Chapter 1

At the engagement party, my future mother-in-law, Linda Shaw, suddenly announced in front of all our friends and family that the wedding budget would be slashed from 60 grand to just 3 grand.

"It's pointless throwing down that kind of cash on a wedding," she said. "She's not worth a luxury wedding anyway."

My parents' faces fell instantly, but Linda just kept going, saying my family didn't measure up to the Shaw family.

My boyfriend, Eric Shaw, just sat there in silence, like none of this had anything to do with him.

I took a deep breath, stood up, lifted my glass, and poured the wine right over Linda's head.

"You're right. We really don't measure up," I said, taking my parents by the hand. "This wedding's off. Take your money and go find yourself the perfect daughter-in-law."

As I turned to leave, the whole room erupted behind me. Eric finally freaked out and chased after me, grabbing my hand.

I shook him off. "Your mom said 3 grand is enough for the wedding. Well, I'd love to know, how many years of your loyalty to her does 3 grand get?"

*****

The red wine trickled down Linda's face, streaking over the harsh lines etched into her cheeks.

The air was instantly filled with a sickly sweet scent, mingling with the lingering cheap perfume she wore.

The whole private room was dead silent.

Dozens of eyes locked onto me like spotlights, filled with shock, disbelief, and a barely hidden eagerness to watch the drama unfold.

Linda's pupils contracted sharply, and her face, which had just been twisted with smugness, now looked like a frozen, freakish mask.

She was still in shock from the sudden humiliation.

My parents were completely stunned. My dad stood there with his mouth half-open, his hand frozen mid-reach, wanting to pull me back but too scared to move.

My mom's face was as pale as a sheet, her lips trembling, unable to get a single word out.

And my fiancé, Eric, who just minutes ago had been acting like he wasn't even part of this and just scrolling on his phone, finally tore his eyes away from the screen.

He looked like he couldn't believe what just happened.

He said, "Are you out of your mind?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it pierced the frozen silence like a spike.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth, my facial muscles stiff as stone.

"Yeah, probably," I replied.

I reached out, grabbed a napkin from the table, and took my time wiping the fingers I'd just used to hold the glass.

"Your whole family drove me nuts," I said.

"Vivian, what kind of attitude is that? Apologize to your mom-in-law right now!" Eric's voice shot up, sharp and shrill, like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.

He was asking me to apologize to Linda.

How ironic.

I shot him a cold look.

I said, "Eric, from now on, she's no longer my future mother-in-law, and you're no longer my fiancé.

"We're done."

With that, I didn't bother looking at his face, now livid and dark with anger. I turned and grabbed my parents' hands.

I said, "Dad, Mom, let's go."

They were stiff as boards, letting me pull them along like two lifeless puppets.

Linda shouted, "Look at your good daughter! How did you teach her?"

Her scream finally exploded behind me, like a rusty chainsaw tearing through everyone's ears.

She shouted, "Shrew, she's nothing but a shrew! Our Shaw family must have been cursed to ever think of bringing someone like her into our family.

"60 grand? She's not even worth 600 bucks!"

Her words hit us like a hailstorm of garbage.

My parents hunched over instantly, their steps faltering, wishing the ground would just swallow them up.

But I stood my ground.

I turned around, meeting everyone's gaze, and stared right at Linda, who was acting totally unhinged.

"Are you done?" My voice was so calm that it was almost scary.

I went on, "If you're not done, I can wait. But once you are, I've got a few things to say myself."

Linda was left speechless, breathing hard as she shot me a venomous glare.

I looked around at all these so-called friends and family, their faces a grotesque, satirical painting of shock, judgment, and barely concealed glee.

I said, "Sorry for making a spectacle out of my own engagement party, guys.

"Just now, Mrs. Linda Shaw here, in front of everyone, cut the wedding budget from the agreed-upon 60 grand down to 3 grand.

"She said our family doesn't measure up to the Shaw family.

"My parents have always been honest and decent, never picked a fight with anyone their whole lives. And today, she gets to humiliate them right here, pointing her finger at them."

My voice wasn't loud, but every word rang out crystal clear for everyone to hear.