Chapter 1

On the day of our engagement, Ryan's family gave me thirty thousand dollars as a wedding gift.

But as soon as the money landed in my account, Ryan's whole family flipped out.

Linda, his mom, barged into the police station with Sophie, his sister, jabbing her finger at me and yelling, accusing me of pulling a marriage scam.

She shouted, "You're just here to scam us. You took the money, and now you're planning to run off, aren't you?"

The cops showed up at our door to investigate, and the neighbors were whispering behind our backs. My parents wished the ground would swallow them up.

I didn't even hesitate. I gave back every last penny of that thirty thousand dollars on the spot.

Linda looked smug, thinking she'd tamed me.

But on the day Ryan came to pick me up for the wedding, Linda stood at my door, her smile completely frozen on her face.

*****

The moment the cops left, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of our living room.

The door clicked shut softly, but that sound hit everyone like a sledgehammer to the heart.

My mom couldn't hold it together anymore. She slumped against the couch, covering her face, and muffled sobs slipped through her fingers, each one slicing right through me.

My dad was huddled in the corner, chain-smoking, like his life depended on it. The dim yellow light stretched his hunched silhouette long and thin. Through the haze of smoke, I couldn't see his face, just his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

The walls in the old apartment complex were paper-thin. Outside, neighbors craned their necks, gossiping in hushed voices. Every word carried through the door, sharp and unmistakable.

"You really never know what someone's like deep down..."

"She always seemed so quiet and well-behaved. How could she do something like this?"

"Thirty thousand dollars? That's no small change. She must be crazy for money..."

I stood in the middle of the living room, my body felt numb, my ears buzzed, and it was like my heart had stopped.

My phone buzzed, and the screen lit up with a message from Ryan Shelton.

It was the same old excuses, "My mom's just looking out for us," "That's just how she is. Don't take it personally," "I know you've been wronged, but once we're married, I'll make it up to you."

Not a single word calling out his mom for what she did, not even a hint of him standing up for me.

I stared at those pathetic excuses and suddenly started laughing.

My laughter cut through the heavy silence in the living room. My mom stopped crying, and my dad looked up at me like I'd lost my mind.

I didn't pay them any mind, just tapped out a message on the cold screen, calm as ever.

Emily: [Have your mom, Linda Shelton, come over herself and apologize to my parents face-to-face.]

Emily: [Otherwise, forget about this wedding.]

Not even ten seconds after I sent it, Ryan was already calling.

Seeing Ryan's name light up on my phone, I couldn't help but think. What a joke.

Without a second thought, I hung up on him and blocked his number.

Finally, peace at last.

That night, my parents took turns trying to convince me to reconsider.

They said the whole neighborhood already knew what happened, and if I called off the wedding now, my reputation would be trashed for life.

For the sake of my reputation, they said, maybe I should just suck it up and go through with it.

I looked at them. Something in them had collapsed overnight. The pleading and fear in their eyes wiped out any last trace of tenderness in me, leaving only a stabbing ache.

For the first time ever, I spoke to them in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Reputation isn't something you preserve by swallowing everything. It's built on what you choose to accept," I said.

"If I put up with this now, my life will be hell. I'll be trampled on every single day. Is that really what you want for me?"

My parents were stunned by my resolve. Their lips moved, but no words came out. In the end, all that was left was a heavy sigh.

I locked myself in my room and didn't sleep a wink all night.

The night outside was so thick it felt like it would never end. I lay in bed, wide awake, my mind spinning with thoughts.

It wasn't about how to salvage this ridiculous engagement.

It was about how I could help my parents stand upright again after being forced to bow their heads that day.

And it was about how I, Emily Carter, would take responsibility for my own dignity from that point forward.