The first time I visited my boyfriend's house, I came prepared with generous gifts to make a good impression.

What I didn’t expect was to walk straight into a funeral.

As soon as I stepped through the door, Ivan's mother shoved a set of mourning clothes into my arms.

“The old man passed away last night,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’ll kneel here for the next three days to keep vigil. Consider it doing your part as a filial future daughter-in-law.”

Before I could even react, she stuffed a bill into my hand.

“The funeral costs totaled three hundred thousand dollars. We’re not unreasonable people—just pay two hundred thousand, and we’ll call it even.”

Stunned, I stared at her. “Auntie, Ivan and I are just dating. This isn’t something I should be responsible for.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she spat sharply, “What do you mean shouldn’t? My son is a high-level executive with a bright future—you should feel lucky he even chose you.”

“If you won’t show some basic respect and filial piety now, how do you expect to serve us after marriage?”

“I’m telling you, if you want to marry into this family, this is the bare minimum.”

I was speechless.

Your son works for me. That ‘executive position’ was something I promoted him into.

Where did you get the confidence to talk to me like this?

——

Considering she was Ivan's mother, for his sake, I swallowed my irritation.

“Auntie,” I said as calmly as I could, “I haven’t even officially joined your family. I won’t wear these mourning clothes, and I won’t kneel. As for the two hundred thousand? That has absolutely nothing to do with me.”

Her face immediately darkened. “You think this has nothing to do with you? The old man died last night—right before your visit. Maybe you’re the one who cursed him!”

“You should be grateful I’m not asking you to pay the full three hundred thousand!”

I actually laughed out of disbelief. How was this being pinned on me?

The commotion drew the attention of the relatives in the mourning hall.

They gathered around, pointing fingers and whispering.

“Who is this woman? So arrogant.”

“No respect for the dead. Where are her manners?”

“Why would Ivan bring home someone like that?”

I turned to Ivan, expecting him to defend me. After all, I was his girlfriend, and this was his family.

Sure enough, he walked over and stood in front of me protectively.

“Everyone calm down,” he said. “This is Ashley’s first visit—she’s not familiar with our customs. I’ll explain things to her.”

Then he pulled me into a corner.

I glared at him. “What did you mean just now?”

He held my hand and whispered, “Ashley, Grandpa just passed. My mom’s not in a good place emotionally. Just do what she asks—for my sake, please?”

I stared at him in disbelief. “Ivan, say that again?”

His face clouded with frustration.

“Just kneel, alright? You’re my girlfriend—you should understand how our family works.”

“And come on, you’re not short on money. Your company’s doing great. What’s two hundred thousand to you? Give it to my mom so she can save face in front of the relatives.”

So in his eyes, I was nothing more than a convenient ATM.

I let out a cold laugh and intoned coldly, “No. I refuse.”

His expression immediately turned gloomy. “Ashley, don’t be so ungrateful. Just do what I said.”

Looking at the man in front of me, I felt a wave of disappointment. I didn’t want to stay another second.

“Ungrateful?” I sneered. “Then go find someone who isn't.”

As I turned to leave, his mother’s eyes darted—then she lunged forward and snatched my bag.

“You don’t want to give money? I’ll get it myself!”

She rummaged through my belongings and pulled out my wallet. Her eyes lit up.

“Well, well! So much cash—and bank cards too!”

“What’s the PIN? Spit it out!”

Furious, I was thundered, “What gives you the right to go through my things?!”

She smirked proudly. “I’m your future mother-in-law. I have every right to go through your stuff!”

Future mother-in-law?

Who gave her the confidence to call herself that?

I had no interest in arguing with her. All I wanted was to leave. I stepped forward, reaching for my bag.

But to my shock, Ivan’s mother suddenly threw herself to the floor with a loud thud.

“Help! She’s killing me! My son’s fiancée is beating up her mother-in-law!”

Ivan rushed over and, without warning—he slapped me across the face.

“Ashley! How dare you lay a hand on my mother?!”

A sharp, burning pain exploded on my cheek. I stood there in complete shock.

We’d been together for three years. He’d always been gentle, and attentive. I never imagined he could hit me.

His mother sat up, clutching her thigh as she cried out dramatically, stirring the crowd.

“She hasn't even married in and she’s already attacking her elders! What will she do after she joins our family?!”

Whispers turned into open judgment from the surrounding relatives.

“She’s outrageous!”

“What kind of woman is this, Ivan?”

“No respect for her elders—her upbringing must be terrible!”

A few of Ivan’s cousins pushed through the crowd and grabbed my arms.

“She doesn’t know the rules? Then we’ll teach her.”

“Yeah, we'll put her in her place!”

I struggled with all my might. “Let go of me! Who gave you the right to grab me?!”

But I was outnumbered and couldn’t break free.

They yanked off my coat and forced a rough, musty mourning robe over me.

The coarse sackcloth scratched my skin, sending stings of pain across my body.

“Ivan!” I shouted, eyes brimming with tears. “Are you really going to stand there and let them do this to me?!”

With one last shred of hope, I looked at him.

But his face remained cold and indifferent.

“Ashley,” he said flatly, “these are the rules in our Lopez family. If you want to marry me, you need to follow them.”

Then he raised his leg—and kicked the back of my knees.

A sharp cry escaped me as I collapsed, knees slamming hard against the cold ground.

Agonizing pain shot through my legs. Cold sweat broke across my forehead.

Gritting my teeth, I glared at him. “You’ll regret this.”

Ivan crouched down beside me, his voice was low and condescending in my ear.

