During our engagement party, my fiancée’s father stood up, raised his glass, and announced that he would rather pay her to remain unmarried than watch her marry a man like me. Everybody laughed nervously. Then he turned toward me and asked how much money I wanted to disappear from his daughter's life. I wish I could say I walked out immediately, but I didn't. I was too busy watching my fiancée, Rebecca, to see whether she would defend me. She lowered her eyes and said nothing. That silence hurt more than her father's insult. Rebecca and I had been together for three years. I was thirty-four, she was thirty, and we had already booked our wedding venue. I worked as a project manager, while her father owned several commercial properties and had spent most of her life making decisions for her. He had never liked me because I didn't come from a wealthy family. During our first meeting, he asked about my parents, my salary, and whether I owned property. When I explained that I was still paying off my apartment, he smiled and said, "A man should establish himself before asking a woman to share his struggles." I ignored the insult because Rebecca insisted her father was simply protective. Unfortunately, his interference became worse after we announced our engagement. He offered to pay for our wedding, but only if I agreed to let Rebecca keep her surname professionally and allow him to purchase our first marital home. I refused the house because I didn't want our marriage beginning with financial obligations to him.