I decided to marry a man who barely reached my chin, his back hunched over, with dark, rough skin. His long nails were packed with dirt.

When I brought him to dinner with my close friends, they thought I had lost my mind."If Grace hadn't begged me and thrown money at me, I wouldn't have bothered showing up," he said, his voice dripping with disdain.

I hurried to pull out a chair for him. "Thanks, honey. I really appreciate it."

My friends all frowned in silent disapproval.

Lexie Dunlap, my best friend, sent me a text under the table: "Babe, is this some kind of prank?"

I shot her a sharp look before texting back: "I'm serious about him. We're getting married soon. If you're my bestie, you should be happy for us."

When I brought my boyfriend, Antonio Kaufman, to dinner, my friends fell silent, their eyes widening in shock.

The room went dead quiet.

After all, my ex-boyfriends were either drop-dead gorgeous or came from wealthy families.

But Antonio? He was beyond anything they could've imagined.

He stood barely 1.6 meters, hunched like an old man.

With narrow, shifty eyes, arched brows, and a bald head, he looked like he belonged on a wanted poster.

I handed him the menu. "Honey, order whatever you want."

"Lobster, caviar, king crab. Let's get it all. And I'll only drink the finest wine. Nothing else." Antonio said.

I gave the waiter a nod. "You heard him. Bring whatever he wants."

My friends' faces darkened, and our group chat exploded.

"Grace, are you okay? What the hell is going on?"

"Did you lose a dare or something?"

"Did that hot guy you were dating break your heart so badly that you've given up on handsome men altogether?"

I snapped a picture of Antonio and me holding hands and replied: "Being with him makes me realize what I truly want."

When the dishes arrived, Antonio pointed at the crab claws. "Crack these open for me. I don't want to get my hands dirty."

With my long nails, it wasn't easy. I pricked my fingers on the shells a few times before finally digging out the meat.

"I told you to stop wearing those fake nails. How are you supposed to do housework like that? When you come to my parents' place, you'll need to help my mom in the fields. Just get rid of them already," he muttered with a frown.

I handed him the crab meat. "Sure thing, honey. I will take them off when we're back."

Lexie rolled her eyes.

Then she came over and dragged me out of the room. "Alright, spill it. There's nobody here."

"Nothing," I said. "Antonio and I are just dating. Why are you all so unhappy with him?"

"Come on. Did he blackmail you? Just tell me, and I'll figure something out."

I smiled, "No, Lexie. I like him. I want to be with him."

Lexie crossed her arms, pacing a little. "Grace, seriously? Look at you. You're gorgeous, rich, a top university grad, and your family's pride and joy. If you told me this was some social experiment, like, you wanted to experience hardship or do charity work, I might understand."

"Enough," I cut her off. "If my boyfriend hears you, he'll be upset."

She stared at me in shock. "Wait, you're for real?"

"Do you know how hard it was to find him? If you're my bestie, watch what you say. Don't scare him off, or it's on you."

Lexie pointed a finger at my nose. "You're crazy!"

The dinner ended with my friends storming off.

I was driving Antonio home while he slouched in the passenger seat. After a drunken burp, he slurred, "You got to stop hanging out with those friends. Dressing like that? They'll lead you astray. You're marrying into the Kaufman family; you need to be grounded, not flashy."

I nodded, focusing on the road. He continued, "And if you want to meet my parents, you'll need to have some money ready—15,000 dollars each for my mom and dad."

Then, with another burp, he threw up all over himself.

I immediately pulled over, but Antonio shoved me. "Can't you drive properly? I'm drunk. This outfit is practically brand new, and now it's ruined!"

"I'm sorry. I must've hit the gas too hard. I'll get you new clothes tomorrow. Please don't be mad, honey," I replied.

I grabbed some wet wipes and started cleaning his hands and face, even wiping his clothes with my bare hands.

"Feeling better now, honey?"

I handed him a bottle of water, but he scowled and pushed it away. "Get that nasty hand out of my face. You just touched the puke. What's wrong with you?"

Antonio turned away. "I'm taking a nap. Slow down. If you make me puke again, you're out."

When we got home, he went straight to the sofa and collapsed.

"Grace, bring me my slippers," he mumbled.

I grabbed them from the shoe cabinet and brought them over. He lifted his feet, waiting for me to help.

As I bent down to take off his sneakers, a foul stench hit me.

"Honey, why don't you rest here while I grab some water to wash your feet?" I suggested.

He groaned, "Are you dumb? Get me some water to drink first."

After gulping down the water and washing his feet, he finally went to bed. I was drenched in sweat.

The next morning, his call jolted me awake.

"Didn't you say you'd take me to Brookfield Place for clothes? Are we going or not?" Antonio asked over the phone.

"Of course. I'll come pick you up now," I replied.

We went from store to store until he asked, "This is where you used to shop?"

"Yeah, honey, some of my favorite brands only have stores here."

He scowled at me. "Look, I get that you make your own money, and you can do whatever you want with it. But you're with me now, and things are different. These clothes are too expensive, and you only wear them for a season. It's such a waste."

After a pause, his tone shifted, like he had made up his mind. "We're just dating now, so it's not my place to control your money yet. But before we get married, stop buying yourself these clothes. Once we're married, you'll hand me your paycheck. If you want something, I'll get it for you. Stop wasting money."

