“We’ll see about that!”
“No! As long as we live in this madhouse with your mum and Lily, there wont be any wedding!”
“Katie, love, no need to be so hasty. Lets just hire the dressweve still got time. Or we can postpone if you’d rather We can sort this out calmly,” sighed David.
“You dont get it,” Katie crossed her arms. “Its not about the dress. Its about feeling like Im in a warzone. Your sisters a grown woman but still acts like a spoilt brat. And honestly, Margarets the real problem.”
David didnt appreciate her words, though deep down, he knew she wasnt entirely wrong. Years ago, Margaret haddeliberately or notturned his sister against his future wife.
Katie and David had met at university. Things moved slowly because neither had their own place. David lived with his family, insisting it was “for convenience.”
“Ive got Grans flat, but Mums renting it out. When we need it, well fix it up,” hed say.
A year later, they did need it. David decided it was time to take the next step. Both had graduated, found jobsno reason to wait.
“Well stay with Mum a while, then marry and move out,” he planned aloud. “Six months, tops, and well be on our own.”
Katie was thrilledat first. It sounded serious. Then doubt crept in: theyd never lived together, and now shed be thrown straight into his mothers home. Would it destroy them?
Almost.
Margaret wasnt the typical monster-in-law. She offered to help with the wedding, cooked for everyone, never argued. The problem? Her parenting.
Lily, the younger sister, was spoiled rotten. Margaret handled her with an iron fistno softness. One evening, Katie overheard them.
“Oh, for heavens sake Couldnt you just learn the poem?” Margaret sighed, flipping through Lilys schoolbook. “Hand over your phone and tablet. No screen time till youve memorised it. Tablet back after an A in English.”
Lily rolled her eyes.
“Take it, then. Ill just use Davids,” she snapped.
“Think youll hide behind your brother forever?” Margaret smirked. “Hell move out, start his own family, forget about us.”
“Well see about that!” Lily hurled her gadgets onto the table and stormed off.
The door slammed. Katie hesitated, uneasylike shed stumbled on something private.
“Margaret, that was a bit harsh” she ventured.
“She needs to learn. Life isnt all fun and games.”
That “lesson” backfired.
Lily had always avoided Katieleaving meals early, hiding the remote in heatwaves, wrecking her makeup. When David installed a lock after Katie asked, Lily exploded.
“How am I supposed to do my homework?!” she shrieked.
“Youll use the computer with me supervising,” he said firmly.
“You never locked me out before!”
“Before, I lived alone. And you didnt go through my things.”
“I didnt! Shes lying, your stupid Katie! I hate her!”
Lily locked herself in her room, sobbing. Katie was torndisgusted by her behaviour but unwilling to escalate.
“Shes just a kid,” David shrugged.
“Shes twelve,” Katie muttered. “Dave, maybe we should rent a place?”
“Come on, its only a few more months. Mum says well sort the flat by then.”
Four months. A blink to Davidan eternity to Katie.
She tried bonding with Lilychocolates, asking about school. Lily took the sweets, muttered “fine,” and that was that. Things only worsened.
Once, rushing out, Katie hung her bag on the door. Later, she noticed it had been rifled throughbut no time to check. At work, she realised her keys were gone.
She waited an hour for Margaret to let her in. Quietly, she told her where they might be. Margaret confronted Lily, retrieved the keysbut the damage was done.
Katie guarded her belongings after that. David, though, still left doors unlocked. Their mistake.
The wedding eve was chaosdecorating, calls to guests, last-minute plans. That night, Katie opened the wardrobe to admire her dressonly to find it slashed to ribbons.
Her hands shook. Rage choked her. She dragged David to see, speechless.
“You little devil!” Margaret screamed at Lily. “Ill thrash you for this! You think money grows on trees? Youll pay for every penny!”
Lily was punished, but the dressand Katies patiencewere beyond repair.
She refused to hire another. Refused to reschedule. Refused to keep bending to others.
“Katie, just sleep on it,” David pleaded. “Well fix this tomorrow”
“No. Its too late. Either we live apart, or were done.” She sighed, packing her charger. “Im sick of waiting for your mum to hand over your own flat. Sick of your sister stealing from me. A relationship takes workbut not like this. Im not even your wife, and Im already exhausted.”
She spent the night at her friends, crying, lost.
Three days later, she answered Davids hundredth call.
“Katie, I know its awful. Were gutted. But dont throw us away. Well buy another dresstoday. Just come back.”
She hesitated. David was kind, gentlejust careless. She loved him. But
“If we marry, its on my terms.”
“Which are?”
“Just us at the registry. No help, no guests. Well do a dinner latersmall. And we rent our own place. I wont live like this.”
Silence. Harsh, perhapsbut shed had enough.
“Alright,” he finally said.
They married quietlyjust photos, then a countryside escape. No fuss.
Davids family sulked, but Katie didnt care. This day wasnt for themespecially not those whod earned nothing but scorn.
At the dinner, Lily stayed silentlikely scolded into submission. Katie took no pride in it. Shed never wanted a war. But if forced, shed guard her peace fiercely.
Maybe Lily was just a child. Maybe Margaret meant no harm. But some doors were best kept shut.
