My Entitled Daughter Stole My Wedding, but I Didn’t Let It Slide

On the day of Mabel and Adam’s wedding, they’re stuck in a limousine as they crawl along the freeway, thanks to traffic. Instead of keeping her mother’s guests entertained, Mabel’s daughter, Amanda, takes over the wedding, stealing the limelight. Will Mabel retaliate at the wedding or just let Amanda learn her lesson another way?

Weddings are supposed to be magical, right? An entire day dedicated to the culmination of love, months of planning, and a chance to stand with your person, promising to be with them forever…

That was the dream, at least, until my daughter Amanda turned it into an absolute nightmare.

A beautiful wedding setting | Source: Midjourney

A beautiful wedding setting | Source: Midjourney

Sigh.

It started with traffic, of course. My fiancé Adam and I were stuck on the freeway in our limousine, trapped in a sea of brake lights thanks to an overturned truck miles ahead. We weren’t too worried about the traditions. We were both married before, so seeing each other before the ceremony was the least of our concerns.

“Time, please, Ben?” I called through the intercom for our driver.

A couple sitting in a limousine | Source: Midjourney

A couple sitting in a limousine | Source: Midjourney

“It’s difficult to say, Mabel,” he said. “But I’m trying to gap in whenever I can! I will get you and Adam down the aisle!”

We were definitely going to be late.

“Love, call Amanda,” Adam said, his jaw tight as he tapped on the seat. “Tell her to sort out the guests, just get the band going and keep people entertained.”

A man holding his head | Source: Midjourney

A man holding his head | Source: Midjourney

I dialed my daughter, already feeling the pressure. She picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, sweetie,” I said the moment she answered. “We’re stuck in traffic. There has been an accident, so everything is at a standstill. Can you make sure everything’s running smoothly at the venue? We’ll be about 30 minutes or so. Adam said to get the band playing.”

“Of course, Mommy!” Amanda chirped, her voice syrupy sweet. “Don’t you worry about a thing other than getting here. I’ve got everything else handled. Be safe!”

A smiling woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

A smiling woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

I exhaled, letting her assurance calm my nerves. But not ten minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was my sister, Jess.

Her voice was frantic.

“Sis, you have to come here now! It’s Amanda, she…” her voice trailed off before the call cut off.

“She’s what?” I muttered, immediately redialing, but it went straight to voicemail. A heavy pit settled in my stomach, but there was nothing we could do except crawl forward in the traffic.

A woman using a phone | Source: Midjourney

A woman using a phone | Source: Midjourney

“What do you think Jess meant? What do you think is going on?” I asked Adam after filling him in.

“Oh, honey,” he said. “Honestly, I’m sure Amanda picked up a mic and is trying to sing with the band.”

When we finally pulled up to the venue half an hour later, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Amanda stood on the steps, her face glowing as she held a bouquet of ivory roses. She was in a wedding dress. It was white and simple, but it was definitely a wedding dress.

A smiling young couple | Source: Midjourney

A smiling young couple | Source: Midjourney

Our photographers swarmed around her, cameras clicking as she posed with a dazzling smile. And next to her stood Kyle, her boyfriend of barely a year, looking dazed and uncomfortable in a suit.

I felt my heart stop.

“What the hell is going on?” I yelled, storming up the stairs.

Amanda turned to me, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement.

An upset bride | Source: Midjourney

An upset bride | Source: Midjourney

“Oh, Mommy!” she gushed. “I’m so sad you missed the ceremony! It was lovely!”

My jaw dropped.

“My ceremony? You had my ceremony? You stole my ceremony? Amanda, are you out of your damn mind?”

“Well,” she said, brushing imaginary dust off her dress. “I thought since you were late, we couldn’t let the time go to waste. Everything was already set up, and the officiant needed to get going. You know how much I hate delays. So… I married Kyle!”

A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney

A smiling bride | Source: Midjourney

The audacity of it left me speechless. My beautiful ceremony, the one Adam and I had dreamed of and planned for months… it was all gone. It had been hijacked by my own daughter.

“You’ll get married another day!” she chirped, as if she hadn’t just crushed my heart. “Now, Kyle and I are going to do the final walk down to the reception hall. The guests are going to throw the rice and confetti. Do you want to join?”

I shook my head.

