Bride on Fire, Revenge in Seven Days

My boyfriends family planned a wedding prank to burn me to death, then take over my property. My future mother-in-law kept pushing me and my husband to get married as soon as possible, saying we should hold the wedding first even if we had not gotten the marriage license yet. They arranged for relatives to spray me with party string and then throw a cigarette butt at me, and the fire caught instantly. Luckily, I was quick enough to jump into a filthy ditch and put it out.

May the groom get a new bride every night!

Yeah! Roaring laughter and loud applause echoed through the crowded country banquet hall.

But I was furious, and I held back my temper as I asked the emcee, Do you think its appropriate to say that at a wedding?

The emcee just laughed like it was nothing, speaking in a thick rural accent. Oh, Miss Hale, its just a joke.

It was not just him. The groomsmen below the stage also chimed in.

Savannah, be a little more generous. Were all young people here. Whats wrong with a few harmless jokes to liven things up?

Exactly. Liam, look at your wife. You havent even officially married her yet, and shes already trying to control you.

Another burst of laughter came from the crowd.

I only felt my face burn hot and cold, as if my dignity had been thrown onto the ground and trampled.

No matter how many times I had imagined it, this was not the wedding I wanted.

Thats enough.

Liam finally spoke helplessly, pulling me into his arms, both trying to comfort me and asking the emcee to apologize.

I did not want to ruin my own wedding, so I said nothing more.

After the interruption passed, the emcee cleared his throat and shouted, The bride will now toast her father-in-law and mother-in-law!

I carried the wine over and knelt down, but just then, a sudden force pressed down hard on the back of my head and shoved my head toward the floor. I could not struggle free, and with a loud thud, my forehead hit the ground hard.

In that instant, I felt dizzy and disoriented, and when I lifted my head, all I saw was my in-laws smiling as they spoke to someone behind me.

Ryan, you mischievous kid, your hands are acting up again. Savannah just has a good temper and wont hold it against you.

Heh, a bow has to make some noise. The louder it is, the more blessings you two will enjoy from your daughter-in-law in the future.

This man was Liams childhood best friend and one of the groomsmen, and he had always been close to my in-laws.

When I saw that my in-laws had no intention of speaking up for me and were instead waiting for me to offer them the wine, my heart felt like it had swallowed a fly, and I handed the wine over without saying a word.

Liams parents expressions darkened a little.

Ryan spoke up unhappily from the side. Savannah, whats that supposed to mean? If I was too rough just now and offended you, take it out on me. Why are you making faces at my godparents?

Ryan! Liam scolded him in a low voice, then explained, Savannah is from the city. Shes never bowed to anyone like that before.

Ryan grew even more indignant, and he even let out a mocking snort. City girls are so delicate, but didnt she still marry a country boy like you? Isnt she still going to have your kids and do your housework?

Whispers rose all around us, and the other two groomsmen also threw in their comments one after another, all attacking me.

My in-laws still did not take the wine I offered, so I just held it there awkwardly and truly understood what it meant to be completely isolated.

Not one person who came today was my friend.

Enough!

Enough.

I spoke before my tears could fall.

To my surprise, Liam spoke too.

In my impression, he had always been mild-tempered, easygoing, and like a nice guy who never got angry with his childhood buddies.

This was the first time I had seen him lose his temper at Ryan and the others, and his face was even red, so the grievance in my heart eased slightly.

My in-laws finally accepted the wine and even said a few gentle words to me. When the ceremony finally ended, I immediately went to the simple lounge in the banquet hall to calm myself down. Unexpectedly, Liam followed me, and he was holding a knife.

Savannah, are you still angry? Ill apologize to you for them. Ta-da-da-da

Like a magician, he took out a peeled apple and brought it to my lips.

Liam was handsome in a refined way, and when he smiled, he looked especially gentle. When we first met, I was being chased and bitten by a rabid dog, and he saved me, smiling soothingly as he told me, Its okay now.

If not for so many beautiful memories, I never would have been willing to marry him just because of the three awful childhood friends around him.

Thinking of this, I said to Liam, Once the wedding is over today, lets go back. I dont want to stay here anymore.

Liam looked heartbroken. Savannah, youve been wronged.

