"Jenny, please, let's keep the baby."

Brian gripped my hand, dropping to one knee, "We can get married next month, okay? Please don't go through with the abortion."

Bystanders started watching the drama unfold, and the nurse rolled her eyes, calling the next name.

I never expected Brian to make a scene like this in public.

"This guy looks pretty sincere, and he's quite the looker too. Why would she want an abortion?"

"Who knows, maybe the kid isn't his. He could just be stepping in."

...

I shot a glare at a few busybodies and yanked my hand away from Brian, heading back home.

My mom noticed my troubled expression and quickly came over, "Did something happen at school?"

I couldn't hold back anymore and hugged her, burying my face in her shoulder, and starting to cry softly.

"What's going on? Did you and Brian have a fight?"

My heart clenched. I hesitated whether to tell her everything but then she continued, "Brian's a good boy, your father and I have seen that. You've been coddled a bit too much by us, honey. Every couple has their ups and downs, sometimes you've got to learn to temper your reactions a bit."

I had to admit, that my parents saw Brian as an ideal son-in-law. He was well-educated, had integrity, and was always considerate towards me.

But who could have predicted he would change so drastically a few years down the line?

Would my mom believe me if I shared what I went through in my past life?

I nodded, "I got it, Mom. Don't worry about me and Brian."

For dinner, Mom asked Dad to pick up some of my favorite dishes.

During dinner, Dad talked about a recent fishing trip with Brian, laughing, "I thought the younger generation lacked patience, but Brian really surprised me with his calm."

Brian had certainly put in the effort to impress my parents, which was why they agreed to let me marry him while I was still studying, and they even agreed to help us out with the baby.

I grabbed my phone and rescheduled my appointment.

Early the next morning, Brian stood at the door with an armful of health supplements.

"Jenny, you—"

My mom's voice caught up from behind.

"Brian's here, come on in."

"Nice of you to drop by, but why all the goodies?"

"Mrs. Kidwall, Jenny's pregnant. I brought these to help keep her strength up."

As he spoke, my mom stopped in her tracks, stunned, and my dad, who was changing shoes at the door, also froze for a few seconds.

I shot Brian a sharp look; he was clearly trying to use my parents as mediators.

"Mr. Kidwall, Mrs. Kidwall, don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for Jenny."

"I've already called my mom, she's on her way here now."

"I know this is sudden, but since Jenny's already pregnant, we need to start thinking about the wedding sooner rather than later."

My parents exchanged a glance, remaining silent.

I knew that for them, the idea of a premarital pregnancy conflicted with the image of Brian they had in their minds.

In my past life, my parents were also worried when they found out I was pregnant, since neither Brian nor I had graduated yet; having a baby at that time really seemed imprudent. But back then, I had been brainwashed by Brian, and my parents eventually relented.

My mom looked up at me, "Jenny, what do you think?"

"Mom, I believe education should come first. We can think about these other things in a few more years."

"Jenny," Brian said, his eyes lighting up, a suave smile on his face, "Didn't you mention wanting to marry me soon? This baby could be our little miracle."

"Plus, you're in a relaxed program. Having a baby now would be much easier than trying to juggle it with a full-time job later on."

My dad was frowning, and it looked like my mom was softening up a bit.

Brian kept going, "Look, Jenny, you're already 25. Wait a few more years, and you'll be in the zone where it's tougher to bounce back after having a baby. Makes sense, right?"

Inside, I smirked; it was the same old line, now recycled for my parents.

I met Brian's gaze squarely, "So, you're talking marriage? What's the deal with the dowry? How much are we talking?"

Brian was momentarily speechless.

In the past life, he'd sweet-talked me into having the baby first, promising a dowry and a wedding later, which obviously never materialized.

This time, with my parents watching, I figured he'd want to save face and wouldn't be as direct.

"We'll sort all that out, Jenny. We need to sit down with our parents and hash out the details."

My mom, thinking I was on board, tried to smooth things over, "A bigger or smaller dowry isn't a big deal. After all, we only have one daughter, and eventually, it's going back to you as a fund for raising the child."

"I get it, Mr. and Mrs. Kidwall are practical folks, not ones to get hung up on these things."

"Jenny and I haven't even graduated yet; all this formal stuff is really just going through the motions."

I could almost predict his next move would be to suggest we table this discussion for later.

But before he could get another word out, his mom Barbara was already at the door knocking.

My mom welcomed her in, and she strode in with her disposable shoe covers, plopping down on our couch like she owned the place.

"Oh, in-laws, I heard Jenny was pregnant and I just had to come right over."

"These kids aren't getting any younger, and since the baby's on the way, we might as well get them married off quickly."

She smiled in a way that crinkled her eyes, seeming friendly on the surface, but my parents looked visibly uncomfortable.

My mom shifted uneasily, trying to detach from her grasp, "We're actually still talking it over."

"What's there to talk over?"

Barbara waved her hand dismissively, "There's a baby coming; what's there to even deliberate?"

My dad frowned deeper, "Even if they decide to get married, there are a lot of preparations to be made. It's not something we can just rush into."

Barbara's smile stiffened slightly, "The kids aren't even out of school yet, I think we should keep it simple."

