Linda was also beginning to waver, but she’d never admit I was right. She rolled her eyes. "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re right, we should’ve told you about transferring the house to Lily. But do you know why I had Zach transfer it to her?"

I shook my head, confused.

"It’s because of you," she said, her voice sharp. "I’ve noticed you keeping an eye on property prices lately. You were probably hoping Zach would add your name to the deed, weren’t you? Well, guess what—I’d rather give the house to Lily than let you have even half of it! At least I know she won’t sell it. If I ask her to give it back, she’ll do it without question."

"You, on the other hand... You’ve been married into this family for years and what have you done? You haven’t even given us a child! The woman who married after you already has three kids. You’re trying to control my son’s decisions now?"

"And don’t think I don’t know that if the house is transferred back, it becomes marital property. Even without your name on the deed, you’ll get half in a divorce!"

Part 3

I ignored her insults and picked up my phone. "I’m done arguing. I’m calling a lawyer to see if we can reverse this transfer."

"And even if we can’t, I’ll sue. As your wife, I have a right to object to you giving away our house."

Zach grabbed my phone, his expression incredulous. "Have you lost your mind? Just like my mom said, you’re only doing this to get your name on the deed. The house is gone. It’s done. You can’t get it back."

"Anyway, I’m still young and healthy. I can buy another house. Don’t think that just because you married me, you can take control of everything. What good is this house to you? You haven’t even given me a child. I’m older than you—when I die, the house won’t go to you."

Linda nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I’m living in the house now, so whether it’s in Lily’s name or Zach’s, it doesn’t matter to me. Lily is like a daughter to me. If she hadn’t gone abroad for work, you wouldn’t have had the chance to marry Zach in the first place!"

"If you want the house back, then give me a grandson! If you can’t, don’t even think about it. You’ll get nothing for free."

To be honest, I almost laughed.

I wanted to tell them that my parents’ house in the neighboring city was about to be demolished and they’d receive at least four or five new houses in compensation. Being their only child, those houses would all eventually be mine.

Why would I care about a measly hundred-square-meter house?

Part 4

Seeing that I remained silent, both Zach and his mother assumed I had given up.

"See?" Linda smirked. "You can’t argue with us. You say you don’t care about the house, but if that were true, you wouldn’t have even noticed the name change. Deep down, you want it for yourself, don’t you?"

I sat back, relaxed and smiled. "So, you two transferred the house to Lily because you thought I was keeping an eye on it and you were afraid I’d try to take it from you?"

Zach and Linda exchanged glances, nodding with little hesitation.

Linda, clearly feeling emboldened, added, “More than that, I’ve noticed you've been running to the hospital a lot lately, fussing about needing to eat lighter meals and exercise more. You must be in bad health too.”

She sneered. “A woman who can’t have children is already considered defective. I never said anything because we were kind, but your recent strange behavior makes me think there’s something wrong with you. Maybe you're planning to use that house to fund your medical bills.”

She crossed her arms smugly. “Otherwise, how do you explain all these hospital visits? How do you explain your sudden interest in house prices? Why else would you dig through the real estate certificate in the middle of the night?”

Zach frowned, clearly becoming more irritated. “Listen, I’m giving you two options. First, we pretend nothing happened and you keep living your life with me. Or second, we get a divorce.”

Lindas sharp gaze was locked on my face, clearly hoping to see some sign of weakness. When she saw how calm I was, she added, “And don’t think that if you choose divorce, you’ll walk away with a cent of our family’s money. I’ll make sure of that. Even if this goes to court, you won’t get a penny.”

I couldn’t help but smile to myself. So, this is what they’ve been angling for all along.

Part 5

Looking at the two people before me—once so familiar but now so foreign—it suddenly all became clear. They’d noticed my preoccupation lately, sensed something was off and jumped to the conclusion that I was after the house, or worse, that I had some serious illness. To stop me from claiming anything, they transferred the house to Lily.

