Weddings are supposed to unite families, not separate them. Mine should have been perfect… until my mother-in-law decided that money mattered more than love.She tried to kick out my parents because “they hadn’t paid for her.” But karma had other plans, and the consequences were unforgettable.

 

It was supposed to be the happiest day of my life and the moment dreamed of by every woman: walking to the altar in a white dress and marrying her prince charming.

Daniel and I were in the front of the large ballroom, with our fingers intertwined, surrounded by crystal lamps and elaborate floral arrangements that screamed “money”. But then my mother-in-law, Rosie, decided to turn my fairy tale into a nightmare.

 

I should have known something was wrong when I saw Rosie’s face during the ceremony. While the others wiped their tears of happiness while Daniel and I exchanged vows, she remained stiff in her front row seat, her lips pressed in a thin line.

Even when Daniel kissed me and our guests burst into cheers, she just gave a warm golf applause, as if she were watching a mediocre performance at a county fair.

I had seen that look before. It was the same expression he had when we announced our engagement just before launching into a twenty-minute monologue about how “some people” were only interested in family fortune.

 

The soft tinkling of the metal against the glass cut the cheerful dinner talk. Rosie stood up, with the champagne glass up and the perfectly painted red lips curved in a predatory smile.

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” he snayed, with a sweet voice like artificial sweetener. The room was silent and all eyes turned to her imposing figure dressed in floral silk of designer. “I’d like to talk about something that’s been bothering me all night.”

Daniel’s hand tightened against mine. “Mom, what are you doing?” he whispered, but she ignored him.

His hawk’s gaze went to the back of the room, where my parents were sitting. “You know, I find it absolutely fascinating that some people think they can just present themselves to a wedding to which they have not contributed a penny.”

 

My mother’s face lost color, and dad’s fork rattled against her plate.

“Mom, for now,” Daniel’s voice hardened, but Rosie was in her element.

“Seriously, if you think about it, isn’t it fair for those who pay for the wedding to decide who stays?” He drank a delicate sip of champagne. “And since our family covered all the expenses, while others were unable to contribute absolutely nothing… well, I think the time has come for some guests to leave.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I felt that my chest was compressed and that tears threatened to spill. But before I could speak, my father did something totally unexpected.

 

“You know what?” he stood up, straightening his well-worn but immaculate suit jacket. “You’re absolutely right, Rosie. We’ll leave. But first, if you allow me a moment.”

Rosie made a magnanimous gesture with her hand. “Of course, Jim. Make your farewell attempt.”

On the other side of the room, I caught my mother’s gaze. Even now, he sketched a small smile, uttering the words he had said to me countless times as he grew up: “Stay firm, little one.”

 

From the other side of the room, I could see several friends from Rosie’s country club exchanging awkward glances. They were women who had seen her make the waiters cry for a bad pairing of wines and who had seen her “accidentally” spill red wine on the white dress of a rival’s design.

My heart ached to see how this scene unfolded. To understand the weight of this moment, you have to know that Rosie had been turning my life into hell since the day Daniel brought me home.

I still remember the first words he said to me: “Oh, what… picturesque. A public school teacher? Daniel always had a weakness for charity cases. But marry one…”.

 

Daniel came from the upper bourgeoisie, from which he built cities and buildings with his name. Meanwhile, my father fixed cars and my mother helped the children find their next favorite book in the local school library.

We were comfortable, but definitely not in the same tax category as the woman who had just publicly humiliated my parents.

When Daniel declared himself, Rosie took charge of everything. It oversented all the decisions I tried to make about my wedding, from the place of celebration to the colors of the napkins.

“Dear,” he said, inspecting my choices as if they were contaminated, “let’s leave it in the hands of someone with… experience in elegant affairs.”

