From Small to Crazy

My future mother-in-law loved to twist the truth. She gave me 1,300 dollars as the wedding fund, then told everyone it was 130,000. All she did was take me to a jewelry store to try on a few pieces, yet she went around bragging that she had spent tens of thousands on me. I told myself it was fine. I was going to spend my life with my husband, not her. So I swallowed it. Until the night before the wedding. We had a minor argument, and he let it slip without thinking. "My family already spent 150,000 dollars just to marry you. What else do you want? "We've spent 130,000 just for the wedding. Anyone who didn't know better would think your family was selling a daughter." For a second, I could not even speak. That money had never passed through his hands. Both families had sat down and discussed it together. However, he believed every word his mother had said. He really thought I had taken some outrageously expensive wedding gifts. That was when it finally sank in how wrong I had been. So when my future mother-in-law sent me a pathetic 1,000 dollars for the wedding banquet, while telling everyone she had given me 15,000, I stopped holding back. On the wedding day, I swapped out the luxury banquet for instant noodles. Then, I played her stingy little transfer on a loop for all the guests to see. Chapter 1 When the waiters brought out buckets of instant noodles, the entire room fell silent. Every guest froze. Then, the whispers started. Their expressions turned strange, eyes full of disdain. My mother-in-law, Nancy Tucker, looked like she had just swallowed poison. As for me, I acted like nothing was wrong. I picked up the microphone and cheerfully waved to everyone to start eating. "What are you all waiting for? Go on, eat. Don't tell me none of these flavors suit your taste," I said. Nancy's face twisted in disbelief. She could not hold it in anymore and snapped at me, saying, "Jessica! This is a joke, right? You're serving instant noodles at a wedding banquet?" I let out an icy laugh. "What else should we be eating at this wedding banquet?" All eyes turned to me at once, sharp and piercing. Nancy's face flushed red. She looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor. "What kind of wedding serves this? Other people prepare full meals with meat and seafood! You're humiliating the Jones family!" The guests' murmuring grew louder. "I mean, even poor families wouldn't do this. At worst, they'd cut a few meat dishes. Who serves instant noodles at a wedding?" "And they're not even poor. This has to be some kind of joke, right?" Exactly. Even families with little money would try to make their banquet look decent. However, at my wedding, every single guest had nothing but a cheap cup of instant noodles in front of them. No sausages. No eggs. Nothing extra. I smiled at everyone. "You're overthinking it. This is today's menu." My husband, Erick Jones, finally snapped out of his shock. Then, he slapped me across the face. "Jessica, how can you be this cruel? Just to pocket the 15,000 my mom gave you for the wedding, you'd do something this disgusting?" A flicker of guilt crossed Nancy's face, but she quickly covered it up and turned the blame on me. "Everyone, please judge this situation for us. Haven't we treated our daughter-in-law well enough? "We gave her a wedding fund of 130,000 dollars. Even with gold prices so high, we still spent over 10,000 on her jewelry. "Why would you still steal from the banquet budget and embarrass us in front of everyone?" The guests began pointing at me, their faces filled with disgust. "This daughter-in-law is vicious. If we didn't know better, we'd think the Jones family did this on purpose." "Seriously. I've seen gold diggers, but never one this shameless. Erick is really unlucky to marry someone like her." Chapter 2 When Nancy realized that the guests believed her lies, her eyes filled with pride. "Jessica, hurry up and call the hotel staff. Tell them to bring out the dishes we originally ordered: chicken, fish, seafood, all of it. "We won't hold this against you. After all, Erick likes you." I curled my lips slightly. My cheek still stung. She still wanted seafood? Did she deserve it? "Sure," I said calmly. "As long as you pay for it, you can eat whatever you want." Erick seized my arm, anger blazing across his face. "Jessica, do you even have a conscience?" I let out a sharp, icy laugh and tore myself free. "That's funny. You're the one who doesn't. "Your mom only gave me 1,000 dollars for the wedding, but told everyone it was 15,000. "Why should I spend my own money to make your family look good?" Nancy panicked when I exposed her so directly and shouted at me. "You little liar! What nonsense are you talking about? I gave you 15,000! Don't try to deny it!" Erick looked at me with disappointment. "This is my wedding! My mom isn't my enemy, so why would she give you a thousand just to embarrass me?" The guests nodded, thinking that he made sense. Even a cheap buffet costs more than 1,000 dollars. How could a hotel wedding be done with that? They all started criticizing me. "People get married to build a life together. You got married just to scam your in-laws." "One wedding and you got 130,000 dollars. Why even work? Just marry someone rich." Their words felt like knives stabbing into me. "A woman this cruel deserves consequences." I did not argue anymore. Instead, I turned on the giant screen in the hall. The transfer records and chat history Nancy had sent appeared clearly for everyone to see. … She had only transferred 1,000 dollars, clearly labeled as wedding preparation money. Nancy was always like that; she would spend the least to gain the most reputation. From