After a chance encounter and years of dating, Ryan and Hanna are about to walk down the aisle and commit to each other. But when Ryan’s mother reveals an incriminating video of Ryan with another woman, Hanna feels her heartbreak. But later, the truth of the video is revealed, along with more deceit than Hanna ever expected.
Do parents just enjoy dropping bombshells before weddings? When I say before—I mean 30 minutes before?
Because that’s exactly what Ryan’s mother did.
Ryan and I met two years ago—it was one of those by-chance meetings. I was at the community theatre because one of my friends, Mila, was in the local musical with her directorial debut.
So, there I was, standing outside after the performance, holding a bouquet of flowers for Mila. Ryan walked out, and because of the crowd, walked directly into me, crushing the flowers.
“I am so sorry,” he said, picking up the bouquet.
“I hate crowds,” I said.
He chuckled and gestured for us to move away from the door.
“I’m not a fan either,” he said. “I’m Ryan.”
“Hanna,” I said, introducing myself.
Just three months into our romance, Ryan proposed in a pub while drinking Guinness and eating crispy potato skins.
Last week, we should have sealed that promise with our wedding vows. But our wedding went in the complete opposite direction it should have gone.
Initially, my family welcomed Ryan with open arms. As the only daughter, my parents were thrilled that I had met someone who genuinely made me happy.
“This is a different side to you, Hanna,” my mother said one evening when we had Ryan over for family dinner.
“He makes her happy,” my father said, smiling. “That’s all a father could want.”
Ryan felt welcome—he felt the warmth that they showered him, and through that, we grew stronger as a couple, too.
On his side, it was more or less the same thing. The Coles opened their home and hearts to me, and they wanted nothing more than to have us over as much as possible. Mrs. Cole, Audrey, had gotten into a coffee date and manicure routine with me, too.
Everything felt right—until the very moment it wasn’t.
Leading up to our wedding, I was the calmest I could have been. It was a small church wedding, and Ryan and I had planned the intimate affair right down to the little details. We knew exactly what we wanted and how to make it special for our day.
But on what was meant to be the happiest day of my life, just before the ceremony, my soon-to-be mother-in-law pulled me aside.
“Darling,” she said. “Can we chat for a moment?”
I nodded and told her to wait until my glam team was done with my hair and makeup.
Something about her demeanor made me feel anxious and nervous. I watched her movements from my reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes moved around the room quickly, often settling on my wedding dress hanging from its hook.
When I was ready, and my mother was buttoning up my dress, I turned to Audrey.
“I’m ready when you are,” I said, smiling at her.
Her eyes glazed over, seeing me in the dress. She had been at my fittings before, but this was the moment that Audrey and my mother would see the full effect of my bridal outfit.
“Hanna,” Audrey said. “There’s no easy way for me to say this.”
My heart thundered in my chest. While my hair was being done, and I sat watching her, I knew that nothing good was going to come from our conversation.
“Just say it,” I said. “Tell me.”
Audrey pulled her phone out of her clutch and held it out for me.
“There are videos on this phone that will explain everything. I am so sorry, Hanna, but Ryan needs to be caught out.”
My mind raced. I couldn’t fathom what I was about to see once her phone was unlocked.
“Here,” she said, handing me her phone as a woman’s voice echoed through the room.
The videos on Audrey’s phone revealed Ryan with another woman, in clandestine affection, undeniable betrayal.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “This is him?”
Audrey closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Well, look at the jacket on the bed,” she said. “Isn’t that the one you got him?”
I pressed play again, and looked at the jacket. The hotel room also looked familiar—I was so sure that we had been there before.
“But Ryan’s face isn’t in the frame,” I said.
I was struggling. I couldn’t believe that my almost mother-in-law was standing in front of me with a video showing her son’s affair.
“Hanna,” she said slowly. “It’s right in front of you. You can choose to overlook it, but think of the man that you would be marrying if you choose to ignore it. Could you live with yourself knowing that? Could you live with him?”
I shook my head. I wanted to cry because of how overwhelmed I was.
“Fine,” I said.
“You’re calling off the wedding?” Audrey asked, hope lining her voice.
“No,” I said. “I’m going to walk down that aisle. I’m going to walk to the man who has been unfaithful to me. And when the time comes for our vows, I’ll break it off then.”