"The most important thing is that the kids really care about each other; everything else is just for appearances."

My dad nodded, "That's true, but a wedding isn't something to take lightly, and we only have one daughter. We don't want to feel like we're shortchanging her."

Barbara dropped the friendly act, "I understand where you're coming from, but it hasn't been easy raising my boy and girl by myself. Thankfully, Brian's done well, he's young and already pursuing his PhD. He's got a bright future ahead, and plenty of young women are noticing him at school."

"Your Jenny is lucky; she got in early and got pregnant first."

My parents were almost amused by her reasoning. My dad retorted, "Can you really say this pregnancy was solely my daughter's decision?"

"That's debatable."

Barbara glanced at my belly, "My son's quite the catch, so it wouldn't surprise me if your daughter made the first move."

"Now that she's pregnant, my son is willing to step up and marry her. Isn't that enough?"

My dad's face turned red with anger, while Brian also looked uncomfortable.

He stepped forward and tugged at Barbara's arm, hinting that she should stop talking.

Barbara, however, continued unabated, "I've never heard of someone demanding a dowry for an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Asking for one just shows a lack of self-respect. We're already being more than generous by accepting her into our family under these circumstances."

Brian had had enough and snapped, "Mom!"

My mom squeezed my hand, her eyes full of concern for me.

Reflecting on Barbara's past behavior, her initial warmth was probably all an act, just because I had agreed to forego the dowry temporarily and was eager to rush the marriage certificate with Brian.

"You're misunderstanding me, Mrs. Pappworth," I said coldly. "I have no intention of marrying your son."

Not only Barbara was stunned by my words, but my parents were too.

Seeing the worry in my mom's eyes, I patted her hand, "Since you think I'm not good enough for your son, let's just call it off, Mrs. Pappworth. I was on my way to get an abortion yesterday, and it was actually your son who stopped me."

Barbara let out a disdainful snort, "You? Do you think our family is that desperate? My son is a PhD, he could have anyone he wants. We only extended you some courtesy because you're pregnant. Believe me, he has plenty of options!"

"Then please, make sure your son keeps his distance from now on."

I then showed them the door.

Earlier, my parents had been worried I actually wanted to marry Brian, holding back from speaking their minds.

They had no clue that his family wasn't worth the compromise.

Thanks to Barbara's outburst, I could now break up with Brian without any guilt.

I thought that would be the last of it, but Barbara escalated things by lodging a complaint against me on our college's website.

As I walked down the street, I could hear people whispering, "Isn't that the girl who the complaint was talking about?"

"Absolutely shameless, and a grad student too. Seems like she's just a 'professional student,' you know?"

"Haha, I heard she went after a PhD student, acting like some seductress out of a drama."

"Wonder who'll end up dealing with her mess."

I called Brian, "After three years together, I thought we could handle this like adults. What's with the trash you posted online?"

He hesitated, "It wasn't me, Jenny. It might have been my mom... we had an argument about your situation."

I couldn't help but laugh coldly, "Your mom's quite the social media guru, huh? Pretty skilled online."

Brian initially felt guilty but then got defensive, "What's that supposed to mean? Is that really how you see me?"

"Would any of this have happened if you hadn't picked a fight with my mom?"

I could hear Barbara's piercing voice in the background, "Is that the witch calling? I told you, she'd refuse the nice way and now she's forced to deal with the mess."

"She doesn't want to marry you? How's she going to survive in school now with her ruined reputation?"

I burst out laughing from pure frustration, "It sounds like you're more eager to have me in your family than I ever was."

"Are you spreading rumors online to try and force my hand?"

"What, can't your son find someone better without me in the picture?"

Barbara spat out her response, her tone still filled with arrogance, "With the way people see you now, no one would want you without my son."

Before I could hang up, my academic advisor called.

He launched into a lecture, insisting that I clear up the mess because it could damage the school's reputation, and that was a burden I wouldn't want to bear.

I revisited Barbara's accusations—aside from the fact I was pregnant, not a single other statement she made was true.

She had called me a manipulative woman, clinging to her son to boost my academic career, and even fabricated a story that I was a gold-digger who physically attacked her when she came to propose marriage, then kicked her out and demanded an absurd dowry because of the baby.

The rumor spread incredibly fast, permeating even my neighborhood.

I had a study prep social media account with some followers.

Both the comments section and my DMs were swamped, though only a few loyal fans were defending me.

I uploaded footage from my home security camera.

Before entering, Barbara was on her phone, "Don't worry, I'm visiting your brother's girlfriend today, seems they're pretty well-off... Dowry? What dowry?... He's a PhD; not only does he not need a dowry, she should be paying us a hefty sum, only then would I approve..."

"Nice house, too. I hear she's an only child, it'll all be your brother's eventually..."

After leaving, she stomped her foot, "That little tramp dared to refuse, so shameless to still make demands while pregnant... I can't wait to see how she manages if her reputation is ruined."

Brian's voice also showed frustration, "Didn't I tell you? Just keep her steady, you started off so harsh, how could she agree..."

Barbara fumed, "I'm doing this for you! If we don't knock her down a peg now, she'll walk all over you... Besides, your sister is still waiting..."

Toward the end, she lowered her voice and moved out of camera range.