Humiliated at the Altar, She Owned Half His Empire

On her wedding day, Lindy Pruitt stands at the Gilbert family's door in a custom gown, only for her future mother-in-law to produce a scale and declare that no bride over a hundred pounds may enter. The rule, she says, protects the family's luck and fortune. Lindy's fiancé, Julian Gilbert, says nothing, then urges her to step on the scale and not embarrass his mother.

When Lindy refuses, the Gilberts demand she kneel and apologize to her elders, and the relatives block the door. Every pound over the limit, they say, costs fifty thousand of the two-hundred-eighty-thousand dowry. Julian pins her down and forces her to the ground, while her bridesmaids are held onto the scale one by one. Lindy tears off her veil and declares the wedding off, but the crowd will not let her leave.