Confetti being thrown on a couple | Source: Midjourney

Confetti being thrown on a couple | Source: Midjourney

Adam came up behind me, his face a mix of fury and heartbreak. He had spent so much time trying to bond and build a relationship with Amanda that I knew her behavior had broken his heart, too.

“Say the word, love,” he said. “Say the word, Mabel, and I’ll shut this down right now.”

I looked at Amanda, the girl I raised, who was now staring at me with infuriating smugness. My fists clenched. Every nerve in my body screamed at me to fight her, to take back what she had stolen.

A frowning man | Source: Midjourney

A frowning man | Source: Midjourney

But I exhaled slowly.

“She’s still my daughter,” I muttered to Adam. “Don’t. I’ll teach her a lesson another way.”

The reception was a surreal experience. Amanda flounced through the room, acting like the star of a fairy tale, completely oblivious to the devastation she’d caused.

My family and friends came around between courses, asking what had really happened.

A crowd of people at a wedding reception | Source: Midjourney

A crowd of people at a wedding reception | Source: Midjourney

“Mabel, we thought it was your wedding, dear,” my aunt said. “You were supposed to get your happy ending. What is this about Amanda getting married? We didn’t know that she was even seeing someone!”

“I don’t know, Aunt Joy,” I said. “I’m just as surprised as you are.”

When dessert rolled around, Amanda even had the nerve to cut into the cake we’d ordered, complete with the beautiful sugar flowers.

A beautiful wedding cake | Source: Midjourney

A beautiful wedding cake | Source: Midjourney

Jess pulled me aside at one point, her eyes blazing.

“That daughter of yours pulled my phone away while I was talking to you. And then she locked me in the bathroom during the ceremony! I couldn’t do anything else about it! Why didn’t you stop her when you got here?”

“Because,” I said, a smile curling my lips. “Revenge is best served cold.”

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

The real kicker came later that evening. Amanda knocked on our hotel room door, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Adam and I were sitting on the bed, eating our way through the room service dessert menu.

“So,” she said, leaning against the cupboard in the room. “Kyle and I need your tickets to Chile for the honeymoon. I mean, there’s no point in you guys using them after all.”

A couple sitting in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

A couple sitting in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

Adam froze. I swear, I saw his hand twitch toward the night light like he was ready to throw it.

But I smiled, keeping my voice calm.

“Of course, sweetie. You can have the tickets. You and Kyle deserve some fun.”

A smiling bride in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

A smiling bride in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

Amanda squealed, hugged me, stole a strawberry from one of the plates, and let herself out.

“What the hell, Mabel?” Adam asked. “Really? She’s taking our honeymoon too? We worked so hard for all of this. Our wedding, our honeymoon, all of it. And for what? For Amanda to behave like a brat?”

“I know you’re upset,” I said. “But honey, trust me. She’s going to learn a lesson. Two days from now, you’ll see.”

An upset man in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

An upset man in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney

And just like clockwork, Amanda phoned two mornings later, her voice anything but cheerful.

“How could you do this to me, Mom?!” she screamed.

I smirked, cradling the phone to my ear.

“Amanda, darling, is something wrong?”

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

“Wrong?” she shouted. “You gave me tickets to the Arctic! We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, freezing, and there’s nothing to do!”

I bit back a laugh. The tickets had been for Chile, technically. But they were only a layover on the way to our real destination: an Arctic expedition. Glacier hikes, frigid waters, and polar bear sightings.

It was our dream trip. But Amanda? She hated the cold. Luxury resorts and tropical beaches were more her style.

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

Classic Amanda. She had never bothered to check the full itinerary.

“You asked for the tickets, Amanda,” I said.

“But what must I do?” she whined.

“You’re a married woman now. Figure it out.”

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

An upset woman | Source: Midjourney

She hung up on me, already muttering a series of curses. And I couldn’t stop grinning.

Meanwhile, Adam and I made new plans. My sister and our closest friends rallied together to throw us the most beautiful wedding celebration at Jess’s house a week later.

They handled everything, from catering to decorations, and it was even more perfect than I could have imagined.

Beautiful wedding decor | Source: Midjourney

Beautiful wedding decor | Source: Midjourney

This time, Amanda wasn’t invited. And do you know what made everything so special? The gifts.

Since Amanda had hijacked my original wedding, all the presents went to us. A brand-new espresso machine, luxury linens, and an all-expenses-paid spa weekend from Adam’s older brother.

It was like karma had gift-wrapped itself for us.

