During the wedding, my mother-in-law declared, “We’ll give the apartment only to our son, so she won’t get any share.” Everyone went silent. Then my father, who works as a long-distance driver, said calmly, “Now let me speak.” What happened next left her speechless…

Eleanor raised a hand, calling for silence. “But,” she continued, her voice growing even colder, even sharper, “I want to make one very important point perfectly clear. This condominium is gifted only to my son, Leo…” She paused again, her eyes locking with Anna’s. “…so that, as they say, this poor little country girl can’t get her hands on any of it.”

A dead, suffocating silence fell over the room. The applause died as if it had never been. The guests froze, stunned, not knowing how to react to such a crude and humiliating display.

Leo, sitting beside Anna, dropped his gaze to his plate, his face burning with shame. He knew his mother could be cruel, but he never imagined she would do something like this, here, on his wedding day.

Anna felt her heart constrict with a pain so sharp it took her breath away. Eleanor’s words were a slap in the face. She lifted her head and looked directly at her new mother-in-law. There were no tears in her eyes, no hint of weakness—only a calm, quiet resolve. She would not be humiliated. She knew her own worth.

The silence stretched on, so thick you could cut it with a knife. Leo continued to stare at his plate, trapped between his love for Anna and a lifetime of obedience to his mother. He knew Eleanor had crossed a line, but he didn’t know how to stand up to her.

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