My Parents Refused to Attend My Wedding Because My Fiancé Was Poor — We Met 10 Years Later and They Begged to Build a Relationship

When Emma fell in love with a humble teacher, her parents gave her an ultimatum: choose him or them. On her wedding day, their seats sat empty, but her grandpa stood by her side. At his funeral ten years later, her estranged parents begged for her forgiveness, but not for the reasons she thought.

Growing up in our pristine suburban home, my parents had a running joke about how we’d all live in a grand mansion someday.

A mansion with a formal garden | Source: Pexels

A mansion with a formal garden | Source: Pexels

“One day, Emma,” my father would say, adjusting his already-perfect tie in the hallway mirror, “we’ll live in a house so big you’ll need a map to find the kitchen.”

My mother would laugh, the sound like crystal glasses clinking, adding, “And you’ll marry someone who’ll help us get there, won’t you, sweetheart?”

“A prince!” I’d reply when I was a kid. “With a big castle! And lots of horses!”

An excited girl with her hands in the air | Source: Midjourney

An excited girl with her hands in the air | Source: Midjourney

I thought it was funny throughout my early childhood. I even used to daydream about my future castle. But by high school, I understood there was nothing funny about it at all.

My parents were relentless. Every decision they made, every friendship they had, and every activity we attended had to advance our social climbing somehow.

Mom vetted my friends based on their parents’ tax brackets! I don’t think I’ll ever forget how she sneered when I brought my classmate Bianca over to work on our science project.

A woman with a disapproving look | Source: Midjourney

A woman with a disapproving look | Source: Midjourney

“You aren’t friends with that girl, are you?” Mom asked at dinner that evening.

I shrugged. “Bianca’s nice, and she’s one of the top students in class.”

“She’s not good enough for you,” Mom replied sternly. “Those cheap clothes and awful haircut says it all, top student or not.”

A strange feeling churned in my gut when Mom said those words. That was when I truly realized how narrow-minded my parents were.

A teen girl seated at a dinner table | Source: Midjourney

A teen girl seated at a dinner table | Source: Midjourney

Dad was no better. He networked at my school events instead of watching my performances.

I still remember my leading role in “The Glass Menagerie” senior year. Father spent the entire show in the lobby discussing investment opportunities with the parents of my cast mates.

“Did you see me at all?” I asked him afterward, still in my costume.

“Of course, princess,” he replied, not looking up from his phone. “I heard the applause. Must have been wonderful.”

A man using his phone while his sad teen daughter stands nearby | Source: Midjourney

A man using his phone while his sad teen daughter stands nearby | Source: Midjourney

Then came college and Liam.

“A teacher?” My mother had practically choked on her champagne when I told her about him. “Emma, darling, teachers are wonderful people, but they’re not exactly… well, you know.”

She glanced around our country club as if someone might overhear this shameful secret.

I knew exactly what she meant, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t care.

A woman with a determined look on her face | Source: Midjourney

A woman with a determined look on her face | Source: Midjourney

Liam was different from anyone I’d ever met. While other guys tried to impress me with their parents’ vacation homes or luxury cars, he talked about becoming a teacher with such passion it made his whole face light up.

When he proposed, it wasn’t with an enormous diamond in a fancy restaurant. It was with his grandmother’s ring in the community garden where we’d had our first date.

The stone was small but caught the sunlight in a way that made it look like it held all the stars in the universe.

A diamond ring sparkling in sunlight | Source: Midjourney

A diamond ring sparkling in sunlight | Source: Midjourney

“I can’t give you a mansion,” he said, his voice shaking slightly, “but I promise to give you a home filled with love.”

I said yes before he could even finish asking.

My parents’ response was arctic.

“Not that teacher!” my father had spat as though he was talking about some criminal. “How will he provide for you? For us? You’ll be throwing your future in the trash if you marry him!”