A coffee machine in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

A coffee machine in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

When Amanda found out, she had another meltdown.

“Mom, you stole my wedding gifts?” she shouted over the phone. “Everything was supposed to be left at the wedding venue until we got back from our honeymoon.”

“I think you should stop talking,” I said.

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney

“Mom, you ruined everything for me!” she cried. “I can’t believe you stole my damn gifts.”

“Amanda,” I began, laughing. “Your gifts? You stole my wedding. Consider this a fair trade.”

Adam, at the espresso machine, doubled over and laughed.

As for Amanda’s new marriage to Kyle?

A man laughing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

A man laughing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

From what I hear, it’s already on the rocks. Jess told me later that Kyle looked downright miserable during the wedding ceremony. And I had seen that for myself during the reception. He had avoided Adam and me completely.

“That boy’s in for a rough ride with her,” Jess said when she came over for tea and cake a few days later.

Amanda might have stolen my fairy-tale wedding, but her happily-ever-after was already on thin ice.

Cake and tea on a table | Source: Midjourney

Cake and tea on a table | Source: Midjourney

As for Adam and me? We’re better than ever. We did go on our Arctic honeymoon, and it was breathtaking.

Some lessons, I guess, are best learned the hard way. Amanda might never admit it, but I like to think she’s realized that entitlement comes at a cost.

And if not? Well, let’s just say I’ll always have the satisfaction of knowing she outsmarted herself.

Karma, after all, has a way of evening the score.

A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney

A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney

What would you have done?

If you’ve enjoyed this story, here’s another for you:

My Cousin Intentionally Sewed My Wedding Dress 2 Sizes Smaller – She Was Shocked When She Saw What I Did with It

When Jess and Michael get engaged, her cousin Sarah decided to sew her wedding dress for her as a gift. But during the final fitting, Jess discovers that the wedding dress is two sizes too small. Will Sarah fix her error, or will Jess have to take things into her own hands?

My cousin Sarah and I have always had a complicated relationship. She’s loud and bubbly, but also the type of person who craves the spotlight. And because of that, our entire family gave her the attention she wanted. It made more sense to shine the spotlight on Sarah, rather than ourselves.

When Michael and I got engaged after being together for four years, my whole family seemed genuinely excited for me.

A couple standing together | Source: Midjourney

A couple standing together | Source: Midjourney

Sarah even got all of our girl cousins together, along with my best friends, for a night out. Ending in an Airbnb where we continued the party, because I was the first of us to get engaged.

During that night out, Sarah came up to me, a glass of champagne in her hand.

“Jess! I have a great idea!” she said.

A smiling woman holding a glass of champagne | Source: Midjourney

A smiling woman holding a glass of champagne | Source: Midjourney

“What?” I asked. “What do you want to do?”

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.

I Returned Home from Work to Find My Adopted Twin Daughters, 16, Had Changed the Locks and Kicked Me Out

Thirteen years ago, I adopted my late husband’s secret twin daughters after his fatal car crash revealed his double life. I gave them everything, but at sixteen, they locked me out of my home. One week later, I discovered the shocking reason for their actions.

The morning Andrew died began like any other. The sun had just started peeking through my window, painting everything in a soft, golden light that made even my shabby countertops look almost magical.

It was the last normal moment I’d have for a long, long time.

A woman in her kitchen | Source: Midjourney

A woman in her kitchen | Source: Midjourney

When the phone rang, I almost didn’t answer it. Who calls at 7:30 in the morning? But something, intuition maybe, made me pick up.

“Is this Ruth?” A man’s voice, formal, hesitant.

“Speaking.” I took another sip of coffee, still watching the steam dance.

“Ma’am, I’m Officer Matthews with the Police Department. I’m sorry to inform you, but your husband was in an accident this morning. He didn’t survive.”

A shocked woman on a phone call | Source: Midjourney

A shocked woman on a phone call | Source: Midjourney

The mug slipped from my hand, shattering against the linoleum. Coffee splashed across my bare feet, but I barely felt it. “What? No, that’s… no… not my Andrew!”

“Ma’am…” The officer’s voice softened. “There’s more you need to know. There was another woman in the car who also died… and two surviving daughters. Records in our database confirm they’re Andrew’s children.”

I slid down the kitchen cabinet until I hit the floor, barely registering the coffee soaking into my robe.

