After my boyfriend found a pregnancy test result on the table, he refused to chip in for the wedding costs, wouldn't buy the traditional wedding jewelry, and even demanded that my family provide a house and a car as part of the marriage.

I was so furious that I broke up with him right then and there.

His mother just sneered and said, "When your belly starts showing, don't come crying to us."

Little did they know that the pregnancy test result was just a prop for a movie scene. I'm not even pregnant.

——

It was already twelve-thirty, half an hour past the time we agreed on, and Ryan Shaw's family still hadn't shown up at the restaurant.

Feeling anxious, I called Ryan, and the call was picked up almost immediately.

"Ryan, where are you?" I asked anxiously.

But it wasn't Ryan who answered—it was his mom.

"Aria," she said, "we just left. We'll be there soon."

Then she added, with a tone that threw me off, "Some things might seem urgent to you but not to us."

Her words left me completely confused.

I hung up and tried to reassure my parents with a smile. "Ryan got held up with something, but they're on their way now."

My mom gave me a look of disbelief. "Held up with something? Sounds more like they're trying to make a point, and you're just sitting there, grinning."

My dad stepped in to calm her down. "Come on, Ryan's treated Aria well these past few years. He probably just got delayed by something important."

My mom just rolled her eyes.

Finally, almost at one o'clock, Ryan and his family arrived.

My parents and I quickly stood up to greet them, but Ryan's parents didn't even acknowledge us. They just sat down, and his dad barked at the waiter, "What are you waiting for? Everyone's here. Start bringing out the food."

Their attitude left my family feeling really uncomfortable.

Soon, the dishes were served.

Trying to lighten the mood, my dad said, "These are some of the restaurant's specialties. You should try them."

Ryan's mom took a bite and said, "It's good, but no matter how tasty restaurant food is, it's never as clean as what you make at home. Don't you think, Aria?"

Suddenly put on the spot, I wasn't sure what she meant, but I nodded anyway. "Yeah, home-cooked food is definitely healthier."

Ryan's mom smiled, clearly satisfied. "Ryan mentioned that you eat a lot of takeout. That's really unhealthy, especially for the baby. A woman needs to learn how to cook for herself."

My mom suddenly shouted, "Aria, are you pregnant?!"

I was completely stunned. "No, I'm not!"

But then Ryan took my hand, looking at me earnestly. "Aria, you don't have to hide it. I know everything."

My parents were now staring at me, waiting for an explanation.

Panicked, I pulled my hand away. "Ryan, what are you talking about? What do you think you know? Please, explain."

Ryan calmly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to my parents.

The moment they saw it, their expressions changed completely.

My dad's brows furrowed, and my mom's were eyes filled with tears.

Meanwhile, I felt like I was surrounded by clues but had no idea what was going on. The suspense was killing me.

The atmosphere was tense until Ryan finally broke the silence.

"Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, it's really not a big deal. These days, no one thinks twice about getting pregnant before marriage. Aria and I are going to get married anyway, so we should just plan the wedding now while it's still early. That way, no one can say anything."

Ryan's words seemed to put my parents at ease.

But I was getting desperate. "Ryan, stop saying that! There's no baby, and I'm not pregnant!"

Ryan looked at me, displeased. "Aria, I know you're shy, but there's no point in denying it now."

My mom handed me the paper and said, "See for yourself."

That's when I finally realized what had happened. It was a pregnancy test result.

And Ryan had totally misunderstood the situation.

I'm a screenwriter for short films, and that pregnancy test result was just a prop from a scene we were shooting. Our production assistant messed up and accidentally put my name on it, so I kept the mistake as a memento from my first short film. I never expected Ryan to find it.

So, I tried to explain, "That pregnancy test isn't real..."

But Ryan's mom wasn't happy. "So what you're saying is that this isn't yours? That my son, Ryan, picked up a fake pregnancy test to fool you?"

I quickly responded, "No, it's mine..."

Ryan's mom shot back, "So you made a fake pregnancy test yourself?"

I shook my head vigorously, about to explain further, but my mom cut in, "Alright, I might've scared you before, but I'm not going to actually break your legs just because you're pregnant."

Well, that's it—there was no way to clear this up now.

My parents seemed to have made up their minds that I was definitely pregnant.

My mom smiled and said, "Mrs. Shaw, since they're getting married, how do you want to handle the wedding expenses, the traditional jewelry, and the reception?"

Ryan's mom smiled back, "Isn't that why we're here today? To talk about their wedding?

"If you ask me, we're not the kind of people who cling to old traditions. Aria and Ryan are both well-educated, so we should move past outdated customs like a dowry.

"Besides, gold prices are way too high right now. Let's wait for them to drop, and then we can buy the jewelry later.

"And as for the engagement ring, I think a fake one will do for now. Once Aria's further along in her pregnancy, her fingers will swell up anyway, and she won't be able to wear the ring. Plus, with a baby on the way, it's not practical to wear much jewelry. Ryan, on the other hand, can have a nice one. Men's rings have a simpler design, and they won't harm the baby, right?"

