Wendy made it painfully clear my grandson wasn’t welcome — not at her wedding, not in her home, and certainly not in her life. My son went along with it, but I didn’t. Instead, I kept smiling, played the part of the doting mother-in-law, and quietly waited for the right moment to show everyone exactly what kind of woman he had married.
I remember the first time I met Wendy. It was during brunch at a pretentious little café with concrete walls, loud clinking cutlery, and food that looked far better than it tasted. She arrived ten minutes late, wearing a crisp cream blazer, and didn’t bother to apologize.
She greeted me with a handshake instead of a hug — and not once did she ask how I was doing. My son Matthew couldn’t stop smiling. He leaned in close, hanging on her every word, his eyes tracing her face as she talked about gallery openings, houseplants, and something called “intentional design.”
She was polished.
Sharp. Ambitious. But she never once asked about Alex — my grandson, Matthew’s little boy from his first marriage.
Alex was five at the time and had been living with me ever since his mother passed away. A gentle soul with wide eyes and a quiet presence, he often carried a book or toy dinosaur as if it were his armor against the world. Her total lack of curiosity — not even a single question about him — unsettled me deeply.
So when Matthew told me they were getting married, my first reaction wasn’t joy. It was concern. “Why doesn’t she ever spend time with Alex?” I asked.
He hesitated. There was a flicker in his eyes, then he said, “She’s… adjusting. It’s a process.”
That was the first warning bell.
I didn’t press him then, but I should have. The months leading up to the wedding blurred together — fittings, florists, seating charts — and silence about Alex. His name wasn’t on the invitation.
There was no mention of a suit, no talk of a role, not even a single comment about including him in a photo. Two weeks before the wedding, I invited Wendy over for tea. I thought maybe she just needed to understand what Alex meant to our family.
She arrived in a crisp white blouse, every detail perfectly in place, not a wrinkle to be seen. I asked gently, “So, what part will Alex be playing in the wedding?”
She blinked, set her cup down, and smiled. “Oh.
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