“We’ll see about that,” snapped Lily, her voice sharp with frustration.
“No! As long as were stuck in this madhouse with your mother and Emily, therell be no wedding!”
“Lily, love, dont be so hasty,” James sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We could always rent the dresstheres still time. Or we could postpone if you want. Theres no need for all this drama.”
“You dont get it,” Lily crossed her arms, jaw tight. “Its not about the dress. Its about feeling like Im living in a warzone. Your sisters old enough to know better, but shes still acting like a spoiled brat. And honestly? Your mums the one to blame.”
James flinched at the words, though he couldnt deny there was some truth to them. His mother, Margaret, had always had a way of turning Emily against Lily, whether she meant to or not.
Theyd met at university, their relationship unfolding slowlyneither had a place of their own back then. James had stayed with his family, insisting it was just for convenience.
“Ive got Grans flat,” hed said once. “Mums renting it out for now, but when we need it, well fix it up.”
A year later, they did need it. James decided it was time to take the next stepboth had graduated, found jobs. No reason to wait.
“Well stay with Mum for a bit, then get married and move out,” hed said, full of optimism. “Six months, tops. Then itll just be us.”
At first, Lily had been thrilled. It sounded serious, grown-up. But then doubt crept intheyd never lived together before, and now shed be stepping straight into the lions den with her future mother-in-law. Would it ruin everything?
It nearly did.
Margaret wasnt the stereotypical monster-in-law. She cooked for the family, even offered to help with the wedding. No screaming matches, no demands. The problem lay elsewhere.
Her parenting style was unusual. With Emily, her youngest, she was stricterand perhaps she had to be. The girl was spoiled rotten, needing a delicate touch, something Margaret lacked entirely.
One evening, Lily overheard a fight while making tea. Margaret was at the table, flipping through Emilys schoolbook, her face darkening.
“Oh, for heavens sake. Another fail? Was the poem really that hard?” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Right. Hand over your phone and tablet. Youre studying until you can recite it backwards. Phone back when youve memorised it. Tablet after youve got an A in English.”
Emily rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Fine. Jamesll lend me his, anyway,” she muttered.
Margaret scoffed. “Think hell always be there to save you? Hell move out, start his own family. Wont have time for you then.”
“Well see about that!” Emily threw her gadgets onto the table and stormed off, slamming her bedroom door.
Lily stood frozen, the mug in her hands suddenly heavy. She felt like shed stumbled into something private, uncomfortable. She could see it clearlyMargaret had gone too far. But saying so felt impossible.
“Margaret, that was a bit harsh,” she ventured carefully.
“And? Better she learns now. Life isnt all tea and biscuits.”
That “lesson” backfired spectacularly.
Lily had noticed Emily avoiding herskipping meals, leaving the room when she entered. At first, she thought the girl was shy. Then came the petty sabotage. Hiding the remote during a heatwave, ruining Lilys makeup. When James installed a lock on their door, Emily threw a tantrum.
“How am I supposed to do my homework now?” she wailed.
“Youll use the computer under supervision,” James said calmly. “With me.”
“You never locked me out before!”
“Before, I lived alone, Em. And before, you didnt go through my things.”
“I never did! Shes lying! I hate her!”
Emily locked herself in her room, sobbing for hours. Lily didnt know what to think. She hated the girls behaviour but didnt want to escalate things.
“Shes just a kid,” James would say, shrugging.
“That kid is twelve,” Lily shot back. “James, cant we just rent somewhere?”
“Come on, its only a few more months. Mum says well be out in four.”
Four months. To James, it was nothing. To Lily, it felt endless.
She tried reaching outbringing chocolates, asking about school. Emily would mutter “fine,” take the sweets, and that was it. Nothing changed.
It got worse.
One morning, in a rush, Lily hung her bag by the door. Later, she noticed it had been rifled through, but she was already late. By the time she realised her keys were gone, she had to wait an hour for Margaret to let her in.
She knew where theyd gone. She whispered as much to Margaret, who retrieved them after a stern lecture. But the damage was done.
Lily became paranoid about her things. James, however, still left doors unlocked. That was their undoing.
The day before the wedding, chaos reignedfinal calls, decorations, last-minute arrangements. Exhausted, Lily went to admire her dress one last time. She opened the wardrobeand froze.
It was gone. Sliced to ribbons. She knew exactly whod done it.
Her hands shook. Rage and helplessness choked her. She couldnt even speak, just dragged James to the scene. There were no words.
“You rotten little!” Margaret screamed at Emily. “I ought to take a belt to you! Did you pay for that dress? Youll work it off on the streets if I have to!”
Emily was punished severely, but the dress was beyond saving. So were Lilys nerves.
She refused to compromise. No rented dress. No postponement. She was done bending to other peoples whims.
“Lily, just sleep on it,” James pleaded. “Well figure it out.”
“No, James. Its too late. Either we live alone, or we dont live together at all.” She sighed, packing her phone charger. “Im tired of waiting for your mum to hand over your flat. Tired of your sister digging through my bag. A relationship takes work, but not like this. Im not even your wife, and Im already exhausted.”
She spent that night at her friend Charlottes, crying into her shoulder. One day, shed been a happy bride. Now? She didnt know where she belonged.
James called a hundred times in three days. On the third, she finally answered.
“Lily, I know its awful. Were all in shock. But dont throw us away over this. Well buy another dress, today. Just come home.”
She hesitated. James was a good mankind, thoughtful. Maybe too soft, too blind. She loved him. But
“If we have a wedding, its on my terms.”
“Which are?”
“Just us. No help, no interference. Weve celebrated enough with your family. A small dinner after, for close friends only. And secondwe rent our own place. I wont live like this.”
Silence. Harsh? Maybe. But she couldnt settle for less.
“Alright,” James finally said.
The wedding was quiet. They signed the papers, took photos, then spent three days alone in the countryside. No fuss, no drama.
Jamess family was hurt. Lily didnt care. This day wasnt for themespecially not for those who hadnt earned even a cup of tea in her presence.
At the dinner, Emily was eerily quiet. Maybe Margaret had finally cracked down. But Lily didnt see it as a victory. Shed never wanted a war. Still, if this was the price of peace, so be it. Emily might just be a child, Margaret might not have meant harmbut from now on, Lily would guard her family fiercely. Some doors were better left closed.
