Chapter 1

The wedding car stopped in front of the Gilbert family chapel, and through the veil I could see all of Peter Gilbert's family.

He held my hand tightly. "Cora, don't be afraid. All these people just means my parents think highly of you."

In front of the chapel, before the ceremony had even started, my mother-in-law, Ada Dickerson, handed me paper and a pen.

"Sign it. If you're marrying into the Gilberts, you need to know your place."

It said that if I didn't give birth to a son within a year of the marriage,

the three houses and five shops from my dowry would have to be signed away.

But Peter clearly suffered from low sperm count. Getting pregnant at all would be difficult, let alone having a son.

Sensing how I felt, Peter unfolded the paper and pushed the pen into my hand. "Cora, it's just a signature. We're all family."

Hearing him keep pushing, I said furiously, "Is the Gilbert family dying out? Not only are you eyeing my womb, you're scheming after my houses too?"

1.

"Cora Fox, why are you being so nasty? What do you mean, scheming?"

Ada was furious. She sat in the carved armchair and glared straight at me.

"Once you marry into the Gilbert family, you're one of us, and your things naturally belong to the Gilbert family."

The onlookers murmured back and forth.

"Peter, look at the fine wife you married. She just has to make Mom angry on such a happy day."

The one speaking was Chloe Abbott, Peter's eldest brother's wife.

While she rubbed Ada's back to calm her, she pulled rank as the senior sister-in-law and tried to talk me down.

"Cora, maybe you don't know, but this is a Gilbert family custom. I signed it too when I got married."

"Mom is thinking of you and Peter. It's just a signature. It's a safeguard."

Looking at that face full of calculation, I spat hard.

"A safeguard? A safeguard for whom? For your worthless son?"

The first clause of the agreement said that if I didn't give birth to a son within a year,

the three houses and the two shops in the best locations from my dowry

all had to be transferred unconditionally into her son's name.

"You—you—Cora Fox, I'm your elder sister-in-law. Jayden is the eldest legitimate son of the Gilbert family."

"It's your good fortune that he wants your things."

Looking at that greedy, insatiable face, I said coldly, "No ability is no ability. You're robbing people in the open and still dressing it up so grandly?"

"You Gilberts really are shameless, every single one of you."

Smack. Ada slammed her hand hard on the table.

"Peter, look at the wife you married."

With just that one sentence, Peter gripped my hand tightly and tried to make me sign the paper that carved up my premarital assets.

I took aim at his foot, lifted my heel, and stomped down hard.

He yelped in pain and jumped, and I pointed at the paper and demanded of Ada and Chloe,

"Since this is a Gilbert family tradition passed down through the generations, where's the paper you two signed when you married in?"

"Bring it out. Let me see what you two used to give this bunch of useless Gilbert men a safeguard."

Ada was stunned. She never expected this daughter-in-law—so respectful to her before the wedding,

who bought her jewelry every time they met—would defy her in front of so many people.

"Didn't you sign one? Bring it out!"

I stepped up to Chloe, who looked at Ada with a wronged expression. "Mom, look at her."

Ada glared at me viciously.

"Don't glare at me. The bride price your Gilbert family paid for her—I'm the one who helped cover it."

Two years ago, Peter's eldest brother got married.

The bride price was 388,000 dollars, but the Gilbert family could only scrape together 88,000.

The remaining 300,000 came from me.

"Where's the paper you signed? Bring it out! Stop putting on a big act when you've got nothing to show."

Chloe's face went pale.

She muttered, "I gave birth to Jayden, so the agreement was void long ago."

She stroked the giant baby beside her who could only babble, her face full of glory.

"That's right. Chloe gave birth to the Gilbert family's eldest grandson, so of course the agreement is void."

I looked at Ada's sour, sarcastic face.

"Whether it's void, or you never signed at all—you two know best."

I ripped off the veil and slammed the paper down hard on the table.

"Whoever wants to sign it can sign it. Either way, I, Cora Fox, am not signing."