My mother asked me to give my fiancé to my cousin
Chapter 1
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I was getting ready for the wedding, practically buzzing with excitement, when my mom
dropped a bomb. Right before the ceremony, she suddenly jacked up the price of the dowry.
Mark, my fiancé, hit the roof and, in a move straight out of a daytime soap opera, ended up
marrying my cousin, Tiffany.
Talk about embarrassing. I was mortified. Then,
out of nowhere, my childhood friend, Jake,
shows up. He agrees to marry me, and wouldn’t
you know it, suddenly my mom’s all about
lowering the dowry, practically shoving me out
the door.
Fast forward three years. Tiffany and Mark?
They’re the golden couple, topping the local
rich list. Me? I’m stuck at home, a stay–at-
home mom with two kids, feeling about as
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It’s the Fourth of July weekend, and the whole
family’s at my mom’s place for a cookout.
That’s when I overhear my mom and Jake
talking in the backyard.
“You’re a genius, Mom,” Jake’s saying. “Coming
up with that dowry trick to make Mark call it
off. Now Lisa got her dream wedding. But if
Ashley ever found out you basically set her up
to marry me for Lisa’s sake… you think she’d
ever forgive you?”
…I was coming back from the grocery store,
bags in hand, when I heard their conversation.
My mom, popping sunflower seeds like it was
an Olympic sport, answers without a care in the
world. “I’m her mother! I gave her life! What’s
she gonna do, not forgive me? I could tell her
never to marry at all, and she wouldn’t dare say
a word!”
“It’s just… you know, you also had feelings for
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Lisa, and now, you sacrificed your wedding just
for her happiness, that’s a big deal, bro!”
My husband, Jake, sighed. “Hey, if Lisa gets everything she ever wanted, is that really a sacrifice? She’s the sweetest girl I know. If she was stuck living a life where she struggled to make ends meet, that would kill me.”
“And the great thing is that she got her Prince Charming, is living in a mansion with a fleet of cars, it just all worked out!”
My mom gave Jake a pat on the back. “Well, look at you, playing the hero. Tiffany just gave Mark a baby boy, and Mark gave her like a million bucks as a bonus! They even hired three
nannies to help take care of the kid. She’s set
for life.”
Jake gave this satisfied little smile. “Yeah, I saw
how happy she was earlier. Mark couldn’t make
it ‘cause he was swamped at work, but he still
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dropped her and the baby off himself. Proof we
did the right thing.”
My chest was so tight, I felt like I couldn’t
breathe. This was the truth? My own mother liked Tiffany better than me, and my husband was still pining for my cousin. What was I, chopped liver?
These were supposed to be the people who loved me most, and they were all looking out for someone else.
Then, my youngest daughter woke up on my back and started screaming. Here I was, trying to be a good daughter by doing the grocery shopping, to take the load off my mom. I felt sorry for her, that she had been alone for so
many years.
“You’re back? Did you get Lisa’s favorite crab
cakes?”
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“And the chocolate milk for little Mikey?”
My mom and Jake peered at me, but no one offered to take the groceries.
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I carried the bags into the kitchen and carefully set my daughter down before making her a
bottle.
My mom and Jake went back to the living room to coo over Tiffany’s son. They had a great
time.
I rubbed my belly. I was almost three months
pregnant with our second child. I had to take care of my daughter and cook for everyone
else.
I bit back tears. I knew my mom favored Tiffany,
but I never knew it was this bad.
Jake caught me in the kitchen and said
dismissively, “Hey, Ash, don’t sweat it. Take
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My mom chimed in with a sugary smile. “See, Ashley? Jake’s such a sweetheart! You made
the right choice marrying him.”
Yeah, a sweetheart who only offers empty words.
My daughter finished her bottle and started fussing, wanting to be held.
“Go to Daddy, honey. Mommy needs to cook.”
