Escape After the Wedding

The red candles from our wedding night hadn't yet burned down. David and I were embracing when suddenly the door slammed open with a thud. In came the mother-in-law, Lilian Warren, clutching a blue timer in her hand, her eyes fixed coldly on us. Terrified, I quickly pulled the blanket over myself, while David Carter, still naked, froze completely. Lilian ignored David's embarrassment and simply reached out to drag him off the bed. I screamed muffled beneath the blanket, my voice filled with panic and shame. "Time's up!" Lilian's voice was sharp and cruel. "This is taking too long—it's damaging my son's health!" She turned and glared at me, her eyes sharp as knives: "Linda Scott, you're married to David Carter now—you should think about his health." "A man's strength is meant for great deeds, not wasted on trivial nonsense like this!" I pulled back the corner of the quilt, staring at her self-righteous face, and couldn't help but feel how ridiculous it all was. David Carter and I met in the university's architecture department. He was a poor student sponsored by my dad's company—tall, handsome, and even had an eight-pack; back then, many girls liked him. His family lived deep in the mountains, dirt poor; he said that as a child, one steamed bun had to be split in half—half eaten in the morning, half at night. I felt sorry for him, and after we got together, I begged my dad to hire him in the company. David truly had talent; within a few years, he achieved results, and with my dad's deliberate promotion, he rose all the way to project director. We planned to have two wedding celebrations: one in his hometown, and one in the City. Lilian Warren's family was especially warm to me. They started cleaning the house half a month early and even prepared new sheets and quilts for me. David and I are usually busy—he handles design, I manage projects—and we rarely have time to be together properly. After finishing the wedding banquet back home and sending off the last batch of relatives that night, David and I had barely stepped into the bridal room before we eagerly embraced. Who would've thought that just as things were heating up, Lilian stormed in holding a timer. She boldly pulled the quilt off David, grabbed his arm, and started dragging him down to the floor beside the bed. I was so scared that I hid under the quilt and let out a scream, my face burning hot. Lilian Warren stared at the timer in her hand and said matter-of-factly, "It's already been half an hour. If this drags on any longer, my son's body will give out!" Half an hour? I was stunned for a moment. Could it be that as soon as David Carter stepped into my room, she started timing? Hearing such an exact time, I could hardly believe my ears. I pulled down the quilt and looked at David Carter behind Lilian Warren, hoping he would say something. But Lilian Warren blocked David even more firmly and kept nagging, "Linda Scott, it's not like I'm causing trouble, but now that you're married to David, you have to learn to be considerate of him." "A man's body is important; he needs to save his strength for his career. How can he waste it on something like this?" I watched her spit flying as she ranted, and suddenly, a fire erupted inside me. What kind of feudal remnant nonsense is this? I shouted at David, "David, say something!" David had already quietly put on his pants, and when I called out, his body visibly stiffened. He turned his head and whispered to Lilian, "Mom, why don't you step outside for now? We can talk later if needed..." He coaxed and gently pushed Lilian out the door, then turned to hug me, his tone softening: "Linda, don't be angry. My mom just wants what's best for me. She's afraid we young people go too far." "We'll only stay here for three days. Once we're back, I'll have a serious talk with her." With that, he leaned down to kiss me, as if to pick up where we left off. But just as his lips brushed my forehead, Lilian Warren's angry voice rang out from outside the door: "David Carter, come out here right now!" "Linda Scott! Stop hanging onto my son!" Lilian Warren's voice dripped with venom.