“Okay, dear,” Audrey said, putting her phone back into her bag. “It’s almost time now, anyway.”
I sat down on the chaise, and waited for my father to come and get me when it was time to marry Ryan. I wanted nothing more than to get into a car and drive away to some place where I could eat my feelings in a mountain of fries.
My heart violently pounded with fury as I approached the altar on my father’s arm. Ryan, aware of the storm brewing beneath my skin, smiled tenderly at me. He took my hand and squeezed it.
It would have been absolutely perfect, except for the fact that he had been with someone else.
Our priest went on to quote scripture about love and matrimony from the Bible. And when it was time for our vows, my heart quietened down—finally realizing what was about to come.
“I don’t,” I said softly, more to the ground than to Ryan.
“Speak louder, Hanna,” the priest said.
“I don’t!” I said more confidently, the words echoing like a resounding shockwave.
Ryan’s shock morphed into confusion as I repeated those two words again.
“Hanna? What?” he asked, hurt and betrayal deep in his voice.
“Ask your mom,” I said, pointing at Audrey. “Mrs. Cole, please tell everyone what you told me earlier.”
The church hushed immediately, as if everyone were holding their breath. With shaking hands, she opened her bag and took out her phone. Like earlier, she held it out to me.
“Look,” I said to Ryan.
Ryan took a step back, almost falling over the wedding arch.
“That is not me, Hanna!” he said loudly. “Hanna, you know it’s not me!”
I refused to look him in the eye.
Then he confronted his mother.
“Mom, what is all this? What is that? Where did you get that video?”
Audrey shook her head and walked down the aisle, leaving the church in silence.
I could not bear to hear Ryan’s excuses.
“Hanna, please,” he said. “I need you to believe me.”
And I wanted to. Of course, I wanted to believe the man I loved. But it was clear, the jacket that I bought him lay across the bed in the video. He had been with someone else.
And if there was the possibility that he wasn’t with another person—how would he explain the video? And the woman who was barely dressed? And the sound effects?
“I can’t do this,” I said. “I won’t.”
I ran out of the side door, my parents following closely behind.
Ryan continued to reach out to me for the rest of the day—and when night settled, I finally blocked his number.
Yet, two days later, when I was wrapped in a blanket wondering where everything had gone wrong—Ryan showed up at my parents’ house with takeout and flowers.
“You expect this to fix everything?” I asked.
“I need to talk,” he said simply.
Against my better judgment, I listened.
What Ryan revealed next sent me down another spiral.
He had confronted Audrey after the wedding.
“I went straight to her house,” he said. “She was sitting there, in her kitchen, eating toast and listening to old records as though she hadn’t just ruined our wedding.”
“I think you did that,” I blurted out.
“Hanna,” he warned. “My mother orchestrated that video. The people in it are her students. And it was all because she didn’t want us to get married.”
My jaw hit the ground.
Audrey was a high school teacher—but she also tutored first-year college kids in English. So, when it truly came down to the fact that Ryan and I were actually getting married, she panicked. She called two of her college students, who were too eager to make a bit of extra money, to play the part.
“I thought she liked me,” I said while digging into the food Ryan had brought over. “Clearly she doesn’t if she put an entire video together.”
“She did say that the sounds were edited,” Ryan chuckled nervously. “But I’ve got to hand it to her, adding my jacket was a good touch.”
I didn’t understand how I felt. For the past two days, since walking away from my own wedding—I convinced myself that Ryan had been the bad guy in my story. That he was the villain who broke my heart, while his mother exposed him for who he was.
And yet, the reality was so much worse.
Here was a woman who had claimed me as the daughter she never had, only to break my heart before marrying her son.
She believed I was unworthy of Ryan.
I forgave Ryan immediately, and he did the same in return—I did accuse him of cheating on me in front of all our guests.
We’re still together, but I don’t know what the future holds. For now, I feel hurt and betrayed by Audrey. And I know that forgiveness will be difficult to come by for her.
My Stepdaughters Despised Me as Low-Class and Worthless – Suddenly, They Changed Their Minds
When I fell in love with an older man with three adult children, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. His daughters thought I was with him for his money, but when they discovered the truth about our dynamic, they tried twisting my arm, and I wasn’t having it!
