When I prepared to marry my boyfriend, his mother gifted us a brand-new house.

But to my surprise, my future sister-in-law—who'd married into the family ten years before me—just up and moved into my new home. She stood there like she owned the place and announced, "Why should you get the new house? Both our husbands are sons of this family. How can they play favorites like this?"

The truth is, when she got married, my future in-laws had given them a house of equal value too. It's just that ten years had passed, and their once-new home had simply grown old.

My future mother-in-law just wiped her tears, clearly torn, but she didn't say a word.

So I smiled and agreed to switch houses with my future sister-in-law.

But she didn't stop there. "I've taken care of Mom for ten years," she said. "I spend no less than five thousand dollars on her every year. That's fifty thousand over ten years. You two should split that cost with us—just give me twenty-five thousand."

The truth was, my future mother-in-law had spent those ten years helping them raise their kid, even draining her own pension into their household.

I turned to look at her. Still, she said nothing.

What they didn't know was that James Carter and I hadn't even filed our marriage license yet. They'd shown their true colors way too soon.

As far as I was concerned, I wasn't setting one foot into that family anymore. And I swore that I'd turn their whole house upside down.

I smiled faintly and asked Samantha Sterling, "Since you think everything is so unfair, why don't we switch everything? What do you say?"

A flash of delight crossed her face, clearly not expecting me to be so agreeable. "Fine. We'll switch."

She lifted her chin with smug pride. "I'm not taking advantage of you. As the eldest, we're the ones who've always been at a loss!"

My future mother-in-law, Cami Ulrich, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. Beaming at me, she said, "Lyndis is so sensible. James has such good taste—he married such a wonderful wife!"

James looked at me with open pride, his eyes practically declaring that I was the best woman in the world.

I stepped over to James's older brother, slipped my arm through his, and leaned my head lightly against his shoulder.

"In that case," I said sweetly, "from now on, I'll switch husbands with Samantha. I'll live with Nick, and she can be with James."

James's expression changed instantly. He yanked me back, his voice sharp. "Have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you talking about!"

There it was—he couldn't keep his composure anymore. No more playing the invisible man.

I stared at him and sneered with a smile. "Oh? I thought you'd suddenly gone mute. Guess not."

Looking embarrassed, he tried to placate me. "Don't throw a childish tantrum. We're all family—if there's something to say, let's talk it out calmly."

Samantha's face darkened even further. "Lyndis, what do you mean by that? Switch husbands? Do you have no shame at all?"

I smiled lightly. "Wasn't it you who said that since both James and Nick are brothers, it's unfair for you to use the old while we use the new?

"I'm only thinking of you, Samantha. If you want everything new, shouldn't that include people too?"

Samantha flushed red with anger, her neck stiff as she shouted at Cami, "Mom, listen to what she is saying! Is that even something a human would say?"

Cami turned to me. "Lyndis, that's going too far. You're sisters-in-law—you should get along."

Samantha snapped impatiently, "Enough with the useless talk. Let's get to the money. You two need to hand over the 25,000 dollars right now!"

I looked at James. He had turned mute again.

So deep down, he agreed—I was supposed to give his sister-in-law that 25,000 dollars.

When I agreed to marry him, my family hadn't asked for anything. We weren't short of money.

His family had only to provide the marital home, and the property was registered solely under James's name.

Since I was eighteen, my parents had already bought me several properties outright. So I had never cared whether my name was on the deed of the marital home.

I hadn't expected that my understanding would be seen, in their eyes, as weakness—that I was easy to manipulate, an easy target to take advantage of.

Seeing that I had no intention of paying up, Cami began to persuade me earnestly.

"Lyndis, you've just gotten married to James, so it's normal that you don't understand the family situation yet. It's alright—I'll explain, and then you'll see.

"Samantha has been part of this family for ten years. Over those years, she's taken very good care of James.

"As the saying goes, the elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Your sister-in-law has contributed so much to this family over the past decade—you should feel grateful for everything she's done."

I was so angry I laughed. Turning to James, I asked bluntly, "Dear, did you grow up drinking your sister-in-law's milk ten years ago?"

James choked on his own saliva, his face turning as red as an apple.

"Of course not! Don't talk nonsense!"

"Then why does Mom want you to be grateful to Samantha? Sounded like she raised you or something."

Samantha flew into a rage, pointing at my nose. "You! You! You have no manners at all! Were you raised that filthy, or are you just rotten at heart?"

James hurried to placate her. "Samantha, don't be angry. Lyndis is young—don't stoop to her level. We'll pay the 25,000 dollars. You've worked hard taking care of Mom all these years. I'll transfer the money to you right now."

With that, James generously transferred 25,000 dollars to Samantha.

That sum was his entire savings from five years of work—money he had originally been saving for me.

Just this morning, I had handed it back to him because he said he wanted to start a business.

Since it wasn't my money, I didn't stop him.

Only after receiving the money did Samantha's expression improve. She immediately began preparing to move, ordering me around as if I were a maid.