Grayscale shot of a man asking his girlfriend to marry him | Source: Unsplash
Grayscale shot of a man asking his girlfriend to marry him | Source: Unsplash

He even “niendly” insisted on paying for everything, rejecting my parents’ offers to contribute.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he said with the same saccharis smile. “Anyway, there wouldn’t be much difference. I want a big wedding for my son. Not a cheap and ordinary ceremony.”

But now, seeing my father standing there with calm dignity, I realized that something was about to change.

“I never thought I’d say this,” Daniel murmured, “but I’m impatient to see what your father does next.”

A nervous young man | Source: Midjourney
A nervous young man | Source: Midjourney

The memory of that first meeting with Rosie still burns fresh in my mind. Daniel had also shooken my hand then, whispering: “He will love you when he meets you.”

I had tried so hard to earn his approval. Cooking classes, etiquette lessons and even changing the way I dress. One afternoon, I heard her talking on the phone: “At least try to improve yourself. Although he can’t completely get rid of that middle-class stench.”

That night, Daniel found me packing my bags. “I can’t do this anymore,” I sobbed. “I’m not good enough for your world… for your mother.”

He held my face between his hands, with fierce eyes. “You are my world. The rest is just noise.”

 

In the months before the wedding, Rosie’s behavior had become increasingly erratic.

He “forget” to include my parents in the invitations for the rehearsal dinner. She scheduled the last fitting of the dress at the same time as the bachelorette party, and then she was shocked when I chose the farewell.

“Well,” he snorted, “I guess we’ll have to wait for the dress to look good on you. Although with all those sweets at the party…”.

Daniel ended up facing her after she tried to disinvite my college classmate from the wedding. “He’s a dental hygienist, Daniel,” Rosie protested. “What will the Vandermers think?”

“I don’t care what they think,” Daniel replied. “And if you can’t support us, you don’t have to come either.”

That silenced her for a week, and the wedding preparations were set in motion.

 

Now, let’s go back to the wedding…

Dad raised his glass and his eyes met mine with a warmth that made a lump in my throat. “First of all, for my Katie. Your mother and I have always taught you that a person’s value is not measured by their bank account, but by their heart.”

He put his hand in his jacket pocket and took out a small envelope. “We were going to wait until after the wedding, but given the… current situation, this seems like the perfect time.”

I was breathless when he took out a key and a folded document.

A smiling elderly man with a key in his hand | Source: Midjourney
A smiling elderly man with a key in his hand | Source: Midjourney

“You see, Rosie, while you were busy planning this lovely party, Susan and I were planning her future. We have been saving since the day Katie was born. Extra shifts in the workshop, Sue working the summers, pinching every penny we could. And today we give you the deed of your first house.”

The room burst into choked screams and whispers. Rosie’s glass of champagne trembled in her grip.

“A house?” I whispered, with tears finally spilling. “Dad, not you…”

“We did it,” mom got up next to dad, with a louder voice than she had ever heard. “Every birthday, when you asked why we couldn’t afford those parties as luxurious as those of your friends? That’s why. Every Christmas, when we gave you books instead of the last gadgets? For this.”

A girlfriend overwhelmed by surprise | Source: Midjourney
A girlfriend overwhelmed by surprise | Source: Midjourney

My father’s voice broke as he continued. “When you were five years old, you made a picture of the house of your dreams. Three rooms, a large backyard and a tree perfect for a swing. We’ve kept that drawing all these years.” He took out a worn and folded paper from his wallet. “We found the same one.”

Daniel stepped forward and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Sir, I don’t know what to say…”.

Dad squeezed the key in our hands. “Say you’ll build a beautiful life there. It’s everything we’ve always wanted.”

Then I looked at my mother, remembering all the times I had come home crying after another of Rosie’s cutting comments. She always hugged me and said: “Someday she will see what we have always known… that you are worth more than all her elegant parties together.”

