In the living room, a massive, dark table loomed under the dim lighting.

The men gathered around were smoking and chatting in clusters; their eyes fixated on me as though they hadn't seen a woman in years.

Their stares were unabashed and unsettling.

I instinctively covered my chest and turned to leave, but Roger grabbed my wrist firmly, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Where are you going? You're the star of the show today!"

"But I'm dressed like this?" I whispered, still in disbelief.

It was hard to reconcile that my well-off fiancé lived in this gloomy, spider-webbed shack.

"Vivian, come on! Everyone's waiting for you!" An elderly woman approached, pulling my hand with surprising strength. Her face, wrinkled and revealing yellowed teeth, made me shudder.

I yanked my hand away. "Don't touch me!"

The men in the room burst into laughter. "Oh, she's a spicy one!"

"The flavor's perfect!"

Feeling their scrutinizing gazes, I refused to step inside.

Roger pointed at the elderly woman. "This is my mom. You need to call her ‘Mom.'"

"Seriously?" I gaped at the woman, whose face was a spitting image of Roger's but looked seventy at least, despite Roger being in his twenties.

Seeing my shock, Amanda, as she introduced herself, pulled out two heavy gold bracelets from her pocket and slipped them onto my wrists.

She leaned in and whispered, "New brides need to go through a bit of teasing. You're shy, so just bear with it for now."

The bracelets were worth at least 100 thousand.

I hesitated for a second before she tugged me inside.

The room erupted into chaos as soon as I entered.

The nearest uncles lifted me up as a group, and I was gently placed on a glass turntable in the middle of the room.

Kneeling on the table, I felt like a small, embarrassed animal.

The noise grew louder as I realized everyone's eyes were on me.

"Ah…" I tried to reach for my coat, shouting, "Roger, are you a statue? Get me down now!"

Roger just waved dismissively, standing at the door without moving.

"Roger, let me down, or I'll call the cops!"

"Call the cops? You're overreacting!" Amanda rolled her eyes from the sidelines.

The spinning slowed as the uncles nearest to me pulled out stacks of hundred-dollar bills.

The man closest to me placed a stack gently on the table, followed by others who did the same.

Is this their version of a gift?

"What are you all doing?"

Panic rose in my chest, and tears started streaming down my face.

Suddenly, the turntable stopped.

I opened my eyes to see a woman who looked just like Roger gently wiping my tears.

"Oh, that's just how we do things around here. It's your engagement today, and everyone's thrilled. Didn't expect you to be so sensitive and end up in tears, did we?"

Her voice was soft, and she was dressed neatly.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Roger's eldest sister, Margaret Luray."

"Margaret?"

Roger had always told me he was an only child and that everything in the family was his.

I eyed Margaret suspiciously, only to notice that she was flanked by two more identical-looking women.

Roger introduced them one by one.

"This is my oldest sister, Margaret Luray, my second sister, Maia Luray, and this is my youngest sister, Amy Luray."

"What? Your family doesn't practice birth control or something? Or…"

A chilling thought crossed my mind. "Is it… a preference for sons?"

The dilapidated house, the rough manners, and the three sisters who seemed to have little formal education.

I touched my belly and squatted down, clutching Roger's hand with a whimper.

"I think I'm feeling unwell. I need to use the restroom."

Maia, who seemed the least friendly, yanked me away from Roger and led me to a corner, away from prying eyes.

She tugged at my elegant dress with frustration. "Do you think you're some kind of movie star? Dressing like this and trying to seduce who exactly? You asked us for 500 thousand dollars dowry? You're lucky you're getting such a son like Roger!"

As a nurse, I'd heard all kinds of gossip, but the jealousy on her face was palpable.

I pointed at her belly. "You... you... you… is that child Roger's?"

"What are you babbling about?" She slapped my face dismissively. "It's just our local custom. We're afraid that if a woman leaves her home, she might never return, so a son is kept here. When the baby's born, he'll call you ‘Mom!'"

It turned out my three sisters-in-law would leave three sons, didn't they?

My face paled with fright, and I clutched my stomach as I dashed to the outhouse.

To my horror, Roger's family used a latrine, which was disgusting enough to make me gag.

Maia heard my retching and, with a frown, followed me inside. She grasped my belly roughly. "You're pregnant too? My brother wouldn't touch you. Whose bastard are you carrying? Women like you, who have no manners, would be drowned in the well here in our village."

"Your village? I'll just expose your customs online. We'll see if any other woman dares to marry into your village. I'm sure even mosquitoes will avoid it." I glared at Maia, determined to flee at the first opportunity.

But she wouldn't let the matter go; she raised her hand to slap me.

"Without my brother's exceptional status, do you think we would go to the trouble of marrying you in for such a high price? You're just ornamental and useless. Once my brother arrives, I'll have you chained like a dog!"

When she saw the terror in my eyes, a smirk graced her face. "You're lucky. In the past, we would've just had a matchmaker bring you in. No need to spend so much money."

"You evil people, you're lying to me!" I took deep breaths to calm myself.

She rubbed her belly and shrugged. "If we don't have the money, we have to think of ways. We tricked you into thinking our family was perfect, and now that you're engaged, you're stuck here."

When she saw my eyes darting around, she chuckled. "But you're different. You were bought with a large dowry. Once my brother is wealthy, he can marry a younger and prettier girl. You're old and past your prime; marrying a village elder as a second wife would be perfect for you!"

I was furious and desperate; what kind of twisted logic was this? "I'm not marrying him. I'm going back home!"

I pushed her away fiercely and struggled to run down the road.

"And where do you think you're going?" she yelled, seizing my skirts and pulling them down, exposing my chest. If this went on, everyone in the house would see.

I kicked her in the stomach and turned to run.

As I ran, I looked back to see her lying on the ground, glaring at me with a mix of malice and hatred!

It was as if she was saying, "Run away, see if I don't catch you and break your legs!"

I couldn't let them find me.

I kicked off my high heels, wrapped a fertilizer bag around my shoulders, and ran for my life into the mountains.

As soon as I reached the mountains, I saw Roger leading a group of people pointing down the road. " Chase her down! We've spent 500 thousand for her dowry. I can't let that money go down the drain."

A mix of fear and disappointment washed over me as I covered my mouth, weeping silently.

It was then that Amanda helped Maia up from the toilet floor and, to her shock, found blood on her hands.

She screamed in panic, "Call an ambulance, quick!"

Hiding in the bushes, I watched with a smirk.

If it weren't for your deceit, she wouldn't have been kicked to the ground.

My experience as a nurse told me her swollen belly wasn't real; she wasn't pregnant at all.

The ambulance arrived swiftly, and Amanda sobbed as she boarded.

I rushed out and directly collided with the ambulance's hood, blood pouring down my face and head.

Amanda, spotting me, gave a smug grin at the people in the ambulance. "This is my daughter-in-law. She's not all there in the head. I'll have someone take her away right now."

She kept shouting, "Amy, Amy! Hurry up and help your sister-in-law!"

I clung desperately to the ambulance's bumper, trying to hold on. "I'm a nurse at the City Hospital. My name is Vivian. If you don't help me, if something happens, not only will you lose your jobs, but you'll ruin your whole lives!"

Amanda scoffed at my words, seeing me barely hanging on.

She gave me a sharp smack on the head, her grin widening. "We're all from the same village. Just drive, drive quickly. My daughter-in-law is really losing it!"