I gave a faint smile and said calmly, Of course Ive been wronged. Tell me, what part of this wedding didnt wrong me? I picked out my wedding dress, but Ryan and the others said your mom thought wedding dresses looked like clothes for the dead, that all that white was unlucky, and they found me a red jacket that made me look like a village greeter instead, and I wore it.

Your parents hinted that I should be understanding and said it wasnt easy for you to make money, so I canceled the reception dress I ordered.

The wedding hotel I liked was in the city. Your parents clearly thought it cost too much, but they wouldnt say it outright. They only played the emotional card with me, saying the relatives were all old and that taking a bus into the city would be too hard on them, so they forced me to move the wedding to the community hall in your village, and I accepted that too.

And because theres nowhere to stay in your village and its far from the county town, none of my bridesmaids, my friends, or my coworkers could come.

Only then did I suddenly realize how much I had compromised in this marriage to Liam.

Savan

Crash! Liams words were cut off by the sudden sound of something being smashed.

I was startled and turned to look. It was Liams mother.

She had thrown the fruit plate in her hands and sat down on the floor, wailing loudly, leaving me stunned.

Oh, what a hard life I have. This daughter-in-law just entered the family, and shes already complaining about me. A daughter-in-law will never care for a son the way his mother does. Do you think making money is easy?

Liam went to pull her up, but he was no match for his mothers 150-pound body and her fit of tantrum.

When I saw the crowd drawn over by the commotion, I only felt that everything today was absurd to the extreme, and I could not hold back anymore, so I snapped back.

I said from the beginning that I would pay half the wedding costs. It wasnt only your son Liams money being spent.

Liams mothers face stiffened, and then, humiliated and angry, she shoved Liam away and pointed at my nose, spitting as she yelled.

Sure enough, a girl without parents has no upbringing. After you get married, wont your money be Liams too? I stopped you from wasting money on a wedding only so you two could save more after marriage and raise children in the future.

This was the first time I had faced such deep malice from Liams mother, and I froze in place.

More and more people from the village came over, and his mother kept cursing while slapping her thighs and wailing between insults.

A wedding is just a formality. Spending a few thousand dollars is more than enough, but you just had to treat yourself like a little princess. You dont know how to be considerate of your man, and you dont know how to respect your in-laws

Mom, stop talking.

Liam kept anxiously trying to persuade his mother and had no time to care about me at all.

My head buzzed, and through tear-blurred eyes, I looked at those people watching the show on the weekend and suddenly felt like this wedding was a joke.

I threw away the apple Liam had given me and walked out, and when I passed by Liams mother, I did not even glance at her.

Stop right there!

I was blocked at the door.

Ryan yanked the gold chain around his neck with a fierce expression, grabbed my arm hard, and dragged me back into the room.

He ordered me to apologize to Liams mother. Liams father came too, loudly scolding me for disrespecting my elders and having no manners, and saying they had never wanted Liam to marry an orphan girl whose parents died young.

Liam, are you not going to say anything? I was alone and helpless, tears streaming down my face as I looked at the man who had just married me.

People always say men become completely different before and after marriage, and I never believed it until now.

Liam said clearly, Savannah Hale, I can coax you no matter how spoiled you act usually, but you cannot disrespect my parents. Today, you were wrong first. I didnt call you out when you offered the toast, but that doesnt mean I didnt see what you did.

I widened my eyes as if I were seeing him for the first time, then I laughed in anger.

Liam, youre really something. After being with me for so long, you only revealed today that youre blind, heartless, cold-blooded, and shallow.

Liams expression turned ugly. Savannah Hale!

Were done. Luckily, we had not gotten the marriage license yet.

I was extremely clear-headed. I was not afraid of becoming a joke at this moment. I was afraid of spending the rest of my life tangled up with a family like this.

However, things did not go as I wished. Everyone who came today was Liams relatives and friends. They all stopped me, and there were women advising me not to throw a tantrum, saying women should be more obedient and that shrews would not be loved by men.

I sneered. Do none of you have independent personalities? Do you have to depend on men as rotten as mud to survive?

Those women fell silent at first, then cursed me even harder.

One of the groomsmen mocked, In our countryside, once the wedding banquet is held, youre already the mans wife.

That sentence made me feel both aggrieved and furious.

