Chapter 3
The front door swung open, and Evelyn was standing stiff as a board in the entryway, waiting for us.
She had on dark loungewear, her hair pulled back tight in a neat, no-mess style, her face blank and impossible to read.
Her eyes gave me a cold, snobby once-over.
"You're here," she said, her tone totally flat.
"Hey, Mom," Michael said, greeting her. He kicked off his shoes and handed her our official marriage license.
"Ashley and I just left City Hall. We're officially married now."
Evelyn took the paper, flipped it open, and glanced at the photo.
There I was, grinning a stiff, fake smile that looked totally empty.
She nodded briefly and set the license down on the entry console.
"Come inside," she ordered, not even bothering to look me in the eye.
Michael's dad wasn't home.
The living room was spotless, with a plate of cut-up fruit laid out neatly on the coffee table.
"Ashley Summers, have a seat," Evelyn said, nodding coldly toward the couch.
She used my full married last name, sharp and distant—never once just calling me by my first name.
I sat down without any hesitation or pushback.
Michael started to sit next to me, but a sharp death stare from his mom stopped him in his tracks.
"Go to the kitchen and bring out the soup," she told him.
"You got it, Mom," Michael obeyed right away and headed for the kitchen.
Suddenly, it was just Evelyn and me, stuck in the tense silence of the living room.
The air felt thick, heavy with unspoken tension.
Evelyn reached under the coffee table, pulled out a small gift box, and slid it across to me.
"A wedding gift," she said, no frills.
I opened it up.
Inside was a simple bracelet—cheap, mass-produced, worth maybe a couple hundred bucks max.
"Thank you, Mrs. Summers," I said gently, slipping it onto my wrist.
"We're not a wealthy family," Evelyn began, her eyes fixed sharply on the bracelet around my wrist.
"We value frugality and a well-run house more than anything else.
"Michael's always been reckless with money, and I've kept him in line for years.
"Now that you're married, running this house is your job."
She switched tones out of nowhere, cutting straight to the chase.
"Starting this month, you won't keep your paychecks anymore," she said firmly.
"You and Michael will both deposit your entire paychecks with me every month.
"I'll handle your savings, plan for your future kids, and set aside money for retirement. Life gets expensive fast."
There it was.
The fake kindness was gone, and her true motives were out in the open at last.
She didn't just want to control my life—she wanted total control over my money too.
Every little scheme she'd hidden behind a polite mask was now crystal clear.
"I'll give you both a fixed monthly allowance for daily household expenses," Evelyn added.
"It'll be more than enough for your basic living costs."
She watched me like a hawk, clearly waiting for me to fight back.
She expected me to argue, push back, to fight like every other new daughter-in-law she'd bullied.
I looked up and stared right back at her cold gaze, no flinching at all.
"Alright, Mrs. Summers," I replied, my tone calm, soft, and steady.
I agreed right away—no questions, no hesitation.
Evelyn froze mid-sentence, every prepared lecture and demand dying in her throat.
"Excuse me?"
"I said alright," I repeated, steady as a rock.
"Starting next month, Michael and I will hand over our entire paychecks to you.
"We trust you to handle our money wisely for our future."
Evelyn was totally stunned, caught off guard and lost for words.
Her eyes narrowed, obvious confusion and suspicion all over her face, struggling to figure out why I was being so compliant.
Just then, Michael walked back in, carrying a big bowl of soup.
"What are you two talking about in here?" he asked.
"Your mom wants to handle our combined income from now on," I cut in smoothly before he could react.
"I've already agreed to it."
Michael froze, completely blindsided.
"Ashley..." He hesitated, clearly not sure how to respond.
"That's enough," Evelyn snapped, shutting him up right away.
She turned back to me, her gaze sharp and wary.
"Ashley, you should think carefully before agreeing to something this serious."
"I've already thought it through," I answered with a quiet, calm smile.
"We're family now. It doesn't matter who handles the house money, as long as we're all on the same page.
"If Michael's cool with this setup, I have no problem at all."
I dumped the whole decision right in Michael's lap, easy peasy.
Michael glanced nervously back and forth between his mother and me.
"I... I don't mind," he mumbled, sounding reluctant. "We can do it Mom's way."
"Then it's settled," Evelyn announced firmly, taking full control of the conversation.
Her stiff expression softened a little, and a satisfied smile tugged at her lips.
She was convinced she had me wrapped around her finger, that I was a docile, easy-to-push-around pushover.
Perfect.
That was exactly the vibe I wanted her to get.
Dinner was awkward as hell, everyone tiptoeing around each other.
Evelyn piled food on my plate while spouting one harsh house rule after another.
I was supposed to get up early every morning to make breakfast.
All the daily chores were my responsibility alone.
I had to come over to their house every single weekend, no exceptions.
I nodded and agreed to every demand, playing the obedient, mellow new wife with no complaints at all.
Michael tried to stick up for me a few times, but one cold glare from his mom shut him up instantly.
He was nothing but a puppet, raised to do whatever she told him.
After dinner, I stood up right away and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes before anyone could ask.
Evelyn hung around in the kitchen doorway, watching my every move like a hawk, as if checking my performance.
"Marrying into our family is a big opportunity for you, Ashley," she said coldly.
"We might not be rich, but we're respectable, hardworking people.
"Behave yourself, follow the rules, and stay humble from now on."
I kept drying the dishes, my back to her.
"I get it, Mrs. Summers. I'll do exactly what I'm supposed to."
By the time we left the Evelyn's house, night had fully fallen over the neighborhood.
She saw us out to the front door.
"Michael, drive her home safe and make sure she gets plenty of rest," she said.
She never once called their house my home.
It was obvious—I'd never be fully welcome in her family.
I held back a cold, mocking laugh and kept my gentle, polite smile glued to my face.
"You get some rest too, Mrs. Summers."
Once we were in the car, Michael finally broke the heavy silence.
"My mom's just blunt and old-fashioned. Don't take what she said too personally," he said awkwardly.
"She's only trying to look out for us."
There it was again—that same empty excuse. I rolled my eyes in my head but kept my face neutral.
I glanced down at the cheap bracelet still on my wrist and said nothing.
"If handing over your paycheck bugs you..." Michael started, sounding hesitant.
"It's fine," I cut him off softly.
"If you think this is the right call for us, I'm happy to go along with it."
He fell completely speechless, caught off guard by my meek compliance.
The car pulled up outside my small rental apartment building.
I unbuckled my seatbelt.
"I'm heading upstairs," I said.
"Alright," he said, plain and simple—didn't even offer to walk me in.
I pushed open the car door and stepped out.
After taking a few steps, I paused and looked back.
"Honey?"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Happy wedding day," I said, giving him a sweet, innocent smile.
I turned and walked into the building without another word.
The second I was out of his sight, my smile dropped like a rock.
Back in my apartment, I double-locked the front door and leaned hard against it.
Every muscle in my body ached from pretending to be gentle and docile all day. The nonstop acting had drained me completely.
I walked to the window and looked down at his dark sedan parked on the street below.
It sat running for ten long minutes before finally pulling away into the night.
I pulled out my phone, unlocked it, and dialed a number I knew by heart.
"Hey, Ethan," I whispered quietly.
"It's Ashley.
"I need a favor.
"I want you to dig up every record you can find on a few real estate assets."