and raised the wedding demand from $25,000 to $120,000
before agreeing to marry her daughter to me.
Yet on the wedding day,
Mrs. Lee suddenly announced to the guests
that the child in Sophia’s belly wasn’t mine.
The guests froze in disbelief.
My parents were respected locally,
and the attendees were all people of status.
No one expected to hear such words at a wedding.
I immediately tried to reason with Mrs. Lee,
asking her not to make such jokes on such an occasion.
But she insisted it was true—
that her daughter had betrayed me.
Embarrassed, I turned to Sophia for help,
but she bowed her head, avoiding my eyes.
Seeing this, many began to believe it.
My father had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer a year earlier.
Knowing I was going to be a father
had given him immense joy.
Hearing Mrs. Lee’s words, and seeing Sophia remain silent,
he believed it completely—
and died of fury right then and there.
The wedding turned into a funeral,
yet Mrs. Lee showed no remorse.
“Come on, it was just a joke! Can’t you handle it?
Your dad already had terminal cancer,
don’t blame us!”
Sophia also defended her mother, saying
Mrs. Lee was only testing my attitude toward her.
Shaking with rage, I pointed at Sophia