“I can’t believe she showed up,” Ethan grumbled under his breath while holding his bride’s hands. They were on the altar, and he had just noticed that his mother-in-law, Ada, had just walked in and sat down in the last row. He thought his future wife, Dalia, didn’t invite her mother.

“Please, Ethan. Let it go,” Dalia said quietly. She bit her lip and was waiting for her groom to make a scene, but he sighed and tried to contain himself.

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The truth is, Ethan didn’t want Dalia’s mother there for several reasons, and he didn’t understand why she had appeared. He didn’t hate the woman, but she shouldn’t be there. She didn’t belong. She scared him.

***

Ethan’s family was from old Connecticut money. The kind of money that never runs out, even through generations. Unlike the rest of his family, Ethan had fallen in love with Dalia without considering the future or how much money she had. Normally, his family arranged marriages with other affluent families or with convenient people.

The couple reached her, and although Ethan was sweating, he took the envelope in his hands. He browsed the papers inside and his jaw dropped.

However, as soon as he saw the hard-working law student at Yale during their first Torts class, Ethan fell in love. She was feisty and was not afraid to speak her mind, and he was hooked immediately.

When they started dating, he was sure that Dalia had to come from money too. She never wore expensive clothes or anything, but she held herself up like the women in his family.

Some people believed the highly wealthy showed off their riches with clothes, cars, and other fancy things. But like that saying, “Money talks, wealth whispers,” the women in Ethan’s family were not flashy or ostentatious with their wealth, although they did take advantage of their privileges. He was sure that Dalia had to come from riches somehow.

He was completely blindsided when she told him the truth. She was a scholarship student who worked all her life to get to where she was. Her mother was a laundress for many wealthy families in the area and raised her alone.

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He was not too proud to admit that he almost broke up with Dalia at that point. He didn’t think they would work, and he also felt that she might have taken an interest in him because everyone at school knew him and his family.

“I don’t care about your money at all, Ethan. But I can’t stop you if you don’t want to be with me. Go date someone from your country club or whatever,” Dalia had scoffed at him when he told her his concerns.

“I don’t want a country club girl, Dalia. But it’s a genuine concern. Isn’t it for you? Do you think you’ll fit in?” he asked her sincerely.

“Please, I’ve dealt with snobby rich people looking down on me and my mother all my life. I don’t need this from you. In fact, my mother even told me you were not the one for me, so maybe she was right,” Dalia commented, shrugging, and grabbed her purse to leave his apartment.

“What? What do you mean? Wouldn’t any mother want their daughter to date a rich man?” Ethan questioned, baffled at the idea that a single, poor mother could hate him.

“Not my mom. She raised me to be independent. Ethan, I love you for you. But if you don’t believe that, we don’t have to be together,” Dalia continued and was almost out his door when he stopped her.

“No, please. Stay. Let’s talk,” he begged, and Dalia stayed.

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They agreed to continue dating, but the idea that Ada hated him never left Ethan’s mind. Unbeknownst to him, he started to fear the woman.

All the women he had dated before Dalia had mothers who were ecstatic with the idea of Ethan becoming part of their family. It was a given. He was the perfect bachelor. He had a stellar reputation in the community. He was smart. He had a steady future laid out for him. In short, he was a mother-in-law’s dream.

But not to Ada, who he refused to meet for years, making excuses every time Dalia tried to introduce them.

When he proposed, and she agreed, Dalia finally asked why he didn’t want to meet her mother.

“I just… don’t want to. I also don’t want her at our wedding. She won’t have a good time, and my family will mock her for her job and everything. It’s for the best, Dalia,” Ethan lied to his fiancée, not knowing how to express the truth. He still didn’t understand the truth.

“But I can’t get married without my mother, Ethan. She’s my world,” Dalia insisted.

“I’m meant to be your world now. So it’s either my way, or we don’t get married,” Ethan said, putting his foot down.

Dalia was not happy about it and tried to bring up the subject many times afterward. However, he didn’t budge, and eventually, she stopped saying anything. He thought that meant she wouldn’t invite Ada to the wedding.

***

However, the woman showed up. Ethan recognized her as soon as she got closer because he had seen her in Dalia’s pictures. She was dressed in what looked like a cheap new dress and was smiling. Ethan looked down and tried to focus on the pastor’s words.

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When the ceremony finished, they smiled and posed for pictures for the family. But when they went into a private room, he wanted to scream at his new wife.

“Please, don’t. I never agreed not to invite my mother. She is my mother. You get to have all your family here, and I also have a right to do so. So deal with it. You don’t have to be chummy with her or anything. But you’ll meet with her and act politely, or I’ll file for annulment immediately!” Dalia warned, her hands on her waist and looking stern.

“Fine,” Ethan muttered unhappily.

They exited the private room and went to the reception, where they were greeted by family, friends, and tons of people who came to congratulate them.

It wasn’t until an hour later that Dalia finally brought her mother to Ethan and introduced them for the first time.

“Mom, this is Ethan. I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet earlier,” she said, her tone a bit ashamed.

“Nice to meet you, dear. I wish you would’ve come to my house at some point. I wanted to cook for you and meet you personally,” Ada said, smiling brightly.

Ethan swallowed hard and shook the older woman’s hand. “Hmm, I’m sorry about that. Maybe after the honeymoon,” he responded, knowing he would do anything never to keep that promise.

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“Excellent,” Ada smiled, and Dalia smiled too.

The whole situation should’ve been entirely expected, but it wasn’t. Not for Ethan. He felt pressure in his chest. He felt fear. He realized he was intimidated by Dalia’s mother. But why?