"Lyndis, hurry up and help me move. I've got quite a lot of things. Contact a moving company. Make sure it's a good one—don't hire anything cheap or unreliable."

I stood there, letting out a cold laugh. Suddenly, Cami grabbed my hand and pulled me toward Samantha's house.

"Lyndis, just treat it as exercise for weight loss. Normally, you'd have to pay to go to the gym. Now you can help your sister-in-law move and get a free workout."

She dragged me all the way there.

But I didn't lift a finger. I simply stood aside, watching them work.

From time to time, Samantha shot me disapproving glances, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Some people are just born lazy. Not like me—I was born to work hard, running around all day long. James, wouldn't you agree?"

James busied himself helping her move, smiling as he flattered her.

"You're a virtuous wife and a loving mother. Now that the family is better off, you won't have to work so hard anymore."

For the first time, I found James's handsome face utterly repulsive.

And in that moment, I finally understood—marriage isn't just about two people loving each other. It's truly a union between two families.

The gentlemanly grace and refinement he had shown me throughout our four years in college now felt like flaws I could no longer tolerate.

I couldn't be bothered with them anymore. Picking up my phone, I headed out.

But as soon as I reached the door, it started to rain. That was when I suddenly remembered—the car keys were with James.

I turned back to get them. Just as my hand touched the metal doorknob, I heard Samantha say, "Lyndis is spoiled absolutely rotten. Someone like her? Forget cooking or doing laundry—she wouldn't even bother tipping an oil bottle back up if it fell over.

"When it comes to taking care of Mom in her old age, it's still going to fall on me! If you're expecting anything from Lyndis—let me be blunt—even if Mom had to eat shit, Lyndis wouldn't get it to her while it was still warm."

Cami jumped in, clearly eager to stay on Samantha's good side. "Samantha, I've always known you're the better daughter-in-law. I'll be counting on you going forward. Lyndis is a pampered young lady. Just taking care of her own parents someday will be more than enough of a burden for her. How could I ever rely on her?"

Samantha let out a cold snort. "Mom, you can't play favorites. If Lyndis won't put in the effort, then she should at least contribute money."

"Yes, yes, of course," Cami agreed immediately. "I'll definitely make her pay. You gave me my eldest grandson—you're the greatest contributor in my eyes. Don't worry, I'm on your side."

At that moment, I no longer felt like leaving. They wanted to take advantage of me? What a ridiculous daydream.

When I stepped inside, James was right there. Which meant he had heard every word his mother and sister-in-law said about me—and yet he stood there like a bystander, silently enjoying the spectacle.

Samantha glanced up at me without the slightest hint of guilt. "Did you call the moving company?"

"No."

Her expression darkened as she was about to lose her temper, but James quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Samantha, I'll call them. I'll handle it."

She shot me another look before continuing with her tasks.

Once the movers arrived, all the heavy lifting was handed over to them.

Cami, exhausted, pounded her back and suddenly turned her gaze on me. "Lyndis, we've all been working hard all day. We're tired—why don't you make dinner tonight?"

I was just about to snap back when James shot me a look, signaling me not to lose my temper.

He smiled and intervened. "Mom, Lyndis doesn't know how to cook."

Samantha sneered. "The rich girl really is something else. Spoiled at home by her mother, and now she's acting like a delicate flower after marrying into our family? How's someone like that supposed to take care of a husband and children?"

Afraid of upsetting Samantha, Cami whipped around to me. "Lyndis, if you can't cook, then forget it. You can take us out to a restaurant instead. You just married into this family—it's only right you treat everyone to a nice meal."

Before I could answer, James jumped in, scared I might refuse. "Of course, of course. We're family. It's only right."

I was practically dragged by him into a five-star hotel.

Well, this was clearly a coordinated effort to fleece me.

Samantha ordered only the most expensive dishes.

Cami, like someone seeing the city for the first time, beamed as she said, "I've never had Lafite from '82 before—let's get a few bottles."

Then she turned to me. "Lyndis, you don't mind, do you?"

"Mom, you're overthinking it," James cut in. "Lyndis' family is quite well-off. Why would she care about a little money?"

I smiled faintly, my meaning unclear. "That's true. We're not some ultra-wealthy family, but we're certainly not short on money."

Cami's face lit up. "Then I'll go ahead and order."

"You go ahead and order whatever you like," I said lightly. "Don't worry about me—I won't be joining. I'm not hungry, and I won't be eating. I'm just here to keep you company. Enjoy yourselves."

Hearing that, Cami and Samantha added several more expensive dishes.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the server came with the bill.

"Hello, your total comes to 88,500 dollars."

No one moved. Every pair of eyes turned to me, waiting for me to pay.

"Why are you all looking at me?" I said coolly. "I didn't touch a single dish—not one bite."

Cami's expression changed instantly. She forced an awkward smile as she scolded, "We agreed you'd treat us. You knew exactly what we were ordering—what do you mean by refusing to pay now?"

I smiled as if watching a show unfold. "I never agreed to that. Besides, I don't treat strangers to meals—especially not meals this expensive."