I took his arm and pecked his cheek. "Got it. You're so good to me. I've never been good at budgeting. I just bought whatever I wanted."

Antonio smirked. "See? That's why you're lucky to have me. Most guys wouldn't put up with that. From now on, no clothes over $30. You look the same in anything anyway."

I looked at him, hesitating. "So... are we still getting your clothes today?"

Antonio raised his voice. "Of course! You promised, but are you backing out now?"

"No way. I just thought you might change your mind after what you said just now. And nothing makes me happier than shopping for you. Let's pick some clothes."

We walked into a boutique, and I waved at the sales assistant. "Hey, Mary! I'm here to pick some clothes for my boyfriend. Can you show me the new arrivals?"

Mary gave me a sly grin. "Oh, is it for Mr. Norris Kerr? I already know his size."

Antonio's face darkened immediately.

Noticing his reaction, I spoke up. "Mary, enough. I don't know any Mr. Kerr. You're mistaken. This is my boyfriend. Can you get his size, please?"

Antonio stood there in his faded shorts and stretched-out shirt; his thinning hair barely covered his scalp. He didn't look like someone who shopped here often, let alone as my boyfriend.

Mary probably thought he was my driver.

I shot her a sharp look, and she blinked and smiled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ms. Parrish. My bad, it's been so busy today. Let me grab the new arrivals for your boyfriend right away."

Antonio narrowed his eyes at me, clearly upset. I hugged him and kissed him twice on the cheek. "Honey, don't take it to heart. That was just nonsense."

He sighed. "Fine. No point digging into your past. I like you, so I'll let it go. But you got to delete all the other guys' numbers."

"I'll do it right now, whatever you want."

Antonio, carrying his new clothes, looked very satisfied. "About meeting your parents," he started, his tone condescending. "Technically, they should come to me. But since you've been so good to me, I'll go with you. Just this once."

I spun around him, grinning. "Thank you, honey! You're the best. I'll book the tickets right away.

"And I've already got the money ready."

His face lit up as he heard about the money. "Alright. I'll let my parents know. We'll visit soon."

I was overjoyed. Finally, I was going to meet his parents.

Antonio and I spent over ten hours on a train, then a few more hours on a bus, before finally reaching his town.

His family lived in a nearby village, so we had to take a minibus. After an hour of bumpy mountain roads, we reached his family's house.

His parents didn't look surprised when we arrived. With a cool tone, they asked, "Antonio, is this the woman you told us about?"

Antonio nudged me. "What are you waiting for? The gifts for my parents."

I pulled out a bundle of cash from my backpack and handed it over.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman, nice to meet you. This is a little something for you."

His parents stared at the money, their faces turning sour. Then they turned to Antonio. "You said she was thoughtful and had the money ready. What she brought is far from enough."

Antonio lost it and kicked my shin. "Hey, didn't I tell you to bring 30,000 dollars? Where is it?"

Despite the sharp pain, I said, "Honey, it wasn't safe carrying that much cash with all the traveling. I got time deposit certificates instead. Here, take a look."

I showed them the deposit certificates, each worth 15,000 dollars.

Antonio's mother Chelsea Roland lit up and took them right away.

"There you go. That's the tradition around here when a girl visits her future in-laws.

"Now let's see what you're made of. Tonight, you'll cook dinner—a full-course meal for six. Antonio's uncle and aunt are coming, too," she said.

I scanned their run-down kitchen and froze. There was hardly anything to work with.

Chelsea helped a little.

Before leaving, she said, "Figure it out yourself. The dishes need to look good, but don't spend any money."

At last, I managed dishes that just met their standards.

Right before dinner, Antonio's uncle and aunt arrived.

His uncle, Davy Roland, carried the same cold, superior attitude as his parents.

His aunt, Wendy Roland, was much friendlier. She gave me a warm smile. "Grace, how do you like our little village? Settling in alright?"

Before I could reply, Davy cut in with a sharp glare. "Let your man speak first."

She lowered her eyes, her smile fading.

The soup went cold, so I stood up and said, "Let me warm this up. Cold soup is bad for digestion."

I took it back to the kitchen. Wendy followed behind.

"Grace, you're from New York, right? I can hear it in your accent," she said.

"Yeah, I am. Mrs. Roland, you don't sound like you're from around here either. Where are you from?" I asked.

She dropped her gaze and was silent for a moment. "You're from a big city. How did you end up with Antonio? He's no charmer compared to those city boys."

I looked at her for a moment. "There's just something here I can't let go of."

Wendy looked confused. I handed her the soup. "Thanks for helping, Mrs. Roland. I need to use the bathroom."

She walked out and turned back suddenly. "Grace, you look so familiar. Have we met before?"

I gave her a faint smile. "Hurry, the soup is going to get cold again."

When I came back, everyone was slumped over the table, unconscious, except Wendy.

She looked at me with relief. "You and your sister are so alike. You're Rosalie's younger sister, aren't you?"

I nodded. "You remember her?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "How could I not? Rosalie was the only one who was nice to me when I first got here."

She wiped her tears. "I haven't heard from her in years. How is she? Is she okay?"

I met her expectant eyes.

"No, she's dead," I said slowly.