My sister-in-law knocked down the wall between the two largest rooms in my house, transforming them into her own private bedroom.
The second-largest room, which has an attached bathroom, was given to my in-laws. As for my husband and me? We were left with the smallest room that was barely big enough to fit a bed.
I was upset and tried to reason with them.
But my father-in-law immediately took his daughter's side.
"Are you getting married or not?"
"If you don't want the baby in your belly, then go get an abortion. We're not short on grandchildren, so don't think you can use the child to threaten me."
I turned to leave, but not to the hospital.
Later, they came to my neat house again and begged me to go back.
——
Aeson Curry and I had been dating for five years. We registered our marriage last month and planned to hold the wedding during the National Day holiday.
On the eve of the wedding, my husband took me back to his hometown.
That was the first time I saw the house we'd be living in after marriage.
It was a spacious two-story villa.
Aeson led me upstairs to drop off our luggage.
But once we got up there, we both froze.
The largest bedroom was filled with my sister-in-law's belongings. Clearly, she was living there.
The other second bedroom, which had a toilet, was occupied by my in-laws.
This meant the only room left for us was the smallest one and it didn't even have a toilet.
I wasn't happy about it.
Aeson didn't look too pleased either.
He immediately went downstairs.
"Hela, why are you staying in the master bedroom? And wasn't this originally a four-bedroom house? You even knocked down two rooms to make one big space just for yourself."
His sister casually blew on her painted nails, then looked at me provocatively.
"So what? Can't I stay in the master bedroom after I get married?"
"Of course you can't."
Aeson snapped.
"What kind of married woman comes back to her parents' home and takes the master bedroom? Your husband isn't living here. You're hogging the master bedroom in both your in-laws' and your own parents' houses. How does that make sense?"
Hela suddenly jumped up. Her bright red nails pointed at my husband, but her words were aimed at me.
"You petty, small-minded people! This is my parents' house too. How dare you complain about which room I stay in? This is outrageous!"
She then turned to Hector.
"Dad, be fair. Tell me, can't I come stay at my own family home?"
The older man took a slow drag from his cigarette before delivering his verdict.
"Of course you can, dear. Stay wherever you like. You don't need anyone's permission."
Aeson was clearly upset. He felt I was being wronged.
Even Maia hesitated, quietly agreeing that the arrangement wasn't quite right.
"Well, you two can take our room with the bathroom. Your father and I will move out."
Hector agreed, but Hela immediately bristled.
"Why should they? You're just letting them push you into the smaller room the second they come back? Who do they think they are?"
This time, not only Aeson but I was also furious.
Seeing my face turn dark, my husband quickly pulled me into the room.
"Think about the baby, don't get upset. I'll handle everything."
He went back out and had a heated argument with his sister.
Hela burst into fake tears, dramatically packing her things as if she were about to leave.
"Now I get it. A married daughter is like spilled water and this home is no longer mine to return to. Dad, Mom, I'm leaving. I won't ever come back."
Maia's eyes welled up.
"Oh, my poor daughter. You've suffered so much. It's your brother's fault for marrying such an unreasonable woman."
Hector slammed the table.
"Whoever wants to kick my daughter out, I'll kick them out first!"
If I continued to stay without any self-awareness after everything that had been said, I would come to loathe myself.
I pulled open the door and looked at Hela, who was still feigning her departure.
"You don't need to go, Hela. This will always be your home. I'll be the one who doesn't come back."
"Whether it's the main room or the smaller one, you can knock down all the walls if you want, no problem at all!"
I turned and walked out without another word. Aeson immediately grabbed our luggage and followed.
But then, my mother-in-law yanked me back.
"Iris, what do you mean by this? The wedding's just days away. Are you trying to make a scene?"
What a joke. I'm the one making a scene, she said?
This was my wedding and yet I wasn't even given the main bedroom, not even a room with its own bathroom. Now, that woman had the nerve to say I was the unreasonable one?
My father-in-law wasn't any better. He slammed the table angrily again.
"If you two walk out of this house today, don't ever come back. Don't just put on a show!"
Hela kept adding fuel to the fire.
"Yeah, I want to see if she really dares to leave. Iris, with your family's background, you're lucky to marry into ours. You should be grateful. What are you acting so high and mighty for?"
She wasn't wrong. Their family was wealthy. This was just their old house; they owned several properties in the city. But every single one was under my in-laws' names.
Not a single apartment belonged to either my husband or me. They acted as if I were a gold digger, guarding their assets as if I were a thief.
