My mother said,

“But Emily, marriage is a serious thing. It’s not something you can just call off because you’re upset. Stay here, eat something first, and then I’ll take you back to your new home. You’re already married now. Running back to your parents’ house like this, what will people think?”

I froze.

The tears on my face suddenly felt ice cold.

My parents’ house?
Wasn’t this supposed to be my home too?

My father stepped off into a corner to smoke, and not long after, I heard him on the phone with someone.

“It’s fine, she’s here with me… she’s just throwing a little tantrum… she’s been stubborn since she was a kid, I’m sorry she’s caused you trouble… we’re all family here, please don’t hold it against her…”

He was obviously talking to my future mother-in-law.

Beside me, my mother kept trying to persuade me.

“Emily, Jason is a decent man. Just go back and live with him peacefully.”

I raised my voice.

“They were scheming against me! The things they said to me were disgusting. If I go back now, I’ll spend the rest of my life suffering.”

My father hung up the phone and cut me off sharply.

“Scheming against you? What scheming? If you hadn’t gotten pregnant so early, if you’d had any self-respect, how would they even have had the chance to scheme against you?”

“This is all because you didn’t know how to carry yourself with dignity!”

He humiliated me brutally.

My mother reached for my arm, but this time I pulled away.

My father said, “That’s enough. Go back now, and make sure you get the wedding money back.”

His tone was impatient, almost annoyed.

The wedding money?

I turned and looked at my mother.

She lowered her head awkwardly, too ashamed to meet my eyes.

I shot to my feet.

“So in the end, all you care about is the wedding money too, isn’t that right?”

“What do you mean all I care about?” my father snapped, slamming his hand against the table. “I raised you all these years. Is it really so unreasonable for me to get something back?”

I turned to my mother in disbelief.

Her eyes were red as she tried to soothe me.

“Emily, you’ve always been a good girl. Your brother needs to get married, and he needs a house. Let him use the wedding money for now. He’ll pay you back later.”

Pay me back?

How?

The blood in my body turned cold.

Was this really still my home?

Ignoring how pale I had gone, my mother grabbed my hand tightly, her voice trembling.

“Emily, your father and I haven’t had it easy either. We truly don’t have the money to help your brother buy a house. Just be patient a little longer, okay? You’re carrying the Miller family’s child now. They won’t dare do anything serious to you.”

At that moment, my mind went completely clear.

My instincts were screaming at me.

This was another calculation.

My future in-laws were calculating how to take my money.

And now my own parents were doing the exact same thing.

So where did that leave me?

I had no home anymore.

I yanked my hand out of my mother’s grip and said coldly,

“I’m leaving.”

Neither of them tried to stop me.

As I walked away, I heard my father say behind me,

“Wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d just listened from the start? What was the point of making such a scene? Hurry back, apologize to your mother-in-law and your husband, and get that wedding money back as soon as possible.”

Then my mother called after me,

“Emily, be careful on your way there. Call me when you get back. I know you’re still a good girl.”

The moment I stepped out of the elevator, my phone rang.

It was Linda Miller.

She sounded positively delighted on the other end, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.

“I knew you’d run back to your parents’ place.”

“But what good did that do you?”

“Aren’t you still crawling back here like a good little girl?”

“You think you’re still some untouched bride people are supposed to pamper?”

“No one’s going to indulge you now.”

“Let’s see how long you keep up this little attitude of yours.”