Chapter 7
kept a polite smile on my face. “Sorry, we’ll never be family. Officer, please bear witness, I’ve transferred 1.88 million back to him.”
This time, instead of using WhatsApp, I wired the money directly to his bank account to settle everything at once.
The police officer explained Tara’s entire scheme in detail, including the possible trial
outcome.
Mrs. Royce sneered with rage, “She must be heavily punished! That shameless woman, coveting my son and ruining his engagement. Ugh!” There was no intimacy with Tara like before.
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After leaving the police station, Thomas held my hand, he looked sincere.
He said something that made me feel that my choice was not wrong, “Olivia, how about
this? Let’s stick to 18.88 million for the bride
price. Sound good?” His voice wasn’t even cold yet and Mrs. Royce’s face already darkened.
I glanced at him, amused yet utterly detached, “If you’d confronted me about the swapped dowry money instead of
immediately calling the police, maybe I could have respected you as a man.”
”
I continued, “But what did you do? You called the cops. That says everything. You don’t trust me. You don’t think I’m worthy. 1.88 million to
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me? That’s less than a month’s paycheck. I
told you over and over again, it’s just a formality. But you never believed me.”
he
Thomas’s expression became something I couldn’t quite read, almost as if he had awakened to something. Perhaps, like me, too had been trapped by the societal pressure of being older and single, treating dating and marriage as mere formalities to check off.
We never had much genuine affection to begin with. Meanwhile, when Mrs. Royce heard that 18,800 dollars was less than my monthly salary, her eyes lit up instantly, “It was a misunderstanding, misunderstanding! Olivia, it’s my fault, all my fault for falling into Tara’s trap. It’s all on me, nothing to do with Thomas. Please don’t let this break your
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relationship.”
I had no intention of arguing further. I turned and waved dismissively over my shoulder, leaving only one parting sentence. “The more you cling to this, the messier it will get.” I said flatly.
When I got home, Mom was busy cleaning the paint from our door.
Several neighbors, who had been berating us just a couple of days ago, now pretended to act friendly and offered to help, “I knew it! How could someone as capable as Olivia need to extort a bride price?”
“That guy’s clearly a fool, getting played like a puppet by that woman.”
x*x*
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Mom didn’t say a word. As I approached the doorway, the neighbors immediately surrounded me, bombarding me with questions about how everything turned out.
Patiently, I answered each question one by
one.
Is it true that distant relatives aren’t as
dependable as close neighbors? Or is it just because small troubles can easily escalate? Either way, I simply didn’t want to create unnecessary drama.
If I lashed out at them today, then on a day when Mom might need their help at home, they probably wouldn’t lend a hand.
After seeing the neighbors off, Mom looked at me with a mix of helplessness and affection
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and said, “Silly girl. Are you not angry anymore?”
I chuckled cheerfully and said, “Why would I be angry? They’re just irrelevant people.”
After the case was closed, I finally felt that my rebirth mission was complete. Immersing myself in work brought me a comforting sense of normalcy.
When I thought I would never cross paths with Thomas again, he showed up at my doorstep. Not only did he bring money, but also gold jewelry and flowers.
The neighbors gathered once again to watch
the commotion.
Calling me outside, Thomas got down on one knee, “Olivia, I was wrong before. Can we
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start over? From now on, I’ll trust you unconditionally. No matter rich or poor, you will always be my one and only!” It was practically like a wedding vow!
I raised a hand to stop him, “I won’t. It’s not happening. Stop bothering me.”
Refusing to back down, Thomas grabbed my hand and took out a bank card, “Olivia, this cash is 18.88 and this is my salary card! Just give me one more chance, okay?”
My head began to throb, now this was what you call a truly persistent pest.
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