If she could just give my daughter half the attention, my daughter wouldn't be so distant from her.

With no other choice, I strapped her to my back and started cooking.

My lower back has been aching a lot lately. Ever since the surgery, I've felt even more drained.

And now, emotionally, I feel even worse. No one in this family truly understands, protects, or cares for me.

As I was washing vegetables, I fought back tears.

Was this really how my life was going to be?

I'm only 28 … Am I supposed to endure this for another 50 or 60 years?

It just felt so unfair.

While I was still busy, my daughter suddenly started crying again. She's just a little over a year old, of course she didn't want to be strapped to my back.

With no other choice, I carried her into the room, hoping to calm her down and help her get to sleep.

She slowly settled down in my arms.

At that moment, I remembered my own childhood. Only my dad ever tried to comfort me. My mom was always off at my uncle's house, visiting Victor.

Victor was really good-looking; he looked like a little prince. Arthur, on the other hand, was always messy and untidy.

Why was I messy? It's because I never got any nice new clothes to wear.

Victor and I are the same age, but whenever my mom buys new clothes, she always gives them to Victor first. Only after he'd worn them out or lost interest did she pass them on to me.

So, my clothes never fit properly and by the time I got them, I had already grown a bit taller.

But my mom just criticized me for looking ugly and not having any charm.

Even though my grades were better than Victor's, I never get any praise from her.

She said boys should be judged by how much money they make, good grades didn't really matter.

Later, when I started dating, I brought Jeane home and the first thing my mom did was call Victor over to see.

I knew Victor had tried to ask Jeane out a few times, but she never agreed.

I told my mom about it, but she just said I was being petty.

"Victor likes Jeane, just let him be with her," she said.

I couldn't believe what she said. For the first time, I didn't listen to her and insisted on marrying Jeane.

But on the wedding day, my mom still got her way.

She suddenly demanded a bigger dowry. Jeane could afford it since her family was wealthy, but she could tell my mom was greedy. Not wanting to be taken advantage of, she angrily walked away.

I begged her to stay, but it didn't work.

The invitations were already sent and the banquet was set. Then Victor stepped in, refused the dowry and even offered a higher bride price. Just like that, he took Jeane away.

In the end, it was all part of my mom's plan.

My mom's phone was charging when a message suddenly came in from my uncle.

"Sis, Victor is coming over to be with you. Thanks for taking care of him."

I felt a little tearful, that was what a parent's love for their child really looked like.

But every time I visit my aunt's house, my mom always tells me, "Keep your eyes open, don't just sit around. Take good care of them and don't embarrass me."

I remembered my mom's social media posts, she only ever posted about Victor.

"Victor is already 18 and has been accepted to college! I’m very proud of him. He will get a MacBook as a reward!"

I got into college too, but my mom didn't say a word. I was the only one in the whole dorm without a computer. So later, I worked part-time and saved up to buy my very first computer myself.

"Victor is 22 years old and just finished college! His future looks bright. I’m going to give him $3,000 as a reward!"

By my senior year, I had already secured an internship. My mom said since I was earning now, she wouldn't give me any more living expenses.

After that, Victor got married to Jeane.

My mom still posted on social media.

"Victor is 25 years old now. Finally, the lovers are together! They are really a perfect match!"

But when I married Clara, my mom said she wasn't feeling well and didn't show up.

Looking back, it felt like Victor was really her son and I meant nothing to her.

The more I thought about it, the sadder I got. Tears started to fall.

The kitchen went quiet; they finally realized no one was cooking.

My mom rushed into the bedroom looking for me and saw me trying to calm my daughter.

"Hurry up and start cooking! Do you realize what time it is? Do you want Victor and the others to be hungry?"

I whispered, "Shh," since I had just gotten my daughter to sleep and didn't want her to wake up.

"Shh? What's that supposed to mean? She's not some precious princess, I can't even talk?"

My mom intentionally raised her voice.

Startled by the sudden loud voice, my daughter woke up crying again.

I couldn't hold my frustration any longer.

"Mom, this is your house. If I'm busy, go cook for yourself!"

Her eyes widened and she slapped me.

"You've really turned against me! How dare you boss your own mother around?"

"Everyone knows you're the best cook, we're all relying on you!"

"Put the child down quickly and go start cooking!"

I kept trying to calm my daughter, but she wouldn't stop crying. My mom wanted to hold her, but my daughter clung tightly to my neck and refused to let go.

Honestly, my mom isn't gentle with her. Whenever she just puts her down on the floor and when my daughter gets bumps or scrapes, my mom doesn't seem to care.

There was no other option, so Clara came in.

"Honey, give me the baby. You should hurry up and start cooking. Victor just said he's hungry."

My mom got worried as soon as she heard that and felt really sorry for him.

"That won't work. He's so fragile. If he stays hungry any longer, it'll be bad for him."

"Let's give him some snacks to hold him over. I'll go get some now."

I handed my daughter to Clara. Even though she didn't want to let go, there was nothing I could do.

When I stepped into the kitchen, the cooking smell made me feel uneasy and I started coughing.

It's been less than two months since my lung surgery. The doctor told me to stay away from the kitchen and avoid dust exposure so I could heal properly. But today, resting was simply not an option.

When my mom saw me covering my mouth and staying still, she got annoyed and tapped my head.

"What's wrong with you? Are you doing this on purpose?"

"You barely come home all year and now you're acting like doing some chores is too difficult?"

I covered my mouth, feeling bad and quietly explained,

"My lungs aren't healed yet. I'm still feeling weak."

My mom's eyes widened.

"So what? When I was sick, didn't I keep working anyway?"

I couldn't hold back and replied,

"So, just because you suffered, I'm expected to suffer too?"

"If you hadn't married a rich man, don't expect me to have an easy life."

"When you were sick, grandma didn't help you then. So now you want me to go through the same hardships you did, just to satisfy yourself?"

My mom flew into a rage and slapped me repeatedly. I ended up falling to the ground.