Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ethan Carter and I had been married for seven years.

We were college sweethearts, and right after graduation, I'd taken the initiative to propose to him.

Yes, throughout our relationship, I'd always been the one making the first moves. Back then, influenced by those Mary Sue novels about overbearing CEOs, I was drawn to guys who were cold on the outside and exuded that "cool, rebellious" vibe.

I'd even harbored this fantasy that one day, I could melt this "block of ice" and become the love of his life.

I remembered how my parents had strongly opposed our marriage back then, saying a poor boy from the countryside like him wasn't good enough for a wealthy young lady like me.

My mom, speaking from experience, had pleaded with me tearfully, "Daughter, in the old days, people emphasized matching social status for marriages—and there's a reason for that.

If you don't listen to us now, and your marriage turns into a mess later, you'll regret it too late.

You'll have a bunch of in-laws who won't leave, an uneducated, overbearing mother-in-law from the countryside, and a meddlesome sister-in-law who sticks her nose in your marriage. When that happens, you won't even have a place to cry."

"Mom, stop it! I believe Ethan and I won't end up like that. I have faith in us!" At the time, I was head over heels in love, and I couldn't bear to listen to a word of advice. And so, I married Ethan Carter, who had nothing to his name.

Afraid that I'd suffer, my dad had taken care of all the wedding expenses. He even gave Ethan and me all the red envelope money we'd received as gifts.

On top of that, he'd given me a large apartment in the city center and a BMW as my dowry. Faced with my tearful parents, I could only reassure them, "Mom, Dad, don't worry. I'll make sure our life gets better and better!"

I was so young back then, sheltered by my parents my whole life, thinking everything in the world was good. It wasn't until after we got married, when my mother-in-law moved in with my sister-in-law, that I finally saw how cruel the world could be.