Chapter 1
Before the wedding, my mother-in-law asked about my salary. I honestly told her I make 4,000 a month.
The day after the ceremony, she approached me with a smile and said, "Ellie, since you're living in a house I paid for in full, you should pay 2,000 dollars in rent each month."
I was stunned. Her scheme was so clear.
I just smiled and replied, "Sure, let's go by the market then."
Her smile froze. But little did she know, it was just the beginning.
On the first morning of our marriage, sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting dappled patterns on the light-colored wooden floor.
The air was still thick with the sweet scent of last night's scented candles, blended with a hint of unfamiliar calm—the sort that came with a brand-new life.
I rolled over and glanced at Leo, who was still sound asleep next to me. His handsome profile looked unusually soft in the early light.
I reached out, letting my fingertips trace over his brows and eyes. The brand-new wedding ring scratched softly at my skin, a constant little reminder that starting today, I wasn't just Ellie. I was Leo's wife.
I used to look forward to this marriage, hoping it would be everything I ever wanted.
Leo and I got together because we truly loved each other. He was gentle and thoughtful, and his family was pretty average, but we both believed that as long as we had love, nothing else really mattered.
On the dining table, the newly bought bone dishes glowed softly in the morning light.
Willow came out carrying a pot of steaming soup, her face creased in a way that made her look extra welcoming as she smiled.
"Ellie, come on, eat up. I just made this. It's good for your stomach," she said.
She set a bowl of soup in front of me, her eagerness making me feel strangely flattered as a new daughter-in-law.
"Thanks, Mom," I replied, picking up my spoon, still floating on a cloud of newlywed happiness.
Leo finally woke up, sat beside me, and sipped his soup. Every so often, he'd look up with a quick smile just for me.
Everything felt so warm, so serene—like a perfect painting.
That was, until Willow set down her bowl, deliberately wiped her mouth with a napkin, and let her shrewd eyes sweep over my face.
Her keen eyes lingered on my face, and then she flashed a grin that was just a little too warm to be genuine.
"Ellie, now that you and Leo are married, you're part of our family," she said.
I nodded, but a sense of unease crept over me.
"This house? Your dad and I spent our whole lives working to buy it outright. Now you are living in it, and we haven't asked for a single penny."
The vibe in the room flipped in an instant.
All that cozy feeling evaporated, leaving nothing but a choking sense of tension in the air.
My hand stopped halfway to my mouth, spoon suspended midair.
Leo's smile froze, too. He dropped his gaze, acting like he was totally focused on scraping up the last bite of soup from his bowl.
Willow brushed off our reactions and just kept talking, with that matter-of-fact certainty that shut down any debate.
"Leo doesn't pull in much—barely 8,000 a month. He's still paying off his car loan, and trying to keep the household running is no joke," she said.
Then she shifted her focus right to me.
"But you, Ellie, you're young and successful—4,000 a month, doing way better than Leo," she said.
Here it came.
I couldn't help but scoff to myself.
Before the wedding, she'd subtly probed into how much I made, and I genuinely thought she was just showing some caring mother-in-law vibes. I was gullible enough to spill the whole truth.
Turns out, every so-called word of concern was her way of calculating, with an agenda behind every smile.
"So, Ellie, how about this," Willow said, smiling.
Her voice was slick—like a knife wrapped in sugar, all fake sweetness but sharp as ever.
"You're living here in the house I paid for, so you can't just stay for nothing, right? If you tried renting a place this size out there, it'd easily cost you seven or eight thousand a month.
"I'm not asking much. You pull in 4,000 a month—just give me half as rent, so 2,000 every month. Call it helping the family out. Sound fair to you?"
Two thousands dollars.
Half my income.
My mind went completely blank for a second.
The spoon dropped into the bowl with a crisp clang, the noise slicing through the silence in the dining room.
Shock. Absurdity. Anger. And finally, a bone-chilling coldness.
This was the married life I had so eagerly anticipated?
This was the mother of the man I had sworn to spend my life with?
I could almost hear the shattering of something beautiful deep inside me.
I turned to look at Leo, hoping he would say something.
Anything. Even just a, "Mom, what are you talking about?"
But he said nothing.
He kept his head down, his expression uncomfortable. His lips parted slightly, but in the end, no words came out.
His silence was the sharpest dagger, piercing straight through my heart.
So, he had known all along.