One Joke, One Broken Engagement

I had never met such shameless people.

To defend my father’s honor,

I firmly refused Sophia’s demand.

But she and Mrs. Lee went online,

livestreaming their sob story.

They accused me of abandoning my wife and unborn child,

and claimed my mother had affairs with other men,

which drove my father to his death.

My mother argued back online,

but her address was doxxed,

and while grocery shopping,

she was beaten to death by vicious strangers.

One blow after another left me broken.

On the day I was fired from work,

I stumbled into the street in a daze

and was killed by a passing truck.

After my death,

Sophia used her pregnancy to inherit all of my estate.

But she never cherished the child—

once the inheritance was secured,

she mercilessly ended the pregnancy.

Not only that,

she later complained to Mrs. Lee:

“That family is cursed with short lives.

Thank God I never really married into it!”

Remembering what happened in my past life,

I burned with hatred,

wishing I could tear apart the grotesque mouths of that mother and daughter.

Reborn again,

I vowed to make Mrs. Lee taste the bitter fruit

of her own “joke”!

The next day was our wedding.

At Mrs. Lee’s insistence,

it was held in a downtown luxury hotel,

with 88 tables of guests.

Just before the banquet began,

the staff told me Mrs. Lee had added two more tables.

I smiled and shook my head—no problem.

The more witnesses, the better.

The ceremony began.

Traditionally, the father walks the bride down the aisle,

but Sophia had grown up without a father,

so Mrs. Lee took that role.

As in my past life,

the officiant asked if the mother of the bride

had any words for her new son-in-law.

At that moment,

my fists clenched tightly.

I knew the show was about to begin.

Mrs. Lee looked at me with a pained expression.

“David, at such an important moment,

I can’t bear to hide the truth from you any longer.”

I forced myself to remain calm.

“Mom, what is it?

Why would you say that at such a happy time?”

In my past life,

I had replied the same way—

truly confused why she would bring up sorrow on such a day.

But this time, my words carried a warning,

urging her to think twice.

Yet Mrs. Lee didn’t hear it.

Lost in her own world, she declared:

“I don’t believe the child in Sophia’s belly is yours.

I have to tell you this to your face.”

Silence fell instantly.

All eyes turned toward me,

filled with sympathy.

After all, what could be more tragic

than learning on your wedding day

that your bride’s child isn’t yours?

I quickly adjusted my expression,

forcing out a look of pain.

“Mom! How could you say such a thing?

Even a joke must have limits!”

Mrs. Lee frowned, scolding me:

“You’re not married to Sophia yet,

but I already see you as my son.

That’s why I’m telling you the truth.”

I raised my head and smiled coldly.

“So what you mean is,

I should thank you?”

Mrs. Lee froze in shock.

She never expected me, usually so mild-tempered,

to openly defy her.

She thought she could test my limits

and control me completely.

But my reaction was beyond her expectation.