“Regret? No, Ashley—you’re the one who’ll regret not listening.”

“Keeping vigil for my grandfather is your chance to show you're one of us. I’ve been so good to you. You should be grateful.”

“Twenty thousand dollars is nothing for you—your company makes that in a day. Why ruin our relationship over such a small amount?”

My voice trembled as I stared at him. “Ivan, we’re done. I’m breaking up with you.”

He froze for a second, then scoffed. “Ashley, I didn’t know you were into this kind of drama now.”

“Fine. Kneel here. You can get up when you come to your senses.”

Nearby, his mother triumphantly fiddled with my phone.

“Ivan, do you know her passcode? Let’s see how much money she’s got in her apps.”

“She’s got all these bank cards too—tell me her birthday and other details. I might be able to guess her password.”

I tried to stand, but a couple of the men shoved my shoulders down again.

“Stay still! Kneel properly!”

“Trying to escape? Not happening!”

The pain surged through my knees again, dull and suffocating. I shut my eyes. The last sliver of hope inside me crumbled into nothing.

I didn’t know how long I knelt—my knees had gone numb, the pain replaced by a hollow ache that crept up my spine.

When I shifted slightly to ease the stiffness, Ivan’s mother struck my shoulder with a wooden rod.

Crack!

“You’re not here to rest! Show some respect while keeping vigil!”

The stick landed right on the bone, the jolt of pain making me gasp.

I bit down hard, forcing myself to stay still. To endure.

Eventually, the night dragged on and most of the relatives began to leave. The hall quieted.

I let my body slump a little, pretending to doze off, keeping my eyelids half-lowered while I quietly scanned my surroundings.

From the side room, I heard Ivan and his mother speaking in hushed voices.

They tried to keep it low—but I heard everything.

“Son, that woman has a stubborn temper. You need to hurry up and get her pregnant. Once the rice is cooked, there’s no turning back.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve already planned everything. Right now, I’m in charge of all her company’s key projects.”

“As soon as she’s pregnant, I’ll have her stay home to ‘rest and take care of the baby.’ Once that happens, I can take over the company naturally.”

“Her parents are long gone, and she only has an older brother who’s been overseas for years. He doesn’t care about her at all.”

Ivan’s mother clapped her hands in delight. “Good, very good! But she must give birth to a son. Once there’s a boy, both she and the company will belong to our Lopez family.”

My heart sank.

So the two hundred thousand dollars wasn’t even the beginning of it. Ivan’s true goal was my company—my entire life.

The next morning, Ivan’s mother appeared in front of me carrying a bowl of thick, black liquid. The pungent smell of herbs stung my nose.

“This is our family’s secret fertility formula,” she announced proudly. “Drink it, and you’ll be guaranteed to have a son.”

The foul odor made my stomach churn.

“I’m not drinking that,” I spat in disgust.

Her face darkened, and with a subtle glance toward the relatives nearby, several people moved forward and grabbed my arms, holding me down.

Ivan approached and pinched my chin, forcing the bowl toward my lips.

“Ashley, be good and drink it. It’s for your own good.”

I struggled with all my strength and bit down on his wrist.

“Ah!” he cried out, jerking back in pain.

I seized the moment and knocked the bowl out of his hands, the dark liquid splashing across the floor.

Blood dripped from his hand, and his face twisted with rage.

“Ashley! You’ve got a death wish!”

With that, he kicked me hard in the chest, sending me sprawling onto the ground.

“Lock her up in the woodshed! Don't give her food and water!”

Several men grabbed me and dragged me toward the back of the house.

The shed was dark and cramped, piled high with clutter. A strong musty smell hung in the air.

They threw me inside and slammed the door shut.

Clack. The sound of the lock echoed in the silence.

I sat on the cold floor, pain still throbbing in my knees.

Ivan... I must’ve been blind.

Three years of love was all just part of a calculated trap.

I felt around in my pocket—my phone was gone. Of course. Ivan’s mother had taken it.

I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes and trying to conserve what little energy I had left.

Now that I thought about it, it all made sense.

Over the past few months, Ivan had started to involve himself more and more in my company. He said he wanted to “help relieve my stress.”

And like a fool, I had been touched by his thoughtfulness.

Time crawled by. My stomach growled in protest.

I hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since yesterday.

Then I heard footsteps outside the door. They stopped right at the entrance.

“Ashley. Have you thought it through?”

“As long as you listen and do what we say, we’ll let you out.”

It was Ivan’s voice.

Biting my lip, I stayed silent.

“No answer? Fine, then keep rotting inside there.”

His footsteps faded into the distance.

Obviously, they had no intention of letting me go. If I wanted out, I’d have to save myself.

I searched the room, feeling along the cluttered corners of the shed until my fingers brushed against something sharp.

A broken piece of stone.

It sliced my fingers open more than once—tiny droplets of blood marked the floor but I didn’t care.

Using the stone shard, I pried at the frame of the small window on the wall. The wood was old and rotting.

With a crack, a part of the frame gave way.

The window was so narrow, I had to force my way through.

My body scraped against the frame—clothes tore in several places, and my skin split open, leaving bleeding scratches.

But the worst came when I landed.

I didn’t land properly—my ankle twisted hard on impact.

A sharp, searing pain shot through me, and I nearly screamed.

But I couldn’t stop now.

Limping, I gritted my teeth and dragged myself toward the edge of the village.

Finally—at the village entrance—I saw a middle-aged man getting onto an electric scooter, ready to leave.