A few weeks after the wedding, a conversation between my husband and his mother chilled me to the bone.
A few weeks after the wedding, I overheard my husband and my mother speakingwhat I heard froze my blood in horror.
Tabitha had believed her marriage to Edmund was the start of a true fairy tale, filled with happiness and light. Their chance meeting in a cozy café near Brighton, the swift four months before the proposal, and finally, the soft rose-and-gold ceremony had all felt like a dream come true. Her mother, Margaret, couldnt hide her admiration for Edmund, calling him “the perfect son-in-law.” Yet, after the familys harvest supper, that illusion shattered like delicate glass struck by fate.
After dinner, Tabitha had gone upstairs to fetch a box of family heirloomsold letters and photographs. As she descended the creaking stairs of the old house, she froze. Muffled voices drifted from the parlour. Edmund was speaking, and each word pierced her heart like a sharp blade:
“Margaret, I would never have married her without your money.”
Tabithas breath caught, and she swayed. Her mother replied softly but firmly:
“Hush, Edmund! She might hear. Be patient. Once her affairs improve, you can leave. Shes too fragileshe wont manage alone.”
Edmund sighed, irritation seeping into his voice:
“Just remember the final payment by New Years. Without it, I wont stay.”
Tabitha barely made it back to her room, gripping the banister to keep from collapsing. Her world was crumbling. Her mother had paid Edmund to marry her. Every tender word, every gesture, their vows at the altarall of it was a lie, bought with cold, hard cash. Pain washed over her like an icy wave, but Tabitha resolved to uncover the full truth.
She rifled through his belongings as he slept and found proofbank statements showing regular transfers from her mother, labelled “expenses,” “first instalment,” “final payment.” His emails revealed letters from creditors, overdue loans, desperate pleas to friends for money. Edmund was drowning in financial ruin, and her mother had pulled him outat her daughters expense. Every glance, every touch from Edmund now revolted her. Conversations with her mother became an ordealshe wanted to scream, to spew the poison, but she stayed silent, gathering her strength. Questions tortured her soul: Did her mother truly think she didnt deserve love? Was anything in this marriage real?
Tabitha made her decision: their betrayal would not stay hidden. On New Years Eve, as the family gathered around her mothers grand dining table, she prepared her strike. Beneath the Christmas tree sat a small gift box tied with red ribbon.
“This is for you, Mum. Youve earned it,” Tabitha said, staring her down.
Margaret opened the box with a smile, then paled instantly. Inside were copies of the bank transfersirrefutable proof.
“What is this?” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“It proves you bought me a husband,” Tabitha replied calmly, though a storm raged within.
A heavy silence fell, thick as thunder. Edmund dropped his spoon with a clatter.
“Tabitha, let me explain” he began, his voice wretched, like a cornered animal.
“Dont bother. You got your money. This marriage is over.”
Her mother burst into tears, collapsing into a chair:
“I did this for you! Youre ill, fragile! I didnt want you to be alone!”
“No. You did it to keep me under control.” Tabithas voice trembled with pain. “Congratulations, Mum. You bought me a husband and lost your daughter.”
She left the house, leaving them in deadly silence. The cold wind whipped her face, but no tears came. At the start of the new year, Tabitha filed for divorce. Edmund didnt resistthe masks had dropped, and he had no arguments left. Her mother called, begging forgiveness, but every ring felt like betrayals echo, making Tabitha flinch. The stress took its tollher heart raced, her hands shookbut friends and long hours with a therapist helped her claw her way out of hell.
Now, she is free. For the first time in years, Tabitha breathes deeply, untangled from the lies and chains that bound her. This freedom is worth more than all the riches in the world. She looks ahead to a future where Edmund and her mothers scheming have no place and realises: she endured. And youwhat would you have done in her place? Could you have weathered such a shock and found the strength to move on?
