My period had never been late for more than a few days, yet this time, it had vanished for two whole months.
My boyfriend mistakenly thought I was pregnant, and, in his excitement, rushed home to plan our marriage.
But his mother’s reaction caught me completely off guard.
"Since you're pregnant, let’s save every penny for our eldest grandchild. We’ll skip the wedding banquet and the betrothal gift," she said as if she were doing me a favor.
I smiled sweetly. "Auntie, let me save you even more. You won’t have to spend a single cent."
Anthony Hector turned pale. Panic flickered in his eyes.
I swore then and there that I would never stay up late again.
And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, I woke up this morning to find that my period had finally arrived.
***
It felt like the sky had collapsed on me.
What a ridiculous misunderstanding…
I wanted nothing more than to find a hole to crawl into.
Thinking back to how overjoyed Anthony had been about becoming a father, I had no idea how to break the news to him.
The more I thought about it, the guilt gnawed at me.
His parents had been brimming with excitement, only to be left with nothing but disappointment.
After wrestling with my thoughts all morning, I finally made up my mind. I would visit them in person, explain everything and bring a small gift as a token of sincerity.
I didn’t tell Anthony. I simply grabbed the gift and headed straight to his house.
When I stepped out of the elevator, my fingers hovered over my phone, ready to text him. But then, I noticed something odd: the door wasn’t fully closed.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves and walked forward.
Through the small gap, I caught sight of Anthony happily chatting with his parents.
Just as I lifted my hand to knock, his mother’s voice drifted out.
"Now we can save a huge sum of money."
I froze.
I didn’t understand what she meant. But before I could process it, another voice followed.
"Since Aurelia is already carrying our family’s child, she has no choice but to marry. Whether she wants to or not is irrelevant. Forget the wedding and the betrothal gift; we're not spending another cent."
Anthony’s brows furrowed as he hesitated before speaking in a low voice. "Mom, isn't that a bit unfair? Aurelia has always dreamed of walking down the aisle in a wedding dress."
"What do you know?!"
His mother scoffed, her tone laced with impatience. "A wedding dress? That’s nothing but a waste of money!"
"When your sister got married two years ago, we gave her a betrothal gift of 288,000 dollars. Her husband ended up spending half a million on the wedding!"
"Your father and I still need money for retirement. Do you think we're going to throw another 500,000 on your wedding?"
Anthony’s expression darkened. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.
"I'm not asking you to touch your savings," he said, his voice controlled but firm. "But at least let me use the money I’ve worked for all these years."
At those words, Zora’s face twisted, her expression changing in an instant.
She parted her lips, ready to argue, but before a single word could leave her mouth, Oliver stepped in.
"Son, you know how hard it is to earn money," he said, his tone laced with reason. "How about this? Let’s go with your mother’s plan for now. If Aurelia has any objections, we can discuss it later."
"But—"
"No buts," Oliver interrupted firmly. "Filial piety comes first. Are you really going to defy your parents?"
I stood frozen at the doorway, my entire body stiff as ice.
If not for the weight of the gift bag biting into my palm, sending a dull ache through my skin, I might have thought I was dreaming.
Anthony and I had been together for six years.
I had visited his home countless times and every single time, his parents had treated me like their own daughter.
They would clean every corner of the house before my arrival.
They would prepare an entire spread of my favorite dishes.
They would even remind Anthony to treat me well.
Back then, I had felt blessed, certain I had found not only a loving partner but also a second family.
But now, as I listened to them coldly calculating my worth, it felt like a knife had been plunged into my heart.
They weren’t treating me like family.
Had I not come today, had I not overheard this conversation, I couldn't begin to fathom the pain I would have endured.
A cold numbness seeped into my bones, spreading from my head to my toes. The weight of the gift bag in my hand felt heavier than before, dragging me down with every step as I turned and walked away.
Just days ago, I had gone out of my way to make a trip home.
I knew Anthony’s family wasn’t wealthy. I had even planned to speak to my parents to ask them to lower the betrothal price, just so I wouldn’t add to his family’s burden.