As Ryan's mom rambled on, my parents were struggling to keep their smiles in place.

But Ryan's mom seemed oblivious to their discomfort and continued, "We can hold the wedding here, but since we don't know the area well, we'll leave the planning to you. Our side doesn't have many guests, so just twenty tables should be enough."

That's when my mom finally dropped her smile. "We can handle the wedding planning, but who's paying for all of this?"

Ryan's mom immediately replied, "Well, since the wedding's happening here, it's only right that you cover the costs. And you'll need to arrange transportation and hotels for our relatives too. After all, this is a big day—everything needs to be top-notch so we don't embarrass ourselves in front of the family."

My mom let out a cold laugh. "Well, that's a first. I've never heard of the bride's family footing the bill for the wedding."

Ryan's mom caught the sarcasm in my mom's voice, and her face turned stern. "If your family doesn't want to pay, then there won't be a wedding. And when word gets out, it'll be your daughter who's left humiliated."

My mom's face turned pale with anger, but she didn't snap back. She just shot me a furious glare.

What could I do? I felt hurt, too.

Seeing Ryan sit there in silence, it was all too clear to me now.

All the love I'd given over the years—I might as well have been giving it to a wall.

Ryan's dad spoke up, "Actually, the wedding expenses aren't that much."

At this point, Ryan's dad paused, and my parents and I exchanged confused glances, unsure of his meaning.

Then he continued, "The real expense is the house."

My parents' faces darkened immediately.

Ryan's mom leaned back in her chair with a smug smile. "You'll need to cover the house. Ryan showed me Aria's place, and I think it's fine, but we'll need to add his name to the title. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel right for us to live there.

"And you'll need to provide a car as well, nothing too flashy—something in the range of $80,000 should be enough. It's better to keep things modest."

At this, my dad couldn't hold back any longer. "Are you suggesting that Ryan is going to move in with us?"

Ryan's dad reacted as if he'd been insulted. "Ryan is our only son. He can't move in with you."

My dad sneered, "You're offering no traditional gifts, and we have to handle the wedding as well as paying for the house. Now, you want us to buy a car, too. How is that not moving in with us?"

Ryan's mom looked at me with disdain, "Blame your indiscreet daughter. Now that she's pregnant, who else would marry her? If she doesn't offer something, why should my son accept her?"

I had already seen their true colors and was planning to break up with Ryan anyway. So the house, car, and wedding expenses were just empty words—they meant nothing to me.

But these comments were clearly personal attacks. How could I tolerate that?

I snapped, "You think I'm the one who's indiscreet? What about your son? He's just a washed-up loser I used to date.

"And even if I were pregnant out of wedlock, so what? It's a personal choice. Only people with outdated, narrow minds would make such a big deal out of it, and now you're trying to use it to leverage against my family?

"You want my family to pay for everything? Just look at him—he's barely worth my time, let alone any kind of settlement."

Ryan's parents were fuming red with anger. Ryan himself was stuttering, unable to form a coherent response.

I turned to Ryan's mom, lifted my chin with disdain, and said, "See? He can't even get his words out."

Ryan's mom finally lost her composure and started hurling insults at me.

But I'm a screenwriter—I can throw words right back. I matched her insult for insult, and in the end, I came out ahead.

Ryan, stunned by his mother's agitation, turned to me and said, "Aria Campbell, how can you be so vulgar?"

I huffed, "I adapt to the situation. If you think I'm being rude, I can be polite and insult you more eloquently."

Ryan's dad rolled up his sleeves, preparing to strike. "You bitch! How dare you insult my son and my wife! I'm going to show you what's what."

Before he could reach me, my dad intercepted him, "My daughter isn't for you to discipline."

I took the opportunity to hide behind my dad and said, "Ryan isn't my man, and your family isn't my in-laws. Today, I'm making it clear—I'm done with Ryan, and this wedding is off."

I grabbed my parents' hands and said, "Dad, Mom, let's go."

Ryan blocked my path, "Aria, apologize to my parents."

I spat at him. "Ryan, with your parents looking to drain my family dry, you have the nerve to ask for an apology? I'm going to pack your things up and leave them at the gate. You can come by later to pick them up yourself."

Ryan's face was serious as he said, "Aria, are you really going to be this uncompromising? You're your parents' only child, so those things will eventually be yours. We're just using them a bit earlier."

Hearing this, I was disgusted by how he could make such a self-serving justification sound so noble.

I sneered. "The things my parents have will be mine someday, but they will never be shared with you. Freeloader."

Ryan's eyes were red with anger.

Ryan's mom sneered, "Let them go. When her belly gets bigger, she'll come begging us."

Since I wasn't actually pregnant, I couldn't "get bigger".

But I didn't want to argue with them any further. Let them keep dreaming.