Peggy had mocked me in front of relatives and friends more than once, calling me a useless man who couldn't even father a child. She'd even pressured me into getting tested at the hospital.
The results came back perfectly normal. After that, the subject was quietly dropped.
She'd been taking birth control the entire time. She'd even planned to let me raise another man's child like a fool.
Adeline let out a cold scoff. "Maybe you should think about how your family treated me. That whole wedding settlement mess? I hated it from the start."
Peggy spat on the floor. "That pathetic bride price. Your family hemmed and hawed forever before coughing it up. So cheap it made me sick. I never wanted my daughter marrying you in the first place."
My mind flashed back to the wedding three years ago.
We'd agreed on a bride price of $999,000. A lucky number.
But on the day of the wedding, Peggy told Adeline to stay in the car and refused to let her step out unless we paid an extra million as a "door fee."
I thought it was outrageous, but Adeline sat in the wedding car dabbing at her tears, saying her mother only had one daughter and life hadn't been easy for her.
I gritted my teeth and paid.