I never imagined falling in love in my forties would come with so much judgment. I’m 43, and I’ve been dating Elon, a 61-year-old widower. He works in banking, and I’m a bartender. Sadly, our relationship made his daughters assume that I was only after his money an opportunistic gold digger.
A happy bartender | Source: Midjourney
I understand how, to Amanda and Claire, on the surface, it looks like a cliché, a younger woman with an older, wealthier man. His two daughters certainly thought I was looking for financial gain, while their brother, Mark, was the only one who welcomed and accepted me warmly without knowing anything about my financial standing.
What his daughters didn’t know was that they couldn’t have been more wrong about me and their father’s situation. Elon isn’t wealthy anymore. In fact, he’s broke. Meanwhile, I have a trust fund and many thriving businesses.
A well-off bartender | Source: Midjourney
The truth is that bartending is something I do because I enjoy it, not because I need the paycheck. Elon’s financial struggles aren’t because he was careless with money. He actually sacrificed everything for his late wife during her battle with cancer.
Three times, the cancer came back, and each time Elon fought harder, pouring every resource into treatment. This wonderful man maxed out six credit cards, took out a second mortgage, and drained his retirement savings to give her every possible chance.
A stressed man | Source: Midjourney
His only goal was to make sure she lived long enough to see their daughters get married, but he failed. His wife passed away a few years before we started dating. Now, he’s left with mounting debts, while his daughters live comfortably in their own suburban bubbles.
The pair live six hours away with their fiancés, and for the past two Christmases, Elon and I made the long drive to visit them. Both times, I was met with cold shoulders and passive-aggressive remarks!
Mean-looking sisters | Source: Midjourney
Amanda and Claire would ignore me, pull their father away when he tried to include me in conversations and ensure their fiancés avoided me too. The duo constantly portrayed themselves as coming from some sort of high-class family.
Periodically, they dropped rude comments about me being “just a bartender” and having nothing. They’d say things like, “At your age, being 40, it’s sad to be just that.” Elon tried to defend me as best he could.
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
The first year of our Christmas visit, Elon called them out for their behavior. They apologized, but only to him, but excused their behavior by saying it was hard to see their dad with someone who wasn’t their mom.
Because I loved Elon and saw a future with him, I decided to be understanding. Grief can twist emotions. But the second year was even worse! The thinly veiled comments about my bartending work became more direct.
A sad woman with her eyes closed | Source: Midjourney
Amanda once laughed and said, “At your age, it’s kind of sad to be just that. Waiting for a handout from our dad.”
Claire smirked but didn’t disagree. I didn’t correct them. I didn’t tell them about my trust fund or my businesses. I didn’t see the point. I don’t like boasting, and frankly, they didn’t deserve to know.
I wanted Elon’s children to like me for who I am, not what I have or can give them or their father financially. Little did I know that a gift to their father would change the relationship between me and them forever.
A happy man in a new car | Source: Midjourney
This year, I told Elon I wasn’t going. I couldn’t put myself through that humiliation again. He looked torn, saying, “I wish you’d come. It’s Christmas.”
“I can’t, my love. They don’t respect me. Why should I keep showing up to be ignored?”
He sighed. “I don’t want to do this without you, plus you know my back’s been acting up. The drive’s hard alone in that ratched car without someone to help.”
Not wanting to come between him and his family, I insisted he go alone and decided to make things easier for him.
A concerned woman | Source: Midjourney
His car had seen better days and wasn’t as comfortable for his problematic back. My brother owns a car dealership, so I leased a luxury car for him, something safe with comfortable seats for the long drive.
When Elon mentioned the car to his daughters, they exploded! They accused him of spending “their mother’s money” on me and wasting it on a “stupid car” instead of helping with their upcoming weddings. Their entitlement was astounding!
Two angry women | Source: Midjourney
They didn’t know Elon was drowning in debt or that I had paid for the car, and he couldn’t get a word in edgewise to correct their misgivings! But that wasn’t the worst of it…
Elon’s son, Mark, lived in a different country, and because of his son’s medical issues, he’d never attended holidays at his sisters’ in recent years. His life hasn’t been easy with his young son, Ethan, struggling with serious health problems, and the medical bills were piling up.
