Mrs. Lee always loved to make inappropriate jokes.

At my wedding with Sophia Lee,

she suddenly announced in front of everyone:

“My daughter isn’t carrying my son-in-law’s child!”

The entire hall erupted in shock!

Mrs. Lee had always been testing whether I truly loved Sophia,

setting up ninety-nine tests before the wedding.

I tried my best to explain, but she made her claims sound so convincing.

In desperation, I looked to Sophia for help,

but she lowered her head and avoided my eyes.

My mother’s face turned dark with rage,

and my father, stricken with cancer and desperate for a grandchild,

believed her words and collapsed, dead on the spot!

What should have been a wedding turned into a funeral,

yet Mrs. Lee showed no remorse:

“It’s just a joke. I only wanted to see if you would still treat my daughter well

if the child wasn’t yours.”

Sophia even chimed in to defend her:

“Exactly! My mom is only worried about me,

afraid I’d suffer after marriage.”

“And besides, your dad was already in late-stage cancer.

He wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway!”

Hearing this, I furiously demanded a divorce,

but instead they smeared me as a heartless man

abandoning his wife and unborn child.

My mother was hunted down and killed by vicious online trolls,

and I myself was struck by a car, wandering in despair.

Given a second chance at life,

I swore to make this so-called “joke”

return upon the one who started it all.

…

I was awakened by a familiar voice,

and when I opened my eyes,

I saw my father—who had already died.

“David Miller, the wedding is tomorrow.

Your mother has already prepared,

just as your mother-in-law demanded—

$120,000 in wedding expenses and a condo downtown.”

A wedding? A dowry? A condo?

My mind raced.

I looked up at the wall calendar, and it hit me.

I had been reborn to the day before my wedding!

The very day before my father died of rage!!

In my previous life, Sophia and I had married because of the pregnancy.

Her father had died when she was ten,

and she was raised alone by Mrs. Lee, always keeping a clean reputation.

I pitied her hardships and never crossed the line with her.

If it hadn’t been for that night we drank too much,

none of it would have happened.

Afterward, I immediately had my parents propose marriage to Mrs. Lee,

but she clung to the fact that Sophia and I had been intimate before marriage.

She tested me ninety-nine times,

and raised the wedding demand from $25,000 to $120,000

before agreeing to marry her daughter to me.

Yet on the wedding day,

Mrs. Lee suddenly announced to the guests

that the child in Sophia’s belly wasn’t mine.

The guests froze in disbelief.

My parents were respected locally,

and the attendees were all people of status.

No one expected to hear such words at a wedding.

I immediately tried to reason with Mrs. Lee,

asking her not to make such jokes on such an occasion.

But she insisted it was true—

that her daughter had betrayed me.

Embarrassed, I turned to Sophia for help,

but she bowed her head, avoiding my eyes.

Seeing this, many began to believe it.

My father had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer a year earlier.

Knowing I was going to be a father

had given him immense joy.

Hearing Mrs. Lee’s words, and seeing Sophia remain silent,

he believed it completely—

and died of fury right then and there.

The wedding turned into a funeral,

yet Mrs. Lee showed no remorse.

“Come on, it was just a joke! Can’t you handle it?

Your dad already had terminal cancer,

don’t blame us!”

Sophia also defended her mother, saying

Mrs. Lee was only testing my attitude toward her.

Shaking with rage, I pointed at Sophia

and shouted that the wedding was off.

But she only said fine—

the wedding gifts wouldn’t be returned.

I had never met such shameless people.

To defend my father’s honor,

I firmly refused Sophia’s demand.

But she and Mrs. Lee went online,

livestreaming their sob story.

They accused me of abandoning my wife and unborn child,

and claimed my mother had affairs with other men,

which drove my father to his death.

My mother argued back online,

but her address was doxxed,

and while grocery shopping,

she was beaten to death by vicious strangers.

One blow after another left me broken.

On the day I was fired from work,

I stumbled into the street in a daze

and was killed by a passing truck.

After my death,

Sophia used her pregnancy to inherit all of my estate.

But she never cherished the child—

once the inheritance was secured,

she mercilessly ended the pregnancy.

Not only that,

she later complained to Mrs. Lee:

“That family is cursed with short lives.

Thank God I never really married into it!”

Remembering what happened in my past life,

I burned with hatred,

wishing I could tear apart the grotesque mouths of that mother and daughter.

Reborn again,

I vowed to make Mrs. Lee taste the bitter fruit

of her own “joke”!

The next day was our wedding.

At Mrs. Lee’s insistence,

it was held in a downtown luxury hotel,

with 88 tables of guests.

