The Bride Who Was Meant to Die

The wedding day was fast approaching, and my mother-in-law insisted on holding the banquet at her hometown, claiming it was a family tradition.

But what I didn’t expect on the wedding day was for her to tie a rope around me and demand that I jump off a cliff, saying it symbolized rebirth.

However, long before the wedding, I had overheard my mother-in-law talking to my boyfriend about arranging a posthumous marriage for me with his younger brother.

So, I immediately turned the tables and tied her up instead. "Mom, how about you try it first?"

On the day of the wedding, when my mother-in-law suggested I marry my brother-in-law in a posthumous ceremony, I slapped her without a second thought.

"Anyone who wants to participate in this kind of ritual, go ahead! But count me out!"

…

We had been together for ten years, from dating to marriage, but it wasn't until the night before the wedding that I realized I never truly knew him.

For ten years, everyone praised us as the perfect couple. Even my mother, who had always opposed me marrying Silas Hart, had relented.

But I never imagined that Silas’s mother, Meredith, would become the greatest obstacle between us.

The first time I met Meredith was at a western restaurant near our school. From the moment she walked in, she acted like she owned the place, throwing subtle jabs about how I was wasting her son's money.

"Emily, that dress looks really good on you. It must’ve cost quite a bit, huh?"

Before I could even process her insinuation, I answered honestly, "It’s not too expensive."

But then, Meredith let out a dismissive snort.

I awkwardly glanced at her and noticed her ill-fitting outfit. My heart softened slightly. "Aunt, after dinner, I’ll take you shopping for some clothes."

To my surprise, Meredith immediately put down her chopsticks with suspicion. "Don’t think you can use my son’s money to buy me gifts."

"Aunt, I’m using my own money..." I smiled helplessly.

"Silas, Emily’s using her own money. Stop her mom from making wild accusations." Silas gave Meredith a disapproving look.

Of course, Meredith was even more enraged. "Emily, what kind of nonsense are you talking? You’re about to join the Hart family! Your money is my son’s money—what’s mine is his."

"Such ignorance. What kind of upbringing did your parents give you?"

I forced a smile, feeling the embarrassment of the situation, but out of politeness, I didn’t respond angrily.

However, Meredith continued with no intention of stopping. "I heard you’ve been with my son for ten years. Does that mean you don’t need to give a dowry?"

"On top of that, you should bring another 500,000 for your marriage dowry!"

"Once you marry into the Hart family, you’re not allowed to go out and flaunt yourself. Stay home and take care of us."

"Also, now that Silas works at the famous Sterling Group, there are plenty of women who want to be my daughter-in-law."

"You better appreciate this opportunity—there aren’t many men like my son."

Meredith kept going on and on, and I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I subtly tugged at Silas’s sleeve.

Silas quickly interrupted her. "Mom, enough!"

"Silas, you know I’m your mother. You’ve been dating without consulting me. Don’t you think you should show me more respect? Are you just going to pick any girl you want?"

"Don’t forget what you promised me! All these years, I’ve been telling you to come back, but it turns out you’ve been blinded by some little slut. If I hadn’t found you, would you have stayed away forever?"

"Mom! Please stop."

Although Meredith was cut off by Silas, I still felt uncomfortable.

Just then, my father called me to come home. As I was about to leave, Meredith stopped me. "It’s rude to leave when the elders haven’t finished eating."

"How about you pay the bill? After all, it’s proper for a daughter-in-law to show some respect to her mother-in-law."

Before I could respond, Silas shot me a look, signaling me to pay the bill.

I didn’t want to get into a pointless argument, so I went to the front desk and told the manager to waive their bill.

The truth was, I owned this restaurant—Silas didn’t know that, though.

When we first started dating, I knew Silas came from a rural background and might feel insecure, so I never mentioned the condition of my family.