Chapter 2

"You're really something, Mona. You're incredible!"

Mona was clearly pleased with herself. "Obviously."

"Oh, right, Mona, I got it all on video when you slapped Florence Henson up there. So badass!"

"Oh? Send it to me. I want to post it on my TikTok."

I quickly opened Mona's TikTok, and sure enough, she'd just posted a new video.

It was the footage of her slapping me seven times on the stage, except she'd muted the sound and added a caption dragging my name through the mud.

"My mother-in-law ran her mouth at my own wedding, and I refuse to let it slide! A woman is never a man's property. Even after marriage, I will never be oppressed by my husband's family!"

Someone commented under it: "What did your mother-in-law say?"

She replied below: "She said I have to give their family seven sons in six years, and if I can't, she'd make her son divorce me! So I slapped her back seven times, and after that she called me a whore."

She pinned that comment to the top and boosted the video with paid promotion.

In just twenty minutes, the video had been shared over a thousand times.

The comment section blew up, and every single one of them was cursing me out.

I was still scrolling through the comments when my son suddenly walked over to me, my parents right behind him.

"Mom, I just talked it out with your daughter-in-law. She's mainly upset that you didn't give a wedding gift, and that's why she lost control up there."

"I'm not just saying this to get at you, but your own son is getting married, and you, his mother, didn't offer a single thing. Your daughter-in-law was angry and hit you. Is that really so unfair to you?"

"You tell me yourself, is it unfair or not!"

Mom scolded me. "It's honestly not your daughter-in-law's fault for being angry. Florence, you handled this terribly! Marlin is your only son, and how could you offer nothing at all when he's getting married!"

Dad's face was dark. "Go apologize to your daughter-in-law right now, and make up for the cash gift! It has to be a big envelope. Don't embarrass the Henson family!"

Philippa spoke up for me. "Even if Florence didn't give a gift, that's no reason for Mona to hit anyone! She slapped Florence seven times in front of both families and all their friends. That's way over the line. She's the one who should be apologizing!"

Marlin jabbed a finger at Philippa's face. "This is my family's business. What are you, an outsider, butting in for? Who said you had any right to talk here!"

I pulled Philippa behind me, then took a bank card out of my bag.

Marlin asked, "What's this supposed to mean?"

"There's a million dollars on it. I was going to give it to you two after the wedding was over."

Marlin's face changed in an instant. "You should've said so earlier. Now you've gone and let your daughter-in-law get the wrong idea."

Just then Mona, changed into her toasting dress, made her leisurely entrance.

My son called out to her excitedly, "Mona, my mom's giving us a million-dollar wedding gift!"