A woman collapsed in shock | Source: Midjourney

A woman collapsed in shock | Source: Midjourney

The room spun around me as ten years of marriage shattered like my coffee mug. “Children?”

“Twin girls, ma’am. They’re three years old.”

Three years old. Three years of lies, of business trips and late meetings. Three years of another family living parallel to mine, just out of sight. The jerk had been living a whole other life while I’d been suffering through infertility treatments and the heartache of two miscarriages.

Close up of a shocked woman's face | Source: Midjourney

Close up of a shocked woman’s face | Source: Midjourney

“Ma’am? Are you still there?”

“Yes,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure I was. Not really. “What… what happens to them now?”

“Their mother had no living relatives. They’re currently in emergency foster care until—”

I hung up. I couldn’t bear to hear more.

A cell phone | Source: Pexels

A cell phone | Source: Pexels

The funeral was a blur of black clothes and pitying looks. I stood there like a statue, accepting condolences from people who didn’t know whether to treat me like a grieving widow or a scorned woman.

But then I saw those two tiny figures in matching black dresses, holding hands so tightly their knuckles were white. My husband’s secret daughters.

One had her thumb in her mouth. The other was picking at the hem of her dress. They looked so lost and alone. Despite the hurt of Andrew’s betrayal, my heart went out to them.

Twin three-year-old girls | Source: Midjourney

Twin three-year-old girls | Source: Midjourney

“Those poor things,” my mother whispered beside me. “Their foster family couldn’t make it today. Can you imagine? No one here for them except the social worker.”

I watched as one twin stumbled, and her sister caught her automatically like they were two parts of the same person. Something in my chest cracked open.

“I’ll take them,” I heard myself say.

Mom turned to me, shocked.

A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney

A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney

“Ruth, honey, you can’t be serious. After what he did?”

“Look at them, Mom. They’re innocent in all this and they’re alone.”

“But—”

“I couldn’t have my own children. Maybe… maybe this is why.”

The adoption process was a nightmare of paperwork and questioning looks.

A woman and a man going through paperwork in an office | Source: Pexels

A woman and a man going through paperwork in an office | Source: Pexels

Why would I want my cheating husband’s secret children? Was I mentally stable enough? Was this some form of revenge?

But I kept fighting, and eventually, Carrie and Dana became mine.

Those first years were a dance of healing and hurting. The girls were sweet but wary as if waiting for me to change my mind. I’d catch them whispering to each other late at night, making plans for “when she sends us away.”

It broke my heart every time.

A woman standing outside a bedroom door | Source: Midjourney

A woman standing outside a bedroom door | Source: Midjourney

“We’re having mac and cheese again?” seven-year-old Dana asked one night, her nose wrinkled.

“It’s what we can afford this week, sweetie,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “But look — I put extra cheese on yours, just how you like it.”

Carrie, always the more sensitive one, must have heard something in my voice. She elbowed her sister.

“Mac and cheese is my favorite,” she announced, though I knew it wasn’t.

A bowl of macaroni and cheese | Source: Pexels

A bowl of macaroni and cheese | Source: Pexels

By the time they turned ten, I knew I had to tell them the truth. The whole truth.

I’d practiced the words a hundred times in front of my bathroom mirror, but sitting there on my bed, watching their innocent faces, I felt like I might throw up.

“Girls,” I started, my hands trembling. “There’s something about your father and how you came to be my daughters that you need to know.”

They sat cross-legged on my faded quilt, mirror images of attention.

Twin ten-year-old girls sitting on a bed | Source: Midjourney

Twin ten-year-old girls sitting on a bed | Source: Midjourney

I told them everything about Andrew’s double life, their birth mother, and that terrible morning I got the call. I told them how my heart broke when I saw them at the funeral and how I knew then that we were meant to be together.

The silence that followed felt endless. Dana’s face had gone pale, her freckles standing out like dots of paint. Carrie’s lower lip trembled.

“So… so Dad was a liar?” Dana’s voice cracked. “He was cheating on you?”

A shocked girl | Source: Midjourney

A shocked girl | Source: Midjourney

“And our real mom…” Carrie wrapped her arms around herself. “She died because of him?”

“It was an accident, sweetheart. A terrible accident.”

“But you…” Dana’s eyes narrowed, something hard and horrible creeping into her young face. “You just took us? Like… like some kind of consolation prize?”

