I thought my life with Jake was perfect. We had been together for three years, and when he finally proposed, I was convinced I had found the love of my life. Our relationship felt solid—we shared a cozy little apartment, had a sweet cat named Cami, and dreamed about a future that we would build together. Everything seemed to be falling into place until my grandmother passed away. Her loss was devastating. She had raised me, and we were incredibly close. She always promised to look after me, even when she was gone, and true to her word, she left me an inheritance of $500,000. I hadn’t expected it. I hadn’t even thought about money while grieving. But it didn’t take long for my future mother-in-law, Denise, to find out about it. And suddenly, everything changed.

A week after Jake casually mentioned my inheritance to his family, we were having Sunday dinner at his parents’ house when Denise pulled me aside. She smiled sweetly, that carefully rehearsed smile she always wore when she was about to say something calculated. She handed me an envelope, saying she knew things had been hard since my grandmother’s death, but that it was time to “move on” because “the sun keeps shining, Layla.” At first, I thought maybe she had written me a heartfelt letter or passed on a family recipe to welcome me into their fold. Instead, what I found inside was a list. A list of demands. Gifts I was expected to buy before I could be “fully accepted” into their family.

As I read through it, I felt my stomach twist into knots. A $10,000 Cartier bracelet for Denise herself, to show my love and appreciation. A brand-new car for Jake’s sister, Elena, because “family supports each other.” A $20,000 loan to Jake’s parents to renovate their kitchen in time for our wedding. A Rolex for Jake’s dad. A fully-paid family vacation for ten, including first-class flights. And if that wasn’t enough, a $2,000 monthly “family contribution” to prove my commitment. I stood there stunned, reading line after line. Denise just smiled at me, as if this was all completely normal. When I asked if it was a joke, she tilted her head and said sweetly, “Oh, honey, this is just what’s expected of you. You’re lucky to have this opportunity.” Lucky? I had just lost the person who meant the most to me, and they were treating my grief like I had won the lottery.

Then she said something that sealed it for me. “If you really love my son, you’ll do this.” I smiled back, pretending to agree. I even told her I’d throw in gold cufflinks for Jake. Denise’s eyes sparkled with greed. She was thrilled, and that night, as we sat around the table eating pecan pie, she was already planning which car Elena should get and sending me links to the bracelet she wanted. But I had my own plan brewing. Later, back at our apartment, I told Jake about the list. He barely blinked. “That’s good, right?” he said when I told him I had agreed. “You know how my mom is.” He dismissed it like it was no big deal, but to me, it was everything. My family, my grandmother, had just died. And here they were, reducing her final gift to me into a cash grab.

So, I decided to give them exactly what they wanted—a lesson. The next Sunday, I showed up at Denise’s house with boxes and bags, handing them out with a sweet smile. Denise got her Cartier box, inside of which was a plastic bracelet from the dollar store. Elena got a toy car. My father-in-law received a fake Rolex. The family vacation? A pamphlet for a local bus tour. And the $20,000 loan? A Monopoly bank loan card. Denise was furious. “What is this?” she snapped. I batted my eyes and told her, “Just symbolic gifts. A gesture, like you wanted.”

Jake tried to smooth things over, claiming I was overreacting, but I’d already made my decision. “Consider our engagement canceled,” I said calmly. Gasps filled the room, and Jake looked like he might faint. I took off my ring, placed it on the table, and walked out. I wasn’t angry anymore. I wasn’t even sad. I was done. Later, I packed Jake’s things neatly into boxes and told him to move back in with his mom. Cami stayed with me. Jake blew up my phone for weeks, but I never replied. Denise even tried to ruin my name online, but I didn’t care. I took my inheritance and bought a house—a place they would never set foot in. And it was the best decision I ever made.