the first time I met her, she gave me only 100 dollars but told others it was 10,000 to show how much she valued me. Back then, Erick comforted me. He said his mom was short on money, but did not want others to think they did not value me. Later, he made up the difference, so I let it go. However, when it came to the wedding, she went even further. Every time money was involved, she rushed to transfer a tiny amount, then exaggerated it afterward. For my wedding dress, she sent 100, then claimed she spent over 10,000. Then, it was about the wedding fund and the gold jewelry. She either exaggerated the amount or completely made it up. When I complained, she confidently said, "This is for your reputation. If people knew we gave you 130,000, they'd envy you. "Our relatives will see how much we value you." I told Erick about it. He promised to talk to her. However, after talking, he ended up believing her lies instead. The guests looked at each other. "It really is only 1,000 dollars. Nancy, that's not right." Chapter 3 Erick frowned. Nancy panicked. "I…I must have transferred the wrong amount! Yes, that's it; I sent the wrong amount!" Then, she turned and blamed me. "I clearly transferred 15,000 dollars back then! How could it be just 1,000? "I'm getting old. My eyesight isn't what it used to be. That's normal. However, why didn't you remind me sooner? Why wait until the wedding to say anything and humiliate me in front of everyone?" I was just about to pull up another chat record when Erick shot me a look full of disgust. "Jessica, did you do this on purpose? Are you trying to embarrass my family? "We already gave you 130,000 dollars for the wedding, and you're still making a scene over my mom transferring the wrong amount. Do you really have to make this so ugly?" I looked at Erick and felt like I did not even know him anymore. That gentle, considerate man had changed in an instant into someone blind and completely ruled by his mother. I let out an icy laugh and looked at both of them. "Oh, so it was a mistake? Well, the hotel already prepared everything based on the 15,000-dollar menu. "If you pay the remaining amount now, everyone can still eat." I had wondered before if Erick had really been fooled just because he trusted his mother too much. He knew his family's financial situation better than anyone. They could not even come up with 15,000 in total. How could they possibly afford 130,000 in wedding money for me? Sure enough, when Nancy heard what I said, her face froze. However, that idiot Erick was still not satisfied. "You seriously embarrassed my mom, didn't even say sorry, and now you still expect her to pay? "Apologize to my mom right now! And you're paying for today's expenses, too! Otherwise, forget about this wedding! "And that 130,000 dollars? Return every cent of it. A woman like you doesn't deserve a single dollar from our family!" The moment he said that, Nancy quickly grabbed his arm. "No, Erick! As long as you can be with the person you love, I don't mind suffering a little." Erick gently patted the back of her hand, his tone firm and resolute. "No. You're my mom. If I were to let you suffer, what kind of man would that make me? "Today, I'm going to stand up for you no matter what!" Most of the guests were Nancy's relatives, so of course, they took her side. "Nancy, you're just too kind. Who knows how badly you'll be bullied in the future?" "Exactly! Erick is doing this for your own good. You can't hold him back." "Spending 130,000 to marry a wife, only to let your own mother be treated like this? No decent person would do that." As the situation spiraled further out of control, everyone kept bringing up the wedding money. Nancy was so flustered that she did not know what to do. … Her voice started to tremble, almost breaking into tears as she kept tugging at Erick. "Erick, it's a happy day. Let's finish the wedding first, and we can talk about this privately later, okay?" Then, forcing herself, she turned to the guests. "The banquet… I'm truly sorry for making everyone witness this. I sincerely apologize. "I hope you can still stay and witness my son's wedding." Not once did she mention paying the bill. Erick, frustrated and disappointed, grabbed Nancy's hand tightly. "Mom! You don't need to be this humble! "You've raised me all these years. If I let you be wronged because of an outsider, then I'm an unfilial son! "What's more important, getting married or standing up for you?" Nancy's heart skipped a beat. No matter how hard she tried, she could not force a smile. Chapter 4 "No, I'm not wronged at all. I'm begging you, please. Let's just finish the wedding first, okay?" Nancy said, her voice pitiful and strained. Erick refused. He turned to me. "If you still want to marry into the Jones family, then apologize to my mom and return the 130,000 dollars!" The Jones family relatives immediately gave him an approving thumbs-up. "That's right! You only have one mother. If a wife doesn't behave, you can always replace her." "I seriously don't know what's so special about this Jessica. What makes her think she can demand 130,000 dollars for the wedding?" "Don't let an outsider break your mother's heart." The more Erick listened, the more convinced he became. "Jessica, hurry up and apologize and return the money for the wedding! "Otherwise, this wedding is off!" Nancy tried to say something, but her relatives pulled her back. All she could do was look at me with pleading eyes. I almost laughed. If she dared to do that, why be afraid of getting exposed? Still, I figured she had learned her lesson. Erick and I had once shared real love. Even though I had no intention of going through with that wedding anymore, I