A frowning girl | Source: Midjourney

A frowning girl | Source: Midjourney

“No! I took you because—”

“Because you felt sorry for us?” Carrie interrupted, tears streaming now. “Because you couldn’t have your own kids?”

“I took you because I loved you the moment I saw you,” I reached for them, but they both flinched back. “You weren’t a consolation prize. You were a gift.”

A woman explaining herself | Source: Midjourney

A woman explaining herself | Source: Midjourney

“Liar!” Dana spat, jumping off the bed. “Everyone’s a liar! Come on, Carrie!”

They ran to their room and slammed the door. I heard the lock click, followed by muffled sobs and furious whispers.

The next few years were a minefield. Sometimes we’d have good days when we went on shopping trips or cuddled together on the sofa for movie nights. But whenever they got angry, the knives came out.

A teen girl shouting in her bedroom doorway | Source: Midjourney

A teen girl shouting in her bedroom doorway | Source: Midjourney

“At least our real mom wanted us from the start!”

“Maybe she’d still be alive if it wasn’t for you!”

Each barb found its mark with surgical precision. But they were entering their teens, so I weathered their storms, hoping they’d understand someday.

Then came that awful day shortly after the girls turned sixteen.

A woman glancing over her shoulder | Source: Midjourney

A woman glancing over her shoulder | Source: Midjourney

I came home from work and my key wouldn’t turn in the lock. Then I spotted the note taped to the door.

“We’re adults now. We need our own space. Go and live with your mom!” it read.

My suitcase sat by the door like a coffin for all my hopes. Inside, I could hear movement, but no one answered my calls or pounding. I stood there for an hour before climbing back into my car.

A woman in her car | Source: Midjourney

A woman in her car | Source: Midjourney

At Mom’s house, I paced like a caged animal.

“They’re acting out,” she said, watching me wear a path in her carpet. “Testing your love.”

“What if it’s more than that?” I stared at my silent phone. “What if they’ve finally decided I’m not worth it? That I’m just the woman who took them in out of pity?”

“Ruth, you stop that right now.” Mom grabbed my shoulders.

A stern woman | Source: Midjourney

A stern woman | Source: Midjourney

“You’ve been their mother in every way that matters for thirteen years. They’re hurting, yes. They’re angry about things neither of you can change. But they love you.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because they’re acting exactly like you did at sixteen.” She smiled sadly. “Remember when you ran away to Aunt Sarah’s?”

I did. I’d been so angry about… what was it? Something trivial. I’d lasted three days before homesickness drove me back.

A worried woman | Source: Midjourney

A worried woman | Source: Midjourney

Five more days crawled by.

I called in sick to work. I barely ate. Every time my phone buzzed, I lunged for it, only to be disappointed by another spam call or a text from a concerned friend.

Then, finally, on the seventh day, I got the call I’d longed for.

“Mom?” Carrie’s voice was small and soft, like when she used to crawl into my bed during thunderstorms. “Can you come home? Please?”

A woman on a phone call | Source: Midjourney

A woman on a phone call | Source: Midjourney

I drove back with my heart in my throat.

The last thing I expected when I rushed through the front door was to find my house transformed. Fresh paint coated the walls, and the floors gleamed.

“Surprise!” The girls appeared from the kitchen, grinning like they used to when they were little.

“We’ve been planning this for months,” Dana explained, bouncing on her toes. “Working at the mall, babysitting, saving everything.”

A grinning teen girl | Source: Midjourney

A grinning teen girl | Source: Midjourney

“Sorry for the mean note,” Carrie added sheepishly. “It was the only way we could think of to keep it a surprise.”

They led me to what used to be their nursery, now transformed into a beautiful home office. The walls were soft lavender, and there, by the window, hung a photo of the three of us on adoption day, all teary-eyed and smiling.

“You gave us a family, Mom,” Carrie whispered, her eyes wet. “Even though you didn’t have to, even though we were a reminder of everything that hurt. You chose us anyway, and you’ve been the best mom ever.”

An emotional girl holding back tears | Source: Midjourney

An emotional girl holding back tears | Source: Midjourney

I pulled my girls close, breathing in the familiar smell of their shampoo, feeling their hearts beat against mine.

“You two are the best things that have ever happened to me. You gave me a reason to keep going. I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

“But we do know, Mom,” Dana said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “We’ve always known.”

A woman hugging her daughter | Source: Midjourney

A woman hugging her daughter | Source: Midjourney

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