A man gesturing angrily during dinner | Source: Midjourney

A man gesturing angrily during dinner | Source: Midjourney

“He already provides everything I need,” I told them. “He’s kind, he makes me laugh, and he—”

“I forbid it!” Dad interrupted. “If you go through with this, if you marry that teacher…”

“Then we’ll cut you off,” Mom finished, her voice sharp as glass. “Call him right this minute and break up with him, or we’ll disown you. We didn’t invest so much time and effort in your upbringing only for you to throw it all away.”

My jaw dropped.

A woman gasping in disbelief during dinner | Source: Midjourney

A woman gasping in disbelief during dinner | Source: Midjourney

“You can’t be serious,” I whispered.

“It’s him or us,” Dad replied, his face like stone.

I’d known my parents might have a hard time accepting Liam, but this? I couldn’t believe they’d make such an impossible demand.

But the hard look on their faces made it clear their decision was final. I knew I had to make a choice, and it broke my heart.

A sad but determined woman | Source: Midjourney

A sad but determined woman | Source: Midjourney

“I’ll send you an invitation to the wedding in case you change your minds,” I said before standing up and walking away.

The wedding was small, intimate, and perfect, except for the two empty seats in the front row. But Grandpa was there, and somehow his presence filled the whole church.

He walked me down the aisle, his steps slow but steady, and his grip on my arm was firm and reassuring.

“You picked the right kind of wealth, kid,” he whispered as he hugged me. “Love matters more than money. Always has, always will.”

A bride hugging her grandfather | Source: Midjourney

A bride hugging her grandfather | Source: Midjourney

Life wasn’t easy after that. Liam’s teaching salary and the money I made from freelancing brought in just enough to make ends meet.

We lived in a tiny apartment where the heat only worked when it felt like it, and the neighbor’s music became our constant soundtrack. But our home was full of laughter, especially after Sophie was born.

She inherited her father’s gentle heart and my stubborn streak, a combination that made me proud daily.

A child looking at a book | Source: Pexels

A child looking at a book | Source: Pexels

Grandpa was our rock through it all.

He’d show up with groceries when things were tight, though we never told him about our struggles. He’d sit for hours with Sophie, teaching her card tricks and telling her stories about his childhood.

“You know what real wealth is, sweetheart?” I overheard him telling her once. “It’s having people who love you for exactly who you are.”

An elderly man telling stories to his great-granddaughter | Source: Midjourney

An elderly man telling stories to his great-granddaughter | Source: Midjourney

“Like how Mommy and Daddy love me?” Sophie had asked.

“Exactly like that,” he’d replied, his eyes meeting mine across the room. “That’s the kind of rich that lasts forever.”

When Grandpa passed away, it felt like losing my foundation. Standing at his funeral, holding Liam’s hand while Sophie pressed against his leg, I could barely get through the eulogy.

Then I saw them — my parents. They were older but still immaculate and approached me with tears during the reception.

A mature couple at a funeral reception | Source: Midjourney

A mature couple at a funeral reception | Source: Midjourney

Mother’s pearls caught the light from the stained glass windows, and Father’s suit probably cost more than our monthly rent.

“Emma, darling,” my mother said, reaching for my hands. “We’ve been such fools. Please, can we try to rebuild our relationship?”

For a moment, my heart soared. Ten years of pain seemed ready to heal until Aunt Claire marched up and pulled me aside.

A woman with a grim look | Source: Midjourney

A woman with a grim look | Source: Midjourney

“Emma, honey, don’t fall for it,” she said, her voice low and urgent as she guided me toward a quiet corner, “your parents’ apology isn’t genuine. They’re only doing it because of the condition in your Grandpa’s will.”

“What condition?”

Aunt Claire pursed her lips. “Dad spent years trying to convince your parents to reconcile with you. They always refused, so he put it in his will. The only way your mom will get her inheritance is if they apologize and make peace with you, otherwise, her share of the money will go to charity.”

