Chapter 1

As we exchanged rings at the wedding, my mother-in-law suddenly knocked our hands apart. With a smile on her face, she picked up two trash cans and stepped between Jerome and me.

"Our Herrera family has a tradition. The bride's mother has to wear two trash cans around her neck, and everyone gets to throw their trash into them."

"It symbolizes the elders taking away all the bad luck from the past and bringing the newlyweds a fresh start."

I glared angrily at Jerome. "What kind of ridiculous tradition is this? Why didn't you tell me about it?"

Jerome turned to me and said calmly, "It's meant to bring us good luck in the future."

Ignoring my objections, Jerome's adopted younger sister, Giselle, immediately stepped forward and put one of the trash cans around my mother's neck.

Mom froze in shock, then looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

My mother-in-law and Giselle burst into laughter. Then, from who-knows-where, they produced a rotten egg and hurled it at Mom. The force of the throw made the veins on the back of their hands bulge.

I rushed in front of my mother, but I was still a second too late.

The rotten egg struck her cheek, leaving it swollen, while the foul-smelling liquid splattered all over my million-dollar wedding dress.

The stench instantly spread through half the venue. The guests seated in the front rows immediately covered their noses.

Furious, I spun around and raised my hand to slap Giselle, but Jerome reached out and caught my wrist in a firm grip.

"Giselle was only doing this for us. After the wedding, I'll give you two villas."

Mom lowered my hand and gently patted my back. "It's just to ward off bad luck. It's a happy day, so try to be happy. I'm fine."

The guests collectively sucked in a breath and exchanged uneasy glances.

But my mother-in-law and Giselle pointed at Mom and laughed mockingly, occasionally bursting into loud, cruel laughter. Jerome simply stood to the side, looking at my mother and me with undisguised contempt.

I clenched my fists. As I stared at the egg residue still clinging to Mom's carefully styled curls, I suddenly felt as though I couldn't breathe.

I stared coldly at the entire Herrera family. Then, slowly, I pulled out my phone and played a video.

In the video, a trash can was firmly fastened around Giselle's hairline, while her limited-edition dress was covered in filth. She clutched the trash can with both hands and screamed at the camera, "I'll never dare refuse to pay the money back again! Please, don't post my nudes!"

As I looked at the disdainful expression on Jerome's face, all I could see in my mind was the image of him lying in my arms, his body covered in blood.

That year, he had taken a bullet from the mafia to save me after I was kidnapped. His blood had stained my white dress red, and as he lay dying in my arms, he had weakly promised that he would love me for the rest of his life.

And now, he was standing by coldly as my mother and I were humiliated.

In that moment, the last trace of love I had for him vanished without a trace.

……

My mother-in-law's smile froze on her face, twisting into something almost feral as she lunged at me with her claws bared.

Giselle's face went pale as she rushed to snatch my phone away from me. As she struggled for it, she shouted, "That's an AI-generated video!"

I quickly hid the phone behind my back, but a powerful force yanked it out of my grasp.

The next second, my phone was slammed hard onto the red carpet.

When my mother-in-law saw the shattered pieces, a trace of satisfaction flashed across her face.

Her voice was sharp and shrill. "Celine! I see you've decided you don't want to marry into the Herrera family anymore, huh? If you don't want this marriage, there are plenty of unmarried girls who would beg for the chance!"

Furious, I spun around and met Jerome's eyes. There was hatred in his gaze.

"Are you really going to make a scene at our wedding?" he asked in a low voice.

"My mother only did it because she wanted to bring us some good luck. Did you really have to use an AI video to smear a girl barely in her twenties?"

My fingertips trembled with anger. My mother's hair still reeked of rotten egg, yet my so-called husband was furious at me for Giselle's sake.

I turned around and saw my mother crouching on the floor, picking up the pieces of my phone. She looked up at the guests with an embarrassed smile.

"This is just a little surprise from the newlyweds for everyone."

The guests immediately lowered their voices, but their whispers soon turned into laughter.

"They really went all out just to marry into the Herrera family."

My anger flared all over again.

For this wedding, Mom had personally paid for the venue and hired the emcee, all because she didn't want anyone saying that I was marrying above my station.

Yet now, not only had the Herrera family humiliated us in front of everyone, but the guests were laughing at us too.

"Jerome, I'll deal with the phone later. Right now, you need to apologize to my mother." I intoned coldly as I helped my mother to her feet.

Her fingers gently smoothed down my messy hair as she spoke softly.

"Celine, people only get married once in their lifetime. Once the wedding is over, we can sit down and talk about everything slowly."

Seeing that no one seemed to be mentioning the video of her anymore, Giselle immediately covered her nose dramatically.

"Ugh, what is that smell?"

She deliberately sniffed around the air, making a show of it before her gaze finally landed on Mom's hair.

"Oh my, Auntie, you smell awful. Can this wedding even continue like this?"

Mom immediately forced a polite smile. "I'll go wash up right away."

My mother-in-law rolled her eyes. "You should change those clothes too. They stink."

Mom looked embarrassed, her voice growing quieter. "But... I didn't bring any extra clothes."

My mother-in-law impatiently called over the person in charge of the banquet hall.

"Go get my in-law a decent outfit. The best one you have."

The person in charge hesitated for a moment before bowing. "We only have the staff uniforms here."

"Then what are you waiting for?" my mother-in-law snapped, clutching her chest dramatically. "If you delay the auspicious hour, can you afford to take responsibility for it?"

Mom forced another smile and quickly nodded. "That's fine. I'll go change."

Mom had raised me all by herself. I had never seen her try so hard to please someone else.

And yet, my wedding—the day that was supposed to make her proud—had brought her nothing but humiliation.

I watched her retreating figure, her back bent with embarrassment, and followed her.

Mom placed my hand in hers. Her palm was broad, warm, and comforting.

"I'm sorry, Celine. I wanted to see you get married in all your glory, but instead, I've only embarrassed you."

She closed the door of the storage room behind us.

I watched as Mom began taking off her filthy clothes and spoke softly.

"Mom, I'm fine. You're the one who had to endure all of this."

My eyes began to sting. I picked up the staff uniform lying nearby and tossed it onto the floor.

Frowning, my mother bent down, picked it up, and dusted it off before tapping my forehead with her index finger.

"You and him have come a long way together. Be a good girl, okay?"

"Come on. Give me a smile."

She changed into the staff uniform, then pinched the corners of my lips upward with her fingers, forcing a smile onto my face. Then she took my hand and led me back outside.