She was a laundry woman, skinny, poor, and frail. He had dealt with ruthless business people who dealt with his father and had already faced nail-biting situations as a lawyer. So why was he afraid of this old woman?

She was just his mother-in-law, and he had nothing to fear. Nothing. Literally. He tried to calm down, but the feeling didn’t go away.

At some point, Dalia went with her bridesmaids to dance, and the groomsmen joined Ethan. He didn’t realize Ada was nearby when the boys started talking about his new mother-in-law.

“Yeah, well, Dalia comes from nothing, but now she has me. She can forget her old life. I didn’t want to invite that poor old woman, but what can I do?” Ethan mocked, and his buddies laughed. They were all rich too.

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“Yeah, well, Dalia doesn’t have to worry about money ever again with you, dude,” his friend, Austin, laughed, and the pressure on Ethan’s chest eased with the banter. They continued to mock the poor old lady, although she had been nothing but pleasant to Ethan in their brief encounter. He never expected what she would do next.

***

A few hours into the party, it was finally time for the speeches. Ethan’s best man and Dalia’s maid of honor spoke first. They were their friends from their Yale days. However, Ethan’s chest tightened again when he saw Ada getting up on stage and taking the microphone.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m Ada, Dalia’s mother, and I also want to give a toast. Can you believe that I just met the groom today? Well, he didn’t want to meet me, apparently. He was mocking me with his buddies earlier this evening,” the older woman started, and Dalia turned to Ethan with a sharp look.

“Well, I’m sure you all know I don’t come from this amazing wealth. I actually don’t have much money, but I did my best with Dalia. She is my pride and joy; she loves Ethan more than anything, and I know she doesn’t care about money. That’s how I raised her,” Ada continued. “And I’m glad to know that everyone here accepted her, even with her background. Thank you for that… Now, I have a gift for the newlyweds. Can you come here, darlings?”

Ada signaled for Ethan and Dalia to join her on stage, and the older woman produced an envelope. The couple reached her, and although Ethan was sweating, he took the envelope in his hands. He browsed the papers inside, and his jaw dropped.

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Dalia asked him about it, and he could only whisper, “She bought us a house.”

“With all my hard work and years of scrimping, I managed to buy my daughter a house. Nearby, actually, and I hope you can start your family there. I love you, Dalia. And I hope, Ethan, that in time, you can love me too,” Ada finished, and the whole room erupted in cheers, standing for the woman.

Dalia hugged her mother and cried terribly, not caring that her makeup was running. When they separated, the poor older woman turned to her new son-in-law with a tentative grin.

Ethan was sweating, and his eyes had watered. “I’m so sorry,” he choked. “Thank you.”

Ada only grinned wider and hugged him to her chest. She had forgiven him easily. There was no animosity in her heart for Ethan. Her daughter loved him, and she had to believe it was because he was a good man.

As Ada held him in his arms, Ethan realized something. He was afraid and intimidated by this older woman because… she made it all on her own.

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The people in his life had been rich for generations. He didn’t know a businessman, friend, or colleague who was self-made. His friends were wealthy. His colleagues too. Dalia was self-made, but she somehow always seemed like old money.

Ada, however, was a thoroughly average – almost poor person – and she was there. She had successfully raised a thriving daughter and had spent all her hard-earned money on a house even though he knew she didn’t have one of her own.

Ethan couldn’t understand how someone could make it in this world without all his privileges, so he was afraid to be near her. He couldn’t measure next to her. He would crumble in her circumstances. He would fail. He was… nothing… without his money, and the realization was staggering.

“Son, don’t think about it twice. You’re forgiven. We’re family now. Just… make my daughter as happy as you can,” Ada said in his ear so no one else could hear, and he promised himself he would do that.

When they separated, the party started. Ethan’s parents thanked Ada for the house and they talked all night. Ethan apologized to Dalia for mocking her mother; his bride was just as understanding as his new mother-in-law.

“I will never do something like that again, and your mom will be invited to our house and all our events all the time,” he promised as they danced the night away.

Dalia nodded. “You bet she will.”

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They went on their honeymoon, after which they moved into the house Ada bought them. It was huge for newlyweds, and even Dalia couldn’t believe how her mother had afforded such a luxurious place.

As they furnished the house, Ethan realized he didn’t want to stand in his father’s shadow or his family’s extensive wealth for the rest of his life. He decided to quit his job and start his own practice with Dalia, where they helped lower-income clients with their cases. His life was no longer about money; for the first time, he felt complete.

Money had driven his every move forever; now, it felt like he was cleared of it. He stopped caring about luxuries, vacations, fancy cars, or even his wealthy friends. Those things didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was Dalia, Ada, his family, and the interests of his clients.

Years later, during a special anniversary dinner, Ethan’s father, Ferdinand, pulled him aside and told him how proud he was of him.

“I was going to kick you out of the practice back then after Dalia’s mother talked about you mocking her, but then you quit, and I couldn’t have been more surprised. What you’re doing now… is unbelievable. It’s what you dream of doing when you’re a young lawyer who only wants justice for the world,” Ferdinand said in a serious, heartfelt tone. “I thought I had raised a spoiled boy. But you are my pride and joy.”

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Ethan smiled at the words, similar to what Ada had said about Dalia at their wedding, and once again, he felt whole. As he watched his family enjoying the dinner and each other’s company, he understood that this was worth more than all the money in the world.

What can we learn from this story?

• It’s never right to make fun of people due to their financial or social status. Ethan mocked his mother-in-law only to realize why he did it and how wrong of him it was.
• Money is important to survive, but it’s not everything. Ethan discovered that life was more than your paycheck or how much money your family had when he married Dalia and met Ada.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a bride who walked down the aisle only to discover that her groom was marrying another woman.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story,