An older woman smiling | Source: Midjourney
An older woman smiling | Source: Midjourney

La cara de Rosie adquirió un alarmante tono rojo. “¿Una casa?”, espetó. “¿En qué vecindario? Seguro que no cerca de…”

“Actually,” my mother interrupted, “it’s three doors away from the country club. We meet the Hendersons, a lovely couple. They sold it to us at a very reasonable price. They said they would rather have good neighbors than a higher offer.”

I had to bite my lip not to laugh. The Hendersons: the same couple that Rosie had been trying to impress for years, desperate to get an appointment on the country club board.

“Oh, but this gets better,” said a deep voice from the back of the room.

Philip, Daniel’s father, came out of the shadows. I didn’t even know it was there. Rosie and he had divorced years ago, and she had explicitly forbidden him to attend the wedding.

An old man laughing | Source: Midjourney
An old man laughing | Source: Midjourney

Rosie’s face squirmed. “What are YOU doing here?”

“Seeing how karma finally reaches you, dear.” He smiled, but there was steel in his eyes. “Everyone will see, there is something else you should know. The real agreement was that I would cover the wedding expenses, while Jim and Susan focused on Katie and Daniel’s future. But Rosie has been attributing merit to herself for my contributions… just as she has been living on my alimony for the past two decades.”

Rosie’s face acquired an interesting purple tone that was spectacularly out of tune with her dress. “You… you…”

A woman shaken to the core | Source: Midjourney
Una mujer sacudida hasta la médula | Fuente: Midjourney

“I, me!” Philip sneered. “Maybe it’s time for you to go, Rosie. Isn’t that what you wanted the others to do?”

She stood there for a moment, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water, before picking up her designer bag and heading furiously towards the exit. The heavy doors closed behind her with a dull and satisfying noise.

In the silence that followed, someone began to applaud slowly. Then someone else joined. And another one. Soon, the whole room was filled with applause and cheers.

Una mujer molesta mirando a alguien antes de irse | Fuente: Midjourney
An annoyed woman looking at someone before leaving | Source: Midjourney

I hugged my parents tightly, now with tears in my eyes. “I love you both very much.”

Mom kissed my cheek. “We love you more, honey. We will always love you.”

“Well,” Daniel smiled, wrapping an arm around my waist, “I guess this means that, after all, we won’t have to look for a house during our honeymoon.”

The rest of the night was perfect, full of dancing, laughter and love. And the best? The people who really mattered were there with us, exactly where they should be.

Grayscale shot of some dancing boyfriends | Source: Freepik
Grayscale shot of some dancing boyfriends | Source: Freepik

The rest of the night was like a dream. Even Rosie’s free seat seemed to shine with the satisfaction of karma. His half-empty champagne glass was abandoned, with a perfect stain of red carmine marking his last moments of social supremacy.

“Sabes -me confió Miranda, la prima de Daniel, mientras cortábamos la tarta-, la tía Rosie le ha estado diciendo a todo el mundo que ella misma ha orquestado toda esta boda. En la reunión del club de jardinería de la semana pasada se autoproclamó ‘única patrocinadora’. Supongo que esa historia ya está muerta”.

“Junto con su calendario social”, añadió Amy, la tía de Daniel, con una sonrisa malévola. “La Junta Auxiliar de Damas se reúne mañana. Estoy deseando que me lo explique”.

Una mujer mayor mirando a alguien | Fuente: Midjourney
An older woman looking at someone | Source: Midjourney

The dance was in full swing when I noticed that Daniel was having an intense conversation with his father. Philip wiped his eyes and pulled his son to give him a big hug.

“I’m sorry I didn’t protect the two of you more from her. I thought keeping the peace would be better, but I was wrong. Very wrong,” Philip said.

“Papá, ahora estás aquí. Eso es lo que importa”.

An excited older man at a wedding | Source: Midjourney
An excited older man at a wedding | Source: Midjourney

When we left the reception that night, Daniel’s father pushed me away. “Do you know what the best revenge is, Katie?”

He smiled, looking at Rosie’s empty chair. “Live well. And thanks to your parents, you two will have a fantastic start.”