A woman whispering to someone | Source: Midjourney

A woman whispering to someone | Source: Midjourney

The truth hit me like a physical blow. Even now, after all these years, it is still about the money. The tears in their eyes weren’t for me, or Grandpa. They were for their bank account.

I thanked Aunt Claire for telling me the truth before going to the microphone to give another speech.

“Grandpa taught me what real wealth looks like,” I said, my voice carrying across the hushed room. “It looks like my husband spending extra hours helping struggling students without pay. It looks like my daughter sharing her lunch with a classmate who forgot theirs.”

A serious woman speaking into a microphone | Source: Midjourney

A serious woman speaking into a microphone | Source: Midjourney

“Real wealth is love given freely and without conditions.” I looked directly at my parents. “Some people never learn that lesson. But I’m grateful to have had someone who showed me the difference between true richness and mere wealth.”

Later that day, I learned that Grandpa had left me a separate inheritance, no strings attached. Enough to ensure Sophie’s college education and ease our constant financial juggling act.

The lawyer also confirmed that my parents would receive nothing. Every penny of their expected inheritance would go to educational charities, supporting students who couldn’t afford college.

A lawyer in an office | Source: Pexels

A lawyer in an office | Source: Pexels

I couldn’t help but smile, imagining Grandpa’s satisfied grin. He’d found a way to turn their greed into something beautiful.

That night, tucked between Liam and Sophie on our worn but comfortable couch, watching an old movie and sharing a bowl of popcorn, I felt a peace I hadn’t expected.

My parents’ betrayal still hurt, but it was a distant ache now, overshadowed by the warmth of the family I’d chosen and built.

“Mom,” Sophie asked, snuggling closer, “tell me another story about Great-Grandpa?”

A woman snuggling her daughter | Source: Midjourney

A woman snuggling her daughter | Source: Midjourney

“Well, sweetie,” I said, catching Liam’s loving glance over her head, “let me tell you about the time he taught me what real wealth means…”

Looking at my daughter’s eager face and my husband’s gentle smile, I knew I’d never regret choosing love over money. After all, I was the richest person I knew.

Here’s another story:After losing my wife, my family stopped visiting me altogether, but the neighborhood children became my comfort with their frequent visits. Once I got tired of being neglected by my own family, I decided to make them see the error of their ways.

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.

Newborn Baby Cries All Day No Matter What Parents Do, after a While They Check His Crib – Story of the Day

Walter returns home from work to find his baby son crying. His wife has tried everything to quiet their son, but nothing works. Walter decides to check the crib and is shocked by what he finds there.

An ear-splitting wail echoed through the house as Walter entered from the garage. His wife, Abby, sat in the kitchen, and by the distressed look on her face, he knew Logan’s cries were bothering her again.

“Oh, honey,” he says and hugs her from behind. “How long has he been crying like that?”

“I’ve tried everything, Walter!” Abby broke down into sobs. “He’s been fed, changed, bathed, and burped! I even took his temperature! I don’t know what to do now. He keeps crying!”

After becoming parents a month ago, everything in the couple’s lives changed. And if there was something that really distressed Walter, it was Logan’s cries.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“Come, we’ll figure this out together,” Walter said and took Abby to Logan’s room.

He cheerfully approached Logan’s crib. But all he saw in the crib was a dictaphone and a note. Walter pressed the stop button on the dictaphone, and Logan’s cries stopped.

“What did you do?” Abby called from behind. Walter wasn’t listening. He held the note and zoned out. It wasn’t until Abby snatched the note from his hand and opened it that he realized what had occurred.

“I warned you that you’d regret being rude to me.

If you want to see your baby again, leave $200,000 in the luggage storage lockers near the pier.

If you go to the police, you’ll never see him again.”

“Oh my God!” Abby gasped. “What does it mean? Was I rude to someone? Were you? Who would kidnap Logan?”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Walter recalled the janitor he’d mistreated at the maternity hospital. He was bringing a cute bear-shaped pot for Abby while she was admitted to the hospital, but the pot broke when he tripped over the janitor’s broom.