Zach and Linda continued throwing accusations at me, but I felt nothing but exhaustion.

For the last two months, I’d been running myself ragged trying to care for them both, searching for ways to get them liver transplants, managing their emotions while juggling all the burdens of the household. But instead of appreciating my efforts, they assumed my motives were selfish—blaming it all on my supposed guilt over not having children.

The irony was laughable.

I’m perfectly healthy. The reason we haven’t had children is because Zach has congenital azoospermia. But I never told him, afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle the truth. I carried the burden for him, letting him believe the problem was with me. I thought his love for me was strong enough to withstand anything, even childlessness.

At first, that seemed true. Zach and Linda barely mentioned my inability to have children, instead taking me to doctors and feeding me endless traditional medicines to “nourish” my body.

But in the past few months, their patience had worn thin. I thought it was just the stress of their illness. Now, I see the truth.

I looked at Zach steadily. “Fine. We’ll get a divorce. Let’s not drag this out.”

Zach and Linda almost jumped with joy.

Linda pointed a mocking finger at me. “You said it yourself—don’t go back on your word.”

I smiled. “No need to worry. We’ll go to the City Hallfirst thing tomorrow morning.”

With that, I packed my things and left without another word.

The next morning, I arrived at the City Hall. Not long after, Zach and Linda showed up—with Lily in tow.

As soon as she saw me, Lily rushed over, grabbing my hand tightly. Her long nails dug painfully into my skin. I yanked my hand back, and somehow, she staggered and fell dramatically to the floor.

I rolled my eyes. “What’s this, some kind of performance? Is this fun for you?”

Zach and Linda’s face darkened. They hurried to help Lily up, shielding her from me like I’d committed a crime.

“How dare you hit her!” Zach snapped. “Lily came here because I told her about the divorce and she wanted to make peace between us. But instead of being grateful, you attacked her?”

Lily coughed weakly, then chimed in. “Zach, please don’t blame her. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have accepted the house. I’ll go to the Housing Authority right now and transfer it back. Please don’t get a divorce because of me.”

Linda shook her head firmly. “Absolutely not. You’re pregnant, Lily! We didn’t just give you the house—we gave it to the child in your belly! If you give it back, what will the baby have?”

Lily’s face flushed with embarrassment. She clearly hadn’t expected Linda to reveal her pregnancy so bluntly. “Auntie, how could you say that?” she muttered, cheeks red.

Linda huffed. “Why shouldn’t I say it? It’s a good thing! Unlike her.” She shot me a look, “you can give us a grandchild. If it weren’t for her stubborn refusal to leave, I would’ve had one long ago!”

I didn’t get angry. Instead, I smiled and glanced at Lily’s stomach. I had so many things I wanted to say, but I held them back.

Not yet. I still needed to sign the papers first.

Part 6

Without hesitation, I signed the divorce papers.

Lily blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. She seemed genuinely unwilling for the divorce to happen. After all, she’d grown up with Zach and knew him well. Maybe she was also aware of his and Linda’s true nature.

“Zach once said that you don’t love him,” she said softly, “but I always thought he was joking. I never realized you were serious.”

“Just because he gave me the house, you’re so angry you’d divorce him?” She shook her head. “Were you only with him for the house?”

I gave her a look of pure indifference. “Please, don’t flatter yourself. You’re pregnant. If I don’t divorce him, what are you planning on having an illegitimate child?”

Zach’s face twisted, but he said nothing in response. Reluctantly, he signed the papers too.

With the divorce certificate in hand, I finally felt a wave of relief. But before they could leave, I smirked and asked, “Where are you going? You’ve got a baby on the way. Aren’t you going to get your marriage license now, or are you planning on making your child a bastard?”

Zach glanced at his mother, seeking her approval. Linda, glaring at me, muttered, “Annoying as she is, she’s right. You’re already here. Might as well get the marriage license now.”

Zach had no objections.