Not even a month after our engagement, my fiancé's mother was already pushing him to go on a blind date with a wealthy heiress.

The girl he was set up with? None other than the fake heiress who once pretended to be me.

And that foolish fiancé of mine thought he had struck gold, dreaming of marrying into wealth.

Little did he know, all that awaited him was an empty dream.

***

After three years of being together with Mark Yukio, we finally got engaged in front of our families and friends.

I thought this marked the beginning of our wonderful life together.

Little did I know, his mother was secretly arranging a blind date for him.

"Look at Diana Smith, she is just a lowly employee in a foreign company," she sneered. "Now think about Gloria Smith, a famous heiress of the Smith family. If you marry her, you'll be set for life, no need to struggle anymore!"

"I don't care what you say, but you have to think about your father and me. We raised you, and it's time you showed us some gratitude."

Mark hesitated, but his mother, Jane, seized the moment to fan the flames.

"If you stay with Diana, you'll be buried in the mundane worries of everyday life!" she continued. "Her family demanded a betrothal gift of 66,000 dollars. Diana is no easy woman—she must be a gold digger."

Jane glanced at Mark, grumbling under her breath, "You've been with her this long and she won't even let you touch her. Who knows, maybe something is wrong with her. I won't let a woman who can't have children into our family!"

I stood outside the door, peeking through a crack, taking in every word.

So, they have arranged for some heiress to marry Mark, don't they?

It's such a pity. I didn't even know my father had another daughter out there.

It was our engagement day, and according to tradition, we were supposed to visit Mark's parents.

I hadn't expected that just going to the bathroom at their house would lead to this kind of betrayal.

If they were so dissatisfied with me, it was better to part ways early.

Calmly, I walked out of the bathroom.

Jane quickly put on a fake smile, "Diana, come sit next to me."

Suppressing my anger, I sat beside her.

"Diana, we don't have a problem with you marrying Mark, but something urgent came up in our family, and we need some money. Could you return the betrothal gift?"

Ah, so this was what they were after.

It seems they were planning to claw back even the little they had given. How typical of them, not willing to suffer any loss.

Mark stood silently to the side, which only confirmed his tacit agreement with his mother's words.

I calmly replied, "You just said it yourself—it's a betrothal gift. There's no reason to take it back once it's been given, right?"

I stared them down coldly, not backing off.

Since they were conspiring behind my back, I wasn't about to play nice.

As soon as Jane realized the money was staying with me, her expression changed instantly.

"You're not even married to my son yet, and this is how you talk to me. After marriage, are you planning to walk all over me? You better hand over the money now, or else you can forget about marrying my son!"

I couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Do you think your son is such a prize that everyone's fighting for him?"

The argument between me and Jane escalated, but Mark remained silent, clearly afraid of upsetting his mother.

How could I have ever fallen for this mama's boy?

Mark and I had been university classmates, and back then, my parents had warned me not to flaunt my background. They didn't want me to attract any unnecessary attention.

I agreed and kept my identity hidden from everyone to avoid trouble.

I met Mark at a club event. I admired his independence and rebellious nature. Even though we weren't from the same social class, I still chose to be with him.

But look at him now, with nothing like he did when he was in college. He was completely under his mother's thumb. Even as she insulted me, he didn't dare say a word.

The happy memories we once shared were shattered. Now, all Mark could think about was climbing the social ladder.

"Mark, your family is so petty. Are you really going to break up with me over 60,000 dollars?"

My words hit him where it hurt. Mark hated being looked down on because of money.

Sure enough, after hearing these words, he exploded. "Just 60,000 dollars? Do you have any idea how much work it took for my parents to save that money? How many years of frugal living? We wouldn't be struggling if it weren't for marring you!"

I hadn't even married into their family, and Mark was already blaming me for all their hardships.

In one sentence, he dumped their years of suffering onto me.

"They'd have to work regardless of whether or not you're marrying me."

I shot back.

Mark was too angry to respond, so Jane chimed in from the couch, "Look at her—this is the woman you chose. No respect! She even dares to speak to me and your father like this."

She dramatically flopped onto the floor, pounding her fists and wailing.

Mark rushed to her side, and continued to hurl insults at me, "Diana, my mom was right about you. You're just a gold digger! You have been with me only for money. You don't deserve to marry into my family—get out!"

Finally, the words I had been waiting for. I had no desire to stay in that cramped little house any longer.

But I wasn't going to leave without getting my parting shot in.

"Mark, next time you insult someone, make sure you know your worth. If I were with you for money, I'd be starving by now. What's there to dig in your family? That tiny apartment? I don't even want it!"

After unloading on them, I felt a wave of satisfaction.

I slammed the door so hard the whole building must have heard, and walked out proudly with the 60,000 dollars still in my pocket.

It wasn't like my family needed the money, but I wasn't about to turn down free cash.