Not long after our engagement party, my future mother-in-law accused me of cheating. She stormed into my house with a gang of local thugs, cornering me inside.
“Don’t think you’re off the hook just because my son’s not here!” she yelled.
“I spent a fortune bringing you into this family, and you dare cheat on my son? I’ll beat you to death!”
She slapped me twice, hard, and ordered the group to start wrecking my home.
I watched her calmly, then pulled out my phone and messaged Harper.
[Forget about the marriage license. Also, when you get a chance, swing by HR and hand in your resignation.]
[By the way, we’ll deal with your mom assaulting me and destroying my stuff when you’re back.]
[One more thing, that $10,000 you put down for the engagement? It won’t even cover the damages, not even close.]
——
I was exhausted after work, so I had my driver take me home. When we reached my neighborhood, I noticed a mob of people blocking the entrance, yelling with righteous fury.
“Down with the cheater! Give back the engagement money!”
“A newlywed and already cheating? Bury her alive!”
It was a rowdy scene – people waving their phones, live-streaming the commotion.
“Hey, folks! You won’t believe this – she got caught cheating just days after the wedding! Her mother-in-law caught her red-handed!”
“Today, I’m going to show everyone what a shameless woman like her really looks like!”
I frowned, feeling disgusted by their vile words.
But I couldn’t deny it – they were attracting attention. More and more neighbors gathered around, craning their necks to watch the spectacle.
“Who’s the shameless woman? What a disgrace!”
“I swear, just because they look proper doesn’t mean they aren’t secretly trash!”
“Ew, that’s disgusting! Once we find out who she is, I’ll make sure to avoid walking past her house. Don’t want to catch any of that stink!”
The driver, annoyed by the traffic jam, honked continuously until the crowd reluctantly parted to let the car through.
As we slowly passed by, I caught a glimpse of an old woman sitting in the middle of the mob, weeping and cursing.
“That shameless bitch! We just paid her engagement money, and she’s already cheating while my son’s away on business! Someone help me get her out of this house and give us our money back!”
I recognized the voice but wasn’t in the mood to dig deeper.
After all, I wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s affairs, especially when I was this tired. I leaned back, signaling the driver to keep going.
My boyfriend had been away on a business trip I assigned to him, so no one was home to cook.
After a relaxing bath, I settled into the couch, ready to order takeout.
Suddenly, I heard loud banging on the door.
Puzzled, I stood up and opened the door, only to be knocked over as a group of people stormed in.
To my shock, at the forefront was my soon-to-be mother-in-law, Beatrice.
“You filthy tramp! Harper’s been away for only a few days, and you’re already sleeping with another man!” she yelled, kicking me as I struggled to stand.
One of the men shoved a phone in my face, filming everything.
“Look at this whore, everyone! She might look decent, but she’s as wild as they come!”
Enraged, I smacked the phone out of his hand, my hands shaking with anger.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? This is illegal – you can’t just barge in here!”
Beatrice just scoffed, kicking me again.
“Illegal? This is my son’s house! I don’t need your permission to come here. And don’t think you can get away with this – someone’s got to deal with you since my son’s not here!
“You think you can cheat on my son after I spent so much money to bring you into this family? I’ll beat you to death for this!”
I was stunned, about to ask if she had the wrong person, when she grabbed my collar and slapped me twice across the face, hard enough to make my ears ring.
2I was dizzy and disoriented from the blows, sitting on the floor for a long time before I could even process what was happening.
The onlookers’ faces were filled with disgust, and their comments were even nastier.
“Well, well, it’s you! Always dressing so fancy, but who knew you were so disgusting in private?”
“Your husband’s only been gone a few days, and you’re already in a hurry to cheat? Back in the day, you’d be drowned for this!”
One of the sleazier male neighbors even leered at me, suggesting I look him up when I couldn’t get satisfaction elsewhere.
I clenched my teeth so hard I nearly shattered them. Never in my life had I been insulted like this.
But for the sake of my boyfriend, I held back my anger and tried to speak as calmly as I could.
“Beatrice, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Yes, Harper isn’t here right now, but every day I tell him where I’m going and who I’m meeting. I’d never do anything like what you’re accusing me of. If you don’t believe me, call him and ask.”
I pulled out my phone, intending to call Harper, thinking she’d realize her mistake and check with him.
I was even ready to forgive her if she just apologized.
But instead of backing down, she got even more aggressive. She kicked my phone across the room, crossed her arms, and sneered at me.
“As if! You think I’m as gullible as my son? Since when does a thief announce they’re stealing before they get caught in the act?
“You’re just a cheating tramp! Look at the way you’re dressed – clearly trying to seduce someone!”
I glanced down at my cotton house dress, completely baffled.
Since when did wearing a knee-length dress at home become “seductive”?
Before I could respond, Beatrice lunged at me again, her hand raised to strike.
This time, I wasn’t caught off guard. There was no way I was letting her hit me again.
Without hesitation, I kicked her hard, sending her flying back with a scream.
“Beatrice, I’ve been patient and explained everything because you’re Harper’s mother. But if you lay a hand on me again, I won’t hold back.”
She sat on the floor, wailing, and the mob she’d brought with her surged forward, looking ready to pounce on me.
But I stood tall, cracking my knuckles with a fierce glare.