Furious, Walter called the man awful names, and the janitor said, “You’ll regret it!”

“We’ll have to go to the police, honey,” Walter said, snapping out of his thoughts. “It must be him!”

“What? The note says we’ll never see Logan again if we go to the police, Walter. We should just pay the ransom!”

“We don’t know if he’ll return Logan if we do that. Think about it, honey. This guy is a janitor… there’s no way he’d know if we went to the police, and since we know where he works, they might be able to go straight to the maternity hospital, arrest him, and bring Logan home to us.”

Abby agreed.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Walter parked their car outside the station. He and Abby were about to exit the vehicle when Walter’s phone buzzed with a message.

“This is your first and last warning. If you enter that police station, your kid’s going into the bay. Get the money to the location mentioned below.”

Abby gasped as she read the message, and Walter looked around, trying to spot the kidnapper. But there were too many people. The only way to rescue Logan now was to pay the ransom.

Walter decided to drive to the bank right away, but Abby’s condition deteriorated. She threw up once and was about to throw up for a second time. It was better to drive her home, Walter decided.

“Don’t hate me for it, honey, but that’s the best for you,” he said. And Abby didn’t protest.

“Fine…But Walter…does that kidnapper even know about caring for a newborn?” she asked and broke down into tears.

Walter said nothing and drove her home. But his imagination wasn’t immune to dark thoughts. He kept imagining Logan in a dark room, crying for help that never came.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Somehow pulling himself together, Walter drove to the bank. Then he visited the storage locker mentioned by the kidnapper and placed the money inside it.

There were too many people around for him to spot the janitor, but Walter knew he would be somewhere nearby, watching him. So Walter returned to his car, drove a short distance, and parked around the lockers again. It wasn’t long before he spotted the janitor from the maternity hospital.

The janitor opened the locker. Walter sat up straighter, but then a tourist group walked past, hiding the janitor from view.

“Move it!” Walter snapped.

Painful minutes stretched out as the tourists headed toward one of the statues. After the last few people in the group eventually passed the lockers, Walter swore. The janitor had disappeared.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Walter barely dared to breathe as he scanned the crowd. The man had been wearing the sort of flashy shirt sold in the more eclectic, hippie-themed stores, so he shouldn’t have been hard to spot.

There! A wave of relief washed over him as Walter spotted the janitor crossing the road. He was carrying the bag of money Walter had placed in the locker. Walter leaped from his car and followed him.

The man led him around a parking lot, past a variety of restaurants and several museums before he turned into a bus station. They were heading toward another row of lockers.

The janitor placed the bag inside a locker. When he turned around, Walter was ready. He shoved the janitor up against the lockers and held him there with his forearm.

“Where is my son?” Walter demanded. “I’ve done everything you asked, you jerk; now return Logan to me!”

“Look, I was offered $100 to collect the package and then drop it off here,” the man said. “I don’t know about your son!”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

“Don’t you dare lie!”

“I’m not! Some guy paid me to deliver the package! I ran into him in the parking lot after work one day, but he was standing with the light behind him, so I didn’t see his face. I have two kids of my own. I’d never hurt someone else’s child.”

Something about the janitor’s eyes told Walter the older man wasn’t lying. He let the man go, then opened the locker. But it was empty. Somebody had cut a hole in the back.

Walter jogged around to the back of the lockers. The hole was covered from the back with a thin steel plate, loosely secured by two screws. Nobody around was carrying a bag like the one he’d placed the money into.

Walter didn’t know how to break the news to Abby. Logan was their miracle baby. They’d been struggling for years before they conceived him. And now, he had lost his only chance to get Logan back.

Walter entered his home. He checked all the rooms downstairs but didn’t find Abby anywhere. He went upstairs to check their bedroom and noticed Abby’s things were gone.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

At first, Walter suspected she was kidnapped. He called her. Countless times. But she never answered. Then it dawned on him that the kidnapper wouldn’t have taken all of Abby’s things. Even her hand lotion was missing.

