“She hasn't even married in and she’s already attacking her elders! What will she do after she joins our family?!”
Whispers turned into open judgment from the surrounding relatives.
“She’s outrageous!”
“What kind of woman is this, Ivan?”
“No respect for her elders—her upbringing must be terrible!”
A few of Ivan’s cousins pushed through the crowd and grabbed my arms.
“She doesn’t know the rules? Then we’ll teach her.”
“Yeah, we'll put her in her place!”
I struggled with all my might. “Let go of me! Who gave you the right to grab me?!”
But I was outnumbered and couldn’t break free.
They yanked off my coat and forced a rough, musty mourning robe over me.
The coarse sackcloth scratched my skin, sending stings of pain across my body.
“Ivan!” I shouted, eyes brimming with tears. “Are you really going to stand there and let them do this to me?!”
With one last shred of hope, I looked at him.
But his face remained cold and indifferent.
“Ashley,” he said flatly, “these are the rules in our Lopez family. If you want to marry me, you need to follow them.”
Then he raised his leg—and kicked the back of my knees.
A sharp cry escaped me as I collapsed, knees slamming hard against the cold ground.