“Go ahead! I’ve been training in kickboxing for eight years. Let’s see who wants to be the first to give me some practice!”
They hesitated, clearly intimidated by my stance, but their insults continued.
“Don’t think we’re scared of you! We’re just holding back because you’re a woman. Otherwise, you’d already be begging for mercy!”
“Yeah, you’ve been acting all high and mighty, but today we’ll teach you a lesson, you tramp!”
Their words riled up the crowd even more. Even my usually polite neighbors joined in.
“With someone like you living here, the whole place is cursed. You should move out!”
“That’s right. You dress all fancy, but who knows what kind of person you really are underneath!”
I was fuming, my temples throbbing, ready to snap back when Beatrice suddenly sprang to her feet. She rushed to the dining table, grabbed an expensive porcelain vase, and smashed it to the ground.
I gasped, but before I could say anything, it was like a signal to the rest of them.
They went wild, grabbing anything they could get their hands on and smashing it.
One guy even climbed onto the couch, yanking down the painting on the wall – a genuine Monet – and stomping on it with a smirk.
“Look at this, folks! I’m wrecking this tramp’s precious stuff!”
I watched their destruction, my face cold as I gave one last warning.
“You’d better think twice. You can’t afford to pay for what you’re destroying. Don’t come beg me when the bill comes.”
But my words only fueled Beatrice’s anger. She glanced at my antique display shelf, gave me a taunting smile, and with a loud crash, toppled the entire oakwood shelf.
“Beg you? Everything you own was bought with Harper’s money! I’m just destroying what’s already his!”
3I stood there helplessly, watching as priceless treasures I’d collected over the years shattered at my feet.
Of course, it hurt to see them ruined, but I knew better than to confront these crazed people head-on.
Luckily, I had surveillance cameras set up all over the house. Every person, every item they destroyed – it was all being recorded.
One man, a middle-aged neighbor, crouched down, carefully sifting through the broken shards. After a moment, he hesitated and pushed up his glasses.
“Uh, Beatrice… these antiques… they’re real. I think they might be worth millions.”
I let out a cold laugh.
“You’ve got a good eye, but you’re not quite right. The pieces you’ve smashed? They’re worth over sixty million.”
Beatrice froze, then burst out laughing.
“Sixty million? Why don’t you just say sixty billion? These are just a pile of junk. I’d say six hundred bucks, tops. You always look so cheap when you come to our house – how could you possibly afford antiques worth millions?”
I sighed. Harper had explained to me before we got engaged that his mother had a lot of pride, and he didn’t want her to feel inferior. So every time I visited her, I dressed down, even driving a borrowed economy car, just to avoid making her feel uncomfortable.
But clearly, she’d misunderstood everything and assumed I was poor, living off Harper’s money.
I was about to correct her when one of her lackeys spoke up.
“Don’t worry, Beatrice! Smash it all! Even if it’s worth a few thousand, we can all chip in and cover it. We’ve got plenty of people here!”
I bit my tongue, deciding it was pointless to argue. If they wanted to smash things, let them.
It was all on camera, and I was curious to see how they’d react when they found out the truth.
In less than half an hour, the entire living room was in ruins. But they weren’t satisfied yet. Someone ran into my bedroom and came out holding a wooden tray.
On it was a set of rare emerald jewelry.
My face went pale, and I rushed forward to stop them.
“You can’t destroy that!”
This jewelry set wasn’t just priceless – it held deep sentimental value. My late grandmother had flown overseas the year I was born to purchase it at an auction, gifting it to me as a special keepsake.
4Just as my fingers were about to touch the tray, Beatrice snatched it away first. Her eyes were filled with contempt as she lifted the tray high above her head.
“This looks exactly like the cheap junk they sell at the market! And you’re treating it like some kind of treasure? Clearly, you’ve never seen anything real in your life!
“You’ve already wasted so much of my son’s money – what difference does it make if I smash this too?”
With that, she hurled the tray to the ground. I stood there, watching in horror as the precious jewelry shattered into pieces right before my eyes.
Tears streamed down my face.
My parents had spent most of their time abroad, and it was my grandmother who raised me. After she passed, this set of jewelry was all I had left to remember her by.
I had always imagined passing it down as a family heirloom to my future children with Harper.
But now, it was gone – destroyed in the most absurd way possible.
I knelt down, gathering the fragments in my hands, sobbing like a child.
Was this my late grandmother’s way of punishing me for being so blind in love?
The more devastated I was, the more excited the crowd became. They gleefully pointed their cameras at me, hurling insults and jeers:
“Look at her! Crying like a little tramp!”
“The more upset she gets, the more we know we’re doing a good job. C’mon, folks, let’s hit that like button! We need to make sure she gets what she deserves today!”
I wiped away my tears and stood up, frantically searching for my phone to call the police.
Just as I found it, a young man pushed his way through the crowd and into the house.
His face was filled with confusion and horror as he surveyed the mess. “What the hell is going on here?”
Beatrice’s eyes lit up with glee, and she pointed a trembling finger at him.
“That’s him! That’s the lover!”
Everyone froze for a moment, confused by her sudden outburst.
When no one else responded, Beatrice pulled out her phone and waved it in the air.
“Look! I have proof! Here’s a photo of her walking into a hotel with that man, smiling all the way!”