Chapter 1

1: 1

The moment I stepped down from the wedding car, my mother-in-law, dressed in a bold red gown, thrust a bowl of murky black liquid in front of me.

"Kate, back in our hometown there's a rule. A new bride has to drink this obedience soup before she comes through the door. From now on you take your mother-in-law's guidance in all things, no talking back, no rolling your eyes."

"Only when you've finished this bowl are you truly a daughter-in-law who's married into our family."

That bowl of black soup.

The smell turned my stomach so violently I nearly threw up.

I frowned and looked at Oscar Delgado. "What is this supposed to mean?"

Oscar rubbed his hands together and coaxed me under his breath.

"Just one mouthful. Pinch your nose and get it down, don't make my mom lose face in front of the relatives. You've always been the sensible one."

I smiled and pushed the bowl back at her.

"And if I don't drink it?"

Her face darkened. "Not drinking it means you look down on your husband's family. Then there's no wedding today!"

I lifted the hem of my wedding dress and spoke, unhurried.

"Since you all want to set rules, I've just remembered my family has one too."

Everyone froze and turned to look at me.

"Before a new bride comes through the door, the groom's family has to kneel and roll out the red carpet from the entrance all the way to the wedding suite. It means the husband's family paves the road, so every generation rises higher."

"Since you want me to be sensible, then you kneel first. Show me what 'sensible' really looks like."

1

"What did you say?"

The smile on my mother-in-law's face froze on the spot.

"You're the one marrying into our family. A bride who hasn't even come through the door yet, and you want your elders to kneel? The world's turned upside down!"

She slammed that bowl of black soup down hard on the table.

"This obedience soup stays right here."

"Today you drink it whether you want to or not!"

I let out a cold snort.

Obedience soup, my foot. It was nothing but a way to put me in my place.

Just two days ago I'd told my mother.

My mother-in-law was a simple, honest woman who wouldn't make trouble for anyone.

I never imagined that on the wedding day itself she'd force bitter medicine down my throat in front of everyone.

The commotion over here had set the crowd whispering, heads bent together.

Oscar couldn't take the embarrassment.

And he was still standing there smoothing things over.

"It's just a bowl of soup, isn't it? Take a couple of sips, pinch your nose, and it'll go down."

"That's how it's done back home. Every new bride we bring into the family goes through this."

"Kate, it wasn't easy getting here. We've been through so much to finally reach our wedding day."

"You can't throw all of that away over a little temper of yours."

I dropped the hem of my dress, my face cold.

I turned and looked at him.

"Like I said, before I drink this obedience soup, your parents kneel and roll out the carpet first."

"Nonsense!"

His father, who'd been silent this whole time, cracked his long pipe down against the table.

"Whose bride makes her in-laws kneel when she comes through the door? What would people say if that got out!"

"Kate Henson! I don't think your hometown has any rule like that at all. You're just deliberately turning everything on its head, aren't you?"

I tilted my head and gave a little smile.

"Weren't you the ones who started this?"

"I held back and didn't bring up my rule out of respect for both families."

"But since you insist on forcing bitter medicine down my throat, since you insist on this obedience soup with no room to talk it over."

I toyed with my bridal manicure and spoke lightly.

"Then we'll just have to go by both families' rules."

This bridal manicure had cost me five hundred dollars, freshly done.

Such a shame, really.

The room fell silent, sinking into awkwardness.

Then Oscar's childhood friend Eleanor Simmons suddenly spoke up with a cold laugh.

"Kate, Auntie doesn't mean any harm. It's just an old custom, everyone's been through it. Why do you have to be so precious about it?"

I turned to her and sneered.

"What does any of this have to do with you?"

Her face went pale, and she stiffened her neck.

"I'm Oscar's childhood friend. He's like a real brother to me, and Auntie's practically half a mother to me."

"You humiliating Auntie in front of everyone like this, I won't stand for it."

"Oh?"

I let out a cold laugh.

"You're saying you're Oscar's sister?"

Eleanor eyed me warily and nodded.

"And what if I am?"

"Don't think marrying into the Delgado family makes you better than everyone else."

"This family values filial duty above all."

"Now that you're the Delgado daughter-in-law, you should do as your in-laws say."

I smiled too and clapped my hands.

The bridesmaid behind me caught my meaning at once and handed me something wrapped like a chocolate.

"Since you're Oscar's sister."

"Then now that I've married in, of course you're my sister too."

"This is your welcome gift."

"Where I'm from there's another rule. On a bride's first day through the door, no one is allowed to refuse the bride's welcome gift."

"So, right here in front of me, you eat this first."