was willing to leave his family a shred of dignity. So I said to Erick, "Arguing about this in front of so many people is embarrassing for everyone. "Let's have the guests leave first. Then, we can sit down and talk it out in private." However, Erick suddenly raised his hand again, about to slap me. "Don't even think about it! I've spoiled you too much. That's why you think you can bully my mom like this! "Today, you will apologize, and you will return the money! Otherwise, I won't let this go!" Nancy had no choice. She broke free from her relatives and rushed forward, grabbing Erick's arm just in time to stop his hand from hitting my face. "How about this, Jessica? Just return the card that holds the money for the wedding." As she spoke, she shot me a meaningful look. My eyes flickered, but I agreed. The moment I took out the card and handed it over, Erick snatched it first. He knew Nancy's ID information and her usual password, so he quickly checked the balance on the app. Then, he turned the screen toward everyone and let out an icy laugh. "Jessica, you really have no shame. Out of 130,000 dollars, you're only planning to return 1,300? "Let me tell you, you will return every single dollar of that 130,000. Otherwise, I'm calling the police!" At that point, there was no going back. Nancy gave up pretending and said, "Jessica, how could you do this? Just return the full amount. If this ends up at the police station, you'll be the one embarrassed." I had already given them a chance. They were the ones who refused it. If that was the case, they could not blame me for being ruthless. I pulled out my phone and dialed the police. "Fine. Let's call them. Let the police confirm whether I've even spent a single cent from that card! "Spreading lies and making false accusations can land you in jail, too!" … Nancy let out a sharp scream, rushed forward, grabbed my phone, and smashed it to pieces on the ground. I almost laughed from anger. "So, you don't want me calling the police? Fine. We can check the bank records. That will prove I'm innocent just the same," I said. Nancy's eyes darted around, and she suddenly started acting hysterically. "I'm just a country woman. How would I know anything about bank records? Who knows if you tampered with them in advance? "I see it clearly now. You just don't like me. Fine, I'll just go and die, okay?" With that, she ran toward a pillar and slammed her head forward, though she was clever enough to sneak glances at everyone's reactions. Chapter 5 So, of course, she was stopped before she could actually hit the pillar. The way Erick looked at me, it felt like he wanted to devour me alive. Some of the relatives could not help frowning. "Bank records aren't something an ordinary person can tamper with. Nancy, you're overthinking this." Nancy struggled free and rushed toward me. She grabbed my arm tightly, her fingers digging in, and lowered her voice as she begged. "Jessica, I was wrong. This makes me look really bad. "I swear I'll never lie again. Just help me with this once. Transfer the 130,000 dollars, okay? "Once this is over, I'll pay you back!" I shook her off and stepped back. I was not stupid. That was 130,000 dollars. Leaving aside whether she would ever pay it back, the moment I transferred the money, it would be like admitting I had taken an outrageous amount of wedding money and deliberately targeted Nancy. I would be stained for life, with no way to clear my name. So I said calmly, "I won't transfer a single cent unless you can prove that you actually gave me 130,000 dollars for the wedding." Erick, as if something had snapped in his brain, kept saying things that made no sense. "Jessica, my mom would never lie to me. If she says she gave you 130,000, then it must be that amount! "She's just a simple woman from the countryside. She wouldn't understand all these tricks, and she'd never imagined you could be this vicious. Why would she think to keep any evidence?" Quite a few relatives nodded in agreement. "Jessica, just return the money. Nancy is trying to protect you by stopping you from calling the police. If this turns into a fraud case, you'll go to jail!" "Did you spend it all already? Is that why you can't return it? Then, at least write an IOU." "If you're that desperate for money, go earn it honestly. Why scam decent people?" They surrounded me, pressing in from all sides, completely unreasonable. Of course. They were Erick's relatives. Who else would they side with? I looked straight at them and said, "I was only given 1,300 dollars. I will not return any of the so-called 130,000. "Check the bank records or call the police. I'll go along with either." Suddenly, Erick kicked me to the ground. A sharp, piercing pain shot through me. My face went pale, and my body curled instinctively. A warm sensation spread beneath me. I was just about to check what it was when Erick grabbed my hair again and slapped me across the face. "Jessica, I must have been blind to fall for someone as vicious as you! "From the very beginning, you were only with me for my family's money, weren't you?" The pain in my abdomen twisted like a knife, over and over, until my whole body trembled. Blood spread beneath me, staining my white wedding dress. My child…was gone because of Erick's kick. That realization wiped away the last trace of feeling I had left for him. He knew I was pregnant… Struggling, I reached into his pocket and yanked out his phone. Then, I bit down hard on his wrist. When he cried out in pain, I shoved him away and quickly pulled up the bank records. My eyes burned red as I shouted at everyone. "Look carefully! From the start, this card has never had more than 1,500 dollars in it!"