Chapter 2

Her questions left me with nothing to say.

I didn't know if her friend had fed her all of this.

Or if this had been her own idea all along.

But either way, I couldn't accept it.

My parents were in business. Things had gone well over the years, and they'd opened their own company.

Before the wedding, Willow had asked for a $380K bride-price, the gold jewelry, a car, and a place downtown, and my family had agreed to all of it.

That 1,700-square-foot downtown apartment had even been paid for in full.

My parents cared about their reputation too. For the wedding they'd booked the most luxurious hotel and the best team, and that alone had cost hundreds of thousands.

The family could easily put up another $200K on top of the bride-price.

It was just that the way Willow was changing the terms at the last minute and hiking the price felt like a shakedown, like gouging a customer on purpose.

Anyone in that position would resent it, would sit there choking on it.

Seeing that I still wasn't talking, Willow sneered.

"Look at you, you spineless thing. It's only another $200K on the bride-price."

"And it's eating you up inside like this?"

"A man who acts like you really is worthless."

In front of all our relatives and friends.

I'd lost every last shred of face.

"Just say it today, yes or no?"

"If you won't agree, I'm leaving right now, and there won't be any wedding tomorrow!"

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

Every bit of the good mood was gone.

Swallowing my anger, I asked her,

"For just this, you'd throw away the wedding, write me off completely?"

"What did you think!"

Willow shouted at me. "You think getting married is playing house? This is about my happiness for the rest of my life!"

"If you can't even agree to this one small request right now, then what am I even getting out of you?"

"Getting to cook and do laundry and be your maid, getting to bear you sons and carry on your family line, be some leftover tool?"

I couldn't hold it in anymore.

I grabbed the cup off the table and slammed it down on the floor.

Crash.

The cup shattered to pieces.

"Willow, you've gone too far!"

Seeing me lose my temper, the relatives and friends rushed over to hold me back.

Willow said coldly,

"Fine, Martin. Since that's your attitude, then we won't get married at all!"

She turned to leave.

My parents rushed out and blocked her.

"Willow, honey, the wedding's tomorrow, all the relatives and friends are already here, you can't back out now."

Willow yelled at my mother,

"This was your son's own choice!"

My father's eyes went red, but my mother held him back.

She stepped forward and took Willow's hand.

"Willow, honey, don't be upset anymore. We agree to it. That settles it, doesn't it?"

The corner of Willow's mouth curled up.

"If you'd agreed this readily from the start, wouldn't that have been better?"

"All your family had to do was agree without a fuss and there'd have been no problem. Why make a scene and give all these people something to laugh at?"

She turned to look at me.

"Now it's not just the $580K to bring me here, Martin has to apologize to me too before I let this go!"

My mother swallowed her temper and pulled at me.

"Son. Apologize."

"Mom!" I looked at her, wronged.

But looking at that firm gaze of hers, I knew she was angrier than I was.

And yet, for tomorrow's wedding, she had no choice but to bow her head.

My parents were swallowing far more than I was.

Thinking of what they were going through, all I could do was lower my head to Willow.

"I'm sorry."

Once I'd said it, I had no mood left to play host or drink with the guests. I went straight back to my room.

Late into the night, I came across a post on Instagram.

The title: 【Spring a last-minute bride-price hike, and you'll have your husband's whole family eating out of your hand!】

I read through it carefully.

It was exactly the same as what had happened between me and Willow.