A marriage has to be recognized by law. It doesnt become real just because you open and close your mouths. Liam and I havent gotten a license, so we can go our separate ways at any time. I looked at Liam, who stood there like a mute, feeling both disappointed and like I was not worth this.

Liam showed an expression of unbearable impatience.

Are you done making a scene?

I widened my eyes and felt he was completely unreasonable. Im the one making a scene?

If you want a divorce, fine, one of Liams aunts spoke up. But first, divide the assets. The house and car should belong half to Liam, right?

I laughed in anger. Maam, please get this straight. The house was left to me by my parents. Liam didnt pay a single cent. For the renovation, his family only gave ten thousand dollars, which wasnt even enough to paint the walls. I bought the car in full before the wedding myself, and it has nothing to do with him either. Besides, at most, he and I are breaking up right now. What kind of divorce is this? Even greed has limits.

Liams mother screamed at me, Savannah Hale, what do you mean? Back when you renovated, you said yourself that you didnt need my sons money. I was kind enough to give ten thousand dollars to help you, and now youre denying it?

In the middle of the argument, I sincerely felt waves of exhaustion.

Back then, during the renovation, they had complained that the old house had been lived in for many years and was not suitable as a marital home, so they asked me and Liam to renovate it, but they were unwilling to contribute much money. I said I would pay for the renovation, but then they wanted me to add Liams name to the property deed, which was why they pretended to be generous and added ten thousand dollars.

But my brain had not completely broken, so I did not agree.

I told them bluntly, Oh, then sue me. In any case, Ill only pay you back that ten thousand dollars.

I took out my phone to call the police, since they would not let me leave.

However, a piece of cake suddenly smashed into my face.

Shameless woman!

It was hard to believe those words came from the mouth of a five-year-old child.

It was the child of one of the groomsmen, Victor.

His words started it, and several bratty kids ran over and shouted at me.

Divorced women arent popular. Nobody wants them.

Shrew, youre so embarrassing.

Maam, you have cake on your face. You look like a clown.

I was trembling with anger, and my phone was snatched away.

Oh my, Liam, your wife has quite the temper. She actually wants to call the police. I felt my chest get groped quickly, and bad memories instantly surged up.

Smack!

I slapped Victor hard and snatched my phone back.

But before I could make the call, my scalp suddenly hurt, and the world spun. Victor threw me to the floor, and the back of my head exploded with pain.

He straddled me, his face twisted.

Bitch!

As he cursed, he slapped me, then openly thrust his lower body with malicious intent and said to Liam, who watched coldly from the side, Liam, Ill help you teach your wife a lesson so she stops thinking she can do whatever she wants.

Just as his slap was about to fall, someone grabbed him.

It was another groomsman.

David Gray smiled with a sleazy look on his face. Victor, shes still Liams wife now, after all. Doing this embarrasses Liam. We can just play a little game with her.

Only then did Victor get off me after giving me a warning look.

I knew David definitely had bad intentions. None of Liams three childhood friends were good people. I just had not expected them to be this evil back then.

I had already secretly dialed the police, so now I could only deal with them and stall for time.

Liam, youre just going to watch your friends bully me like this?!

I wiped the cake off my face and looked at him while crying.

Everyone around me was cold and indifferent, and not a single person helped me.

Liam was the same.

So David called over a group of bratty kids to spray party string on my face and body.

Victors son pretended to ask innocently, My teacher said party string catches fire easily and kids shouldnt play with it. Is that true?

Hahaha, wont we know if we try? Theres a pond right beside us. Worst case, we throw your aunt Savannah in there to cool off. She wont be mad.

I widened my eyes in shock, and in my panic, I saw David light a cigarette and throw it at me.

Are you trying to murder me?!

I hurriedly dodged, but Victor grabbed my hair, and Ryan kicked me.

The cigarette butt landed on my clothes, and flames immediately caught.

At first, some people were still laughing and even took out their phones to record videos, planning to upload them and gain followers, but soon they began fleeing in panic.

Because the flames on me could not be put out, they watched me scream, and Liams stupid mother, in her terror, threw a cup of liquid at me, trying to extinguish the fire.

But she did not even check whether the cup held alcohol. Luckily, I dodged in time, opened the nearby window, and jumped out.