Just before the banquet began,

the staff told me Mrs. Lee had added two more tables.

I smiled and shook my head—no problem.

The more witnesses, the better.

The ceremony began.

Traditionally, the father walks the bride down the aisle,

but Sophia had grown up without a father,

so Mrs. Lee took that role.

As in my past life,

the officiant asked if the mother of the bride

had any words for her new son-in-law.

At that moment,

my fists clenched tightly.

I knew the show was about to begin.

Mrs. Lee looked at me with a pained expression.

“David, at such an important moment,

I can’t bear to hide the truth from you any longer.”

I forced myself to remain calm.

“Mom, what is it?

Why would you say that at such a happy time?”

In my past life,

I had replied the same way—

truly confused why she would bring up sorrow on such a day.

But this time, my words carried a warning,

urging her to think twice.

Yet Mrs. Lee didn’t hear it.

Lost in her own world, she declared:

“I don’t believe the child in Sophia’s belly is yours.

I have to tell you this to your face.”

Silence fell instantly.

All eyes turned toward me,

filled with sympathy.

After all, what could be more tragic

than learning on your wedding day

that your bride’s child isn’t yours?

I quickly adjusted my expression,

forcing out a look of pain.

“Mom! How could you say such a thing?

Even a joke must have limits!”

Mrs. Lee frowned, scolding me:

“You’re not married to Sophia yet,

but I already see you as my son.

That’s why I’m telling you the truth.”

I raised my head and smiled coldly.

“So what you mean is,

I should thank you?”

Mrs. Lee froze in shock.

She never expected me, usually so mild-tempered,

to openly defy her.

She thought she could test my limits

and control me completely.

But my reaction was beyond her expectation.

Mrs. Lee immediately flew into a rage:

“David Miller! It’s your fault my daughter was hurt,

and you dare question me?”

I laughed bitterly on the spot.

Even though I had prepared for this,

her shamelessness still stunned me.

The guests around us were equally shocked.

They couldn’t believe a mother-in-law

would accuse her daughter’s groom

of not being the father—

and call it a joke.

But that was exactly the kind of woman Mrs. Lee was.

In my previous life,

I first met her three months into dating Sophia.

That day, at Sophia’s suggestion,

I brought expensive gifts from my parents

to her home.

While we were eating,

Mrs. Lee suddenly set down her chopsticks

and asked sternly:

“David, are you only with my daughter

because of our old suburban house that’s about to be redeveloped?”

The room froze.

Sophia looked at me with suspicion.

Terrified, I leapt up and swore:

“Ma’am, I would never think such a thing!”

I trembled all over,

afraid my explanation wasn’t enough.

But Mrs. Lee and Sophia exchanged glances

and burst into laughter.

“Oh, young man, you scare easily.

I was just joking,

testing if you could keep your cool.

Look, your face has turned white.”

Embarrassed, I forced a smile.

Sophia added,

“My mom just doesn’t want me to be tricked by men.

If you really love me,

you need to give me enough security.”

I nodded repeatedly.

That dinner also pushed the wedding demand

from $25,000 up to $120,000.

Even then,

I carried the hidden label

that I might be after their property.

On our one-year anniversary,

at Mrs. Lee’s suggestion,

I booked a restaurant to surprise Sophia.

But Sophia never showed up,

and her phone was unreachable.

Finally, I got a call from Mrs. Lee:

“David, Sophia and I argued,

and now I can’t reach her.

What should we do?”

My legs nearly gave out.

I dropped everything to search for her.

After hours of frantic searching

and just as I was about to call the police,

Sophia appeared casually,

arm in arm with Mrs. Lee.

“Don’t worry,

I was just joking with you.

Seeing you so anxious proves you really care.

Good job—you passed this test.”

I froze in disbelief.

Sophia even teased me:

“See? Maybe you don’t treat me well enough normally.

That’s why my mom worries.”

My face turned pale,

my fear and devotion reduced to mockery.

To them it was just a harmless “test,”

but to me it was my heart and soul trampled.

All I got in return

was a dismissive “just kidding.”

Hearing Mrs. Lee now,

my mother’s face darkened.

She pulled me aside and asked:

“What’s going on?

Everyone’s watching.”

I tried to calm her.

“It’s fine, it’ll be over soon.”

This time, I knew what was coming,

so I had sent my father away beforehand.

His health was poor,

and he longed for a grandchild.

If he heard Mrs. Lee’s words,

he would have died of rage just like before.

I looked up at Mrs. Lee,

my voice cold:

“In front of everyone,

are you certain you’re not joking

when you say your daughter’s child isn’t mine?”

The atmosphere grew hotter and hotter.