I met my husband after he divorced from what his family calls “the love of his life.” My MIL struggled to accept me but offered to pay for our wedding. On the big day, my MIL showed up with my husband’s ex. We confronted our MIL who said, “She was part of the family before you were.
I didn’t want to leave her out.”
I blinked, thinking maybe I hadn’t heard her right. My husband, Andre, looked stunned too. The ex—Marina—stood there in a pale lavender dress, not quite white, but just enough to make it uncomfortable.
She smiled like she belonged there. I pulled Andre aside and whispered, “Is this some weird tradition I missed, or…?”
“No,” he said quickly. “This is pure sabotage.”
I’d always felt my MIL, Francine, had a tight grip on Andre’s past, and Marina was a big part of that.
They dated through college and were married by 24. When they divorced five years later, it was mutual. But Francine never accepted it.
When I came into Andre’s life two years later, it was clear I wasn’t what Francine had in mind. I wasn’t from the same town, I didn’t have a fancy degree, and I didn’t play tennis on weekends. But Andre loved me for who I was, and I loved him right back.
Francine’s offer to pay for the wedding had surprised me. She said it was her “gift” to us and that she wanted to “do right by Andre.” Maybe I was naïve. I thought maybe she’d finally accepted me.
Clearly, that wasn’t true. Back in the venue lobby, I tried to keep it together. “Francine, why would you bring her?”
“She’s like a daughter to me,” she said flatly.
“And Andre didn’t say not to.”
Andre rubbed his temples. “I didn’t think I had to say not to. It’s our wedding, Mom.
Why would I want my ex-wife there?”
Marina stepped in then. “I just came to support the family. I don’t mean any harm.”
Right.
Just showed up dressed like a bridesmaid, on my wedding day, escorted by my mother-in-law. I turned to Andre. “Do you still want to do this?”
His eyes searched mine, and he nodded.
“Of course. Let’s not let this ruin it.”
I agreed—but I also asked the planner to keep Marina out of the wedding party photos and away from our table. She could stay if she behaved, but she wouldn’t steal the spotlight.
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