The pond water was fishy and foul, and I even crashed into fish searching for food.

Fortunately, the fire on my body was put out, and I was fine.

When the sound of police sirens rang out, I looked upstairs with hatred and unexpectedly saw disappointment on the faces of Liams family.

I did not know why they were disappointed, but I had called the police, and everyone present was taken in for questioning.

However, they covered for one another, and the children even cried, threw tantrums, and rolled on the ground, saying I had hit them first. There were no security cameras in the banquet hall, and the videos those people had taken for fun had been deleted, so due to insufficient evidence, those scumbags were all released.

I was completely devastated and returned to the city alone, where I unexpectedly ran into Liams former coworker, Marcus Evans.

Marcus knew that Liam and I were getting married, but when he saw how miserable I looked, he asked me what had happened.

I told him about the farce at the wedding.

However, there was no surprise on Marcuss face. Instead, he looked a little guilty.

Savannah, theres something I should have told you a long time ago. The rabid dog you ran into the night you met Liam was actually Liams. He didnt have it on a leash, and the dog went crazy and ran around the street. Afraid that he would be blamed if something happened, Liam called me and had me split up with him to search for it. I knew you were bitten by the dog that night, but Liam told me he fell in love with you at first sight, so he hid the fact that he was the dogs owner from you and asked me to keep it secret.

Because Marcus felt guilty, he gradually distanced himself from Liam.

Besides that, something else had happened.

Marcus had accidentally overheard a phone call between Liam and his mother.

Liams whole family had their eyes on the property my parents left me, which was why they kept pushing me and Liam to get married.

I finally understood why Liams family looked disappointed when they saw that I was not dead. It turned out they wanted to inherit my estate.

I was so angry that even the depression from the failed wedding disappeared, and all I wanted was to tear Liams family apart with my own hands.

As soon as I reached the outside of my apartment complex, I saw Liam.

That animal actually still dared to come looking for me. I was even more shocked that Liam had the nerve to walk over, grab my shoulders, and accuse me of being spoiled, ruining the wedding, and even calling the police over a harmless joke by his friends.

He told me to apologize and said he would forgive me if I did.

Today was a day off, and there was a trendy milk tea shop outside the complex, with quite a few couples lining up.

They all looked at me, and some self-righteous men even started scolding me.

Pretty girl, dont think you can act like you own the world just because a man treats you well. Your boyfriend is gentle and honest. If it were me, Id owe my friends an apology if I didnt slap you twice.

Being a little dramatic is cute, but if you take it too far, no one will want you. Dont treat yourself like a princess.

I glared at them one by one.

Stop lecturing me with that dad energy. If youre that good at pretending, are you a trash can?

Laughter broke out around us. I ignored those men who became angry from embarrassment and sneered at Liam.

I gave you dignity, but you didnt want it. You insist on dragging me into a performance here, right? Fine, lets see who ends up more embarrassed.

Liam looked helpless. Savannah, what are you talking about?

I felt sick looking at him, so I could not help pushing him away, then I backhanded him with a slap.

You married me because you thought I was an orphan with a house and a car, and you wanted to take everything after I was gone, didnt you?

Liams eyes suddenly widened. Savannah, who told you that?

I did not miss the flash of panic on his face.

For this wedding, I paid for the banquet, I paid for the wedding photos, and I paid for the home renovation. Your family only put in ten thousand dollars total, and you still wanted me to be grateful. Why dont you just drop dead?!

And wasnt it your family and your trashy friends who ruined the wedding? At the wedding, you did every disgusting prank you could think of and almost burned the bride to death. You even forced me to call the police and jump into a pond to save myself. How do you have the nerve to ask me to apologize?!

After cursing him viciously, I said to the other girls around us, Ladies, look carefully. Never marry this kind of man. You think youre in love, but they want you to fund their poverty. You think its a wedding, but it might actually be your funeral.

After I finished speaking, some girls loudly cheered and spat insults at Liam. Even the girlfriends of those disgusting men who had helped Liam earlier abandoned them and ran off.

I felt as if I had finally vented some of the resentment in my heart, and without caring about Liams face turning red and pale, I turned and entered the apartment complex, emphasizing to the security guard.

