Everyone in our circle knew the truth: after Lily Fox married Nathaniel Vance, she became a doormat.
Her husband didn't just mold her into whatever shape he pleased—he openly brought other women home right under her nose.
"They say marriage changes a woman, and in this case, the rumors are true. Mrs. Fox wasn't like this before," the gossips whispered.
"Exactly. Back in the day, if Young Master Vance so much as glanced at another woman, Lily would unleash her jealousy. She'd make sure he knew she was unhappy. Now? She's become a perfect, obedient little maid."
Everyone mocked me. They pitied the spine I had apparently lost.
I paid them no mind.
Until the day Nathaniel Vance finally panicked.
"Lily," he asked, his voice trembling, "why don't you try to control me like you used to?"
——
After the honeymoon phase of our marriage faded, the parade began.
One day, Nathaniel brought a sultry woman home, casually introducing her as his "cousin."
Before I could even react, this so-called cousin produced a glittering gold bracelet, her smile plastered on thick. "A little greeting gift for you, Sister. Please, accept it."
Nathaniel immediately produced a certificate of authenticity. "Pure gold, 200 grams. Worth two hundred thousand dollars."
I widened my eyes. "It's too valuable. How could I possibly accept this?"
He took the box and pressed it into my hand. "If it's for you, take it. A gesture of goodwill from Cousin."
And so it began.
Later, the scenario repeated itself with exhausting frequency.
"Cousins," distant relatives, old family friends—Nathaniel brought them all home. My hands grew numb from accepting their offerings. Gold and silver jewelry piled into a small mountain.
Watching me arrange my hoard, my best friend couldn't take it anymore.
"Lily, wake up! What cousins? Those are Nathaniel's mistresses. You've been bought off, don't you realize that?"
A faint smile tugged at my lips. "I'm not stupid."
"You *know*?" She stared at me, exasperated. "Then why are you still—"
"He started this game." My smile didn't reach my eyes. "I'm just playing along."
She left, her face clouded with suspicion.
As the jewelry piled higher, I stopped storing it. Instead, I melted it down.
I bought a professional set of tools and began polishing the metal myself.
*Skree-skree.*
The sound grated like teeth grinding together in the dead of night.
When Nathaniel discovered my new hobby, he startled.
"Lily, what on earth are you doing?"
"Hand-crafting a gift."
"A gift?" He paused. "For whom?"
"Guess."
His chest puffed out. "Something this valuable... surely it's for me?"
"Wrong." I didn't look up from my work. "The recipient isn't you. But if you really want one, I can make an extra."
"Well, can you tell me what it is?"
"When the time comes, you'll all know."
"*You all*? How mysterious."
He didn't dwell on it. He soon lost interest and went out to hunt for more "cousins."
After sweet-talking yet another woman, he felt smug enough to post on social media.
**[Women become fools after marriage. I like it.]**
Once his friends deciphered the subtext, the group chat exploded with admiration.
**[Nathaniel, how did you train your wife so well? Teach us your ways.]**
**[Lily Fox used to be a firecracker. I never expected her to become a sheep after the wedding.]**
**[Nathaniel, you're the man.]**
On my side, however, my girlfriends were furious.
**[Lily, how can you let people bully you like this?]**
**[We're humiliated on your behalf!]**
**[This is too stifling. How can you live like this?]**
**[What's the point of being a rich madam if you lose your dignity?]**
I ignored them all.
I kept my head down, stayed silent, and let the friction of the tools speak for me.
*Skree-skree.*
My best friend came to see me again a few days later. She looked like she had just discovered a new continent.
"Lily, I figured it out. I finally realized... all those women your husband hooks up with? They have one thing in common."
She leaned closer.
"They all look like the same person."