A father with his ailing son | Source: Midjourney
Mark and his wife, Sarah, had to sell their car just to keep up with treatments. They were stuck, isolated, struggling. Hearing about it broke my heart. Elon didn’t ask me to help. He barely mentioned it. But I couldn’t shake the image of Ethan and his parents stranded without a car.
So, I bought them one. It wasn’t extravagant, just a reliable SUV to get them to doctor appointments and back. I didn’t say a word to anyone about it except Elon. I didn’t do it for recognition. But the news got out.
A happy couple with a new car | Source: Midjourney
When Amanda and Claire heard about the car, naturally, they assumed Elon had bought it. They were furious!
“Why would Dad buy them a car and not help us with our weddings?” Amanda whined.
When Elon told them the truth, that I had bought the car, they went quiet. Then, suddenly, they seemed to have a change of heart and called me on their father’s phone wanting to meet. They told me and Elon that they wanted to apologize, to “clear the air.”
An upset father talking to his daughter | Source: Midjourney
I agreed to meet them but only as a test. Elon was hopeful, but I wasn’t. When they arrived at my house, which Elon lived in with me after losing the one he shared with his late wife, at first, they seemed sincere.
Amanda smiled tightly, saying, “We’re sorry. We misjudged you.”
Claire nodded. “It was wrong of us. Thank you for helping Mark. It means a lot.”
I wanted to believe them. For a moment, I thought maybe this was progress…
A suspicious woman | Source: Midjourney
Then Amanda leaned forward, voice soft and casual.
“Oh, by the way… with our weddings coming up, it’d be AMAZING if you could help with some of the costs. Nothing huge, of course.”
Claire jumped in.
“Yeah, just a little something. You’ve already been so generous.”
And there it was! The real reason they wanted to meet!
I smiled politely. “No.”
A determined woman | Source: Midjourney
Amanda’s smile vanished. Her face turned red. “Are you serious?! After everything you did for Mark?”
Claire’s expression twisted. “You’re such a hypocrite! You act all generous, but you’re selfish!”
When Amanda slammed her glass down, causing her wine to splash across the table, Elon tried to cut in, but she cut him off! “Unbelievable!” she shrieked before storming out.
Claire leaned in, eyes narrowed. “You’ll regret this. Don’t think we’re just going to let you ruin everything.”
Then she left, slamming the door behind her!
An angry woman leaving | Source: Midjourney
Elon sat in stunned silence.
“I told you they’d react like this,” I said quietly.
He stared at the empty doorway, then at me. His shoulders sagged. “I didn’t want to believe it.”
“They’ve had every chance to treat me like family, Elon. They don’t care about me. They only care about what I or you can give them.”
He nodded slowly. For the first time, I saw relief in his eyes, like he’d been holding onto some false hope and finally let it go.
A defeated man | Source: Midjourney
Later that night, Mark called, and his father put him on loudspeaker. “Thanks again for the car, Sandra! It’s already made life so much easier!”
Elon quickly filled him in on the failed meeting with his sisters, and his reply was, “I don’t know how you deal with Amanda and Claire! You are a saint!”
I laughed. “I’m not a saint, Mark. I just know where to draw the line.”
A woman laughing while talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
Since then, Elon’s relationship with his daughters has been distant. He’s reached out, but they keep their conversations short. I feel bad for him, but I can’t fix that. The greatest thing about what happened during that meeting was that Elon’s focus had finally shifted!
We started planning small weekend getaways, enjoying quiet nights in, and reconnecting with Mark’s family! Ethan even calls me “Auntie” now, and that melts my heart!
A happy woman with a little boy | Source: Midjourney
I decided that Amanda and Claire could think what they wanted. I know the truth, and so does Elon. That’s enough. Our relationship isn’t built on money or appearances. It’s built on trust, respect, and love. And for the first time, I feel truly at peace.
A happy woman | Source: Midjourney
While Sandra’s boyfriend’s children didn’t accept her for who she is, in the following story a man with a stepdaughter struggled with their relationship. Then one day she invited him out but acted strangely, when she finally revealed the truth behind her behavior, the pair shared the warmest hug!
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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