“We’ll see about that!”
“No! As long as we live in this madhouse with your mum and Lily, there wont be any wedding!”
“Emily, love, why jump to conclusions? We could rent a dressweve still got time. Or we could postpone if youd rather… Lets just talk this through calmly,” Daniel sighed.
“You dont get it,” Emily crossed her arms. “Its not about the dress. Its about feeling like Im in a battlefield here. Your sisters old enough to know better, but shes still clueless. And honestly, its all Margarets fault.”
Daniel didnt like hearing that, though deep down, he knew Emily had a point. At some point, Margaret hadintentionally or notturned Lily against his fiancée.
Emily and Daniel had met at university. Their relationship moved slowly, as neither had their own place back then. Daniel still lived with his familysomething he justified as “practical for everyone.”
“I own a flat. Left to me by Gran. Mums renting it out for now, but once we need it, well fix it up,” hed say.
A year later, they finally did need it. Daniel decided it was time to take the next step. Both had graduated and found jobs, so there was no reason to wait.
“Well stay at Mums for now, then get married and move in,” he planned aloud. “Six months tops, and well be on our own.”
At first, Emily was thrilled. It sounded serious, promising. But then doubt crept intheyd never lived together, and now shed be stepping straight into a battlefield with her future mother-in-law. Would it ruin everything?
In a way, it did.
Margaret wasnt the stereotypical monster-in-law clinging to her son. She even offered to help with the wedding. She cooked for the whole familythough Emily tried a few times to take overnever picked fights, never demanded anything. The problem lay elsewhere.
Margaret had a peculiar approach to parenting. She was stricter with Lily, her youngest, and perhaps not without reason. The girl was spoiled rotten, needing a gentle handbut subtlety wasnt Margarets strength.
One day, Emily overheard a row. She was making tea while Margaret leafed through Lilys school diary, discovering fresh poor marks and yet another behaviour note.
“Oh, for pitys sake… Couldnt you at least memorise a simple poem?” Margaret sighed. “Right, hand over your phone and tablet. Youre hitting the books. Phones mine till youre word-perfect. Tablet stays until you pull your grade up.”
Lily clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
“Fine, take them. Daniel will lend me his,” she snapped.
“Oh, Im sure,” Margaret smirked. “Think hell always shield you? Once he and Emily move out, start their own family, hell forget all about us.”
“Well see about that!” Lily flung her gadgets on the table and stormed off.
The door slammed. Emily glanced awkwardly at Margaret, feeling like shed stumbled on someone elses dirty laundry. She could see Margaret had gone too farbut calling out an older woman felt wrong.
“Margaret, isnt that a bit harsh?” Emily ventured.
“And? She needs to learn. Life isnt all sunshine and roses.”
That “life lesson” backfired.
Emily had noticed Lily avoiding herskipping meals together, leaving if they were all at the table. At first, she thought Lily was shy. Then came the petty sabotages: hiding the remote in a heatwave, tampering with Emilys makeup. When Daniel installed a lock on their bedroom door at Emilys request, Lily threw a tantrum.
“How am I meant to do my schoolwork now?!” she shrieked.
“Youll use the computer under supervision,” Daniel said calmly. “With me.”
“You never locked your things before!”
“Before, I lived alone, Lily. And you never went through my stuff before.”
“I never did! Emilys lying! I hate her!”
Lily locked herself in her room and cried all evening. Emily didnt know what to think. She despised the girls behaviour, but escalating things seemed pointless.
“Shes just a kid,” Daniel shrugged.
“That kid is twelve,” Emily retorted. “Dan, maybe we should rent somewhere now?”
“Come on, its just a few more months. Mum says well be out in four.”
Four months. To Daniel, it was nothing. To Emily, it felt endless.
She tried bonding with Lilybringing chocolates, asking about school. Lily would mutter “fine,” snatch the sweets, and vanish. Nothing changed. It only got worse.
One morning, rushing out, Emily hung her bag on the front door and dashed to the bathroom. Outside, she noticed her bag had been rifled through, but she was late for work. Later, she had to wait an hour for Margaret to let her inher keys had mysteriously vanished.
Emily had a hunch. She whispered it to Margaret, who confronted Lily and retrieved the keys. But the damage was done.
From then on, Emily guarded her things fiercely. Daniel, though, still sometimes left doors unlockeda habit that cost them dearly.
On the weddings eve, no one had eyes for Lily. They were finalising decorations, calls, plans. That evening, Emily went to admire her dressonly to find it slashed to ribbons. She knew exactly whod done it.
Her hands shook. Rage and helplessness choked her. She dragged Daniel to the wardrobe, speechless.
“You little brat!” Margaret screamed at Lily. “I ought to tan your hide! Did you pay for that dress? Youll work it off handing out flyers!”
This time, Lily got what she deservedbut the dress was beyond saving. So were Emilys nerves.
She refused compromisesno rentals, no delays. She wouldnt bend to someone elses games anymore.
“Emily, love, just sleep on it. Well sort it in the morning,” Daniel pleaded.
“No, Dan. Either we live alone, or we dont live together at all,” Emily said flatly. “Im done waiting for your mum to hand over your flat. Done with your sister pawing through my things. Relationships take workbut not like this. Im not even your wife yet, and Im exhausted from fighting alone.”
She stuffed her phone charger into her bag and rummaged for her documents.
“Where are you going? The renovation wont take forever”
But she wasnt listening. Every excuse now sounded hollow.
She spent that night at a friends, crying on her shoulder, but the hurt lingered. Yesterday, shed been a happy bride. Today, she didnt know where to turn.
Daniel called a hundred times in three days. On the third, she finally answered.
“Em, I know its rubbish. Were gutted too. But lets not throw everything away? Well buy another dresstoday. Just dont leave.”
Emily hesitated. Daniel was a good mankind, thoughtful, decent. Just a bit oblivious, too soft. She loved him. But…
“If we marry, its on my terms.”
“Which are?”
“Just us at the ceremony. No help, no spectators. Well host a dinner later for close family only. And secondwe rent our own place. I wont live guarding my things.”
Silence. Harsh terms, but she wouldnt bend further.
“Alright,” Daniel finally said.
The wedding was quiet. They signed the papers, took photos, then escaped to the countryside for three daysjust them. No fuss, no drama.
Daniels family sulked, but Emily didnt care. This day wasnt for them. Some hadnt earned even a cup of tea in her book.
At the dinner, Lily was meek as a mouselikely scolded into submission. Emily didnt call it a victory. She didnt want a war, but if one was forced on her… Well, shed defend her boundaries fiercely. Maybe Lily was just a child. Maybe Margaret meant no harm. But from now on, their family would have a strict guest list.