The person behind me has nothing to do with me anymore. Please dont let him in again. Im afraid hell harass me.

Liam chased after me, and under his incredulous gaze, I smiled slightly and said, Idiot.

When I got home and saw so many of Liams things in the apartment, I immediately felt they brought bad luck.

Liam worked on the railroad and usually worked three days before taking two days off. Sometimes, when he had days off, he stayed at my place. Liam once said he would pay me rent, but I did not ask for it. Thinking about it now, Liam had known exactly how to exploit my personality and pretended to be generous.

The more I thought about it, the more disgusted I felt, so I gathered all of Liams things in the apartment together in one go.

It was also then that I realized Liam had never left anything valuable at my place.

During that time, Liam called several times, but I did not answer, and the property management office also called me.

Miss Hale, your fianc is still here and hasnt left. He wants me to let him in.

Mr. Carter, sorry to trouble you, but please dont let him in. His whole family wanted to take everything from me after I died, and I finally woke up today. I broke up with him.

The security guard was filled with righteous anger. He eats your food, lives in your place, and still acts so heartless! If he still wont leave, Ill call the police for you.

After confirming that Liam would not be let in, I felt much more at ease, then threw all of Liams things into the trash bins downstairs.

But while I was cleaning up, I found something, and I kept it.

That day, I decided to transform into Savannah Hale, reborn for revenge.

From Liam to the Anderson family, to his three groomsmen, and to that little bastard who threw cake at me and urged the adults to burn me, I would not let a single one of them go.

How could I get revenge within the limits of the law? These filthy people had surely left traces in their daily lives.

I moved out of my home and checked into a five-star hotel with simple luggage, cutting off any chance for Liam and those cockroaches to block me.

After that, I went to a law firm. It was run by a man who had once pursued me.

I had avoided suspicion before, but now there was no need.

Savannah, I heard you were getting married. Congratulations.

Ethan Wells saw me, and his eyes were a little complicated, but he still smiled and greeted me.

Im not getting married. That whole family is full of scum. Theyre not worth it.

I told him very calmly.

Ethan was stunned.

I briefly explained what I needed.

My ex, Liam Anderson, has three buddies around him, and none of them are good people either. One of them is named Ryan Brooks. He borrowed twenty thousand dollars from me and has dragged it out for a year. I want you to help me get that money back.

Ethans expression looked a little surprised, and he seemed like he wanted to say something but stopped.

I knew what he wanted to say, and I said calmly, I really didnt want to lend him money. My ex played mediator, so I just treated it as paying to get rid of a dog.

The corner of Ethans mouth twitched, and he asked seriously, Do you have an IOU? Was it borrowed in cash or through transfer?

No IOU. It was a transfer. I still have chat records on my phone where I urged him to pay me back.

Ethan let out a breath of relief.

Thats good. Ill go with you to the bank to get a statement. Send me the chat records too, and leave this matter to me. Before I could speak, he added, There are several banks downstairs. Ill just treat it as a walk. You dont have to turn me down.

I had no choice but to swallow the words already at my lips, smile, and say, Then Ill trouble you, Attorney Wells.

Ethan was quite famous in the industry and rarely lost a case, so I felt reassured leaving the matter to him.

After signing the retainer agreement, I asked Ethan how much the fee was.

Because I had renovated the house half a year ago, I did not have much savings left, only a little under two hundred thousand dollars, but that money was enough for me to handle things for now.

Ethan smiled and teased, The debt you want to recover probably isnt even enough to pay my legal fee.

Of course I understood that. There were so many people who wanted to hire Ethan as their lawyer that they could not even get in line, and he did not take cases easily. I was able to find someone to help because we were classmates, but letting Ryan spend my money for nothing disgusted me more than swallowing a fly.

Id rather let you earn the money. Even if I have to add some on top, thats better than letting Ryan spend it.

Seeing that I was serious, Ethan hesitated and asked, Savannah, this is the first time Ive seen you hate someone this much. Did something happen?

I froze, and a faint complexity rose in my heart.

As a teacher who taught children piano, everyone around me thought I had a very gentle personality. If the wedding prank had not happened, I think I would have remained gentle and virtuous for the rest of my life.

Just think of it as me being reborn from the flames, I said with a smile.