I said, “Why is your cousin driving my car? Where did he even get the keys?”
Eddie slowly walked out of the house, his hands tucked behind his back. “I took the keys from your bag,” he said casually.
“Misca, you’re just a girl. Why do you even need a car? It’s not safe.”
“Since David just got his driver’s license, why don’t you just give the car to him?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Give it to him? Why should I? Tell him to bring it back within five minutes, or I’m calling the police.”
Deborah suddenly came running out, jabbing her finger at my face and yelling, “Why should you? Why should you?”
“You’ve married into our Fitzgerald Family, so that means you’re part of our family now!”
“Your car is now our car—the Fitzgerald family’s property!”
“You want to call the police? Go ahead. Try it. I’ll beat you up myself!”
I replied coldly, “I think you’re seriously mistaken. I didn’t marry into your Fitzgerald family.”
“It was Vino who married into my family.”
“And even if we have kids in the future, they’ll carry the Swan surname—not the Fitzgerald surname.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Vino’s face twisted into an ugly expression. That’s when it hit me—he hadn’t told them the truth.
Deborah turned red with fury. She pointed at me and screamed, “Nonsense! Utter nonsense!”
“My son is a top student from a 985 university. And you? What are you?”
“You think you can make my son marry into your family? You’re dreaming!”
“Get out of here! We’re not marrying you anymore. Go back to wherever you came from!”
Eddie joined in with a stony face and said, “Leave. You’re not welcome in our home.”
I was so angry I could barely stay standing. Glaring at them, I said to Deborah, “Fine. If you want me gone, give me back my money.”
Her eyes flickered with panic. “What money? What are you talking about? Don’t make things up!”
I nodded calmly. “Alright then. If you won’t return it, I’ll see you in court.”
Without another word, I turned around and started walking toward the village exit.
I knew there was a long-distance bus that left from the town ten miles away. I’d rather walk under the blazing sun for hours than stay another second in Vino’s disgusting home.
Vino ran after me, stomping his foot. “Misca! What’s wrong with you?”
I laughed through my anger. “What’s wrong with me? Vino, I should be asking you—what’s wrong with you?”
He looked around nervously, clearly afraid I’d spill everything in front of his parents. He dragged me into a corner, out of sight.
With a frustrated look, he scolded me, “Misca, who told you to bring up the part about me marrying into your family?”
“My parents care a lot about appearances. You brought that up in front of them—what do you expect? You embarrassed them!”
“I’ve always been the pride of this village and now you’re shouting things like that out loud. What will the neighbors think? Where’s my dignity?”
I let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. “So now I’m the one who’s wrong?”
“Vino, you knelt at my family’s house for three days and nights, begging to marry into our family. You moved my parents with your sincerity.”
“And now that we’re engaged, you’re backing out? Were you planning to trick me into marriage all along?”
Vino furrowed his brows. “What trick? Don’t put it so harshly.”
“Yes, I do want to marry into your family. But here, in my hometown, I still need to save face. When necessary, you have to lower yourself a bit.”
“My mom scolding you a few times isn’t a big deal. All daughters-in-law here go through this kind of thing.”
I nodded slowly. “I see. So you planned to fool both sides.”
That set him off. “Misca, are you done? Just because I’m marrying into your family doesn’t mean you can treat me like trash.”
“Let me tell you, I’m doing this because I love you. But if you take advantage of that love and act like this, you’ll regret it!”
I looked him dead in the eye and said with a smirk, “I already regret it. Goodbye.”