Walter was crushed, to say the least. How could Abby do this to them? No wonder she’d been so eager to return home after feeling sick. She had also insisted they pay the ransom. Abby was Logan’s kidnapper. Did she have an accomplice?

The only thing that consoled Walter’s heart was that the ransom money was fake. He would find a way to get his son back.

Walter drove to the maternity hospital where Logan was born, and near the vending machine, he found the man he was looking for—a doctor.

“Hi,” Walter approached him. “I hope you can help me. I need someone to call my wife—”

“I’m not a phone service,” the doctor replied sharply.

“You don’t understand. I’m willing to pay you handsomely for your assistance, doctor, and your silence.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

The doctor studied Walter through narrowed eyes. He slowly smiled as Walter explained his situation and told him what he wanted the doctor to tell Abby.

Walter then retrieved his wallet and furtively showed the doctor the dollar bills inside it. The man nodded. “Okay, we have a deal. Come with me!”

Walter followed the doctor to a nurse’s station on the second floor. All the nurses were checking on their patients, judging by the activity in the hallways. Nobody took much notice as the doctor lifted the phone and dialed Abby’s number.

“Good morning, Mrs. Taylor; this is Dr. Jones from the maternity hospital. I’m calling to inform you that we just discovered something very serious in one of the routine tests we performed on your son after he was born. He needs to come in for treatment immediately.”

Walter heard Abby’s emotional outcry from the other side of the nurse’s station but couldn’t make out her exact words.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t discuss the details over the phone. All I can say for now is that he has a rare genetic condition. I’m sure he does seem fine now, but that could change at any moment. He’s at a higher risk for SIDS and several other life-threatening conditions. You really need to bring him in today, Mrs. Taylor.”

Dr. Jones ended the call a few minutes later and showed Walter a thumbs-up.

“She’s going to bring the baby in ASAP.” Dr. Jones held out his hand and wriggled his fingers. “I did my bit. Now it’s time for you to pay up.”

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Walter paid the doctor and went back downstairs. He wandered around for a few minutes before his phone started ringing. His lip curled in disgust when he checked the caller ID.

“You have some nerve to phone me after what you did, Abby,” Walter said. “Where’s Logan? I demand you bring him back.”

“Says the man who doesn’t even care enough about him to pay the ransom!” Abby shrieked. “That money was all fake, you tight-fisted jerk. Logan needs to see a doctor urgently, and I can’t take him because of you. Where’s the real money, Walter?”

“In my account, where it’s been all along. What’s wrong with Logan, or is this just another scheme to get my money?”

Abby swore at him and began to cry. “I told you; he’s sick! You’ve got to send me the money so he can receive treatment. He’ll die without it.”

“I won’t let my son die! I’ll pay,” Walter replied and hung up.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Hearing Abby confirm she was behind Logan’s kidnapping broke his heart all over again. It took a few minutes before he pulled himself together enough to send her an immediate payment via his money transfer app. Now, all he had to do was wait.

***

Tears trailed down Walter’s cheeks when his little brother, James, entered the hospital with Abby. James held Logan against his chest while Abby spoke to the receptionist.

It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion as the police officers and FBI agents came forward and surrounded Abby and James. Walter had informed the cops beforehand.

“You’re under arrest for kidnapping!” an FBI agent called out. “Hand the child over, nice and slowly, and raise your hands.”

“Get away from us!” Abby shrieked as she moved to stand between the FBI agent and Logan. “My son is sick. He needs to see a doctor.”

“No, he isn’t,” Walter called out as he approached the group. “There’s nothing wrong with Logan at all.”

Abby’s gaze locked onto him. Walter watched as the fear and uncertainty in her eyes shifted into red-hot fury. She rushed forward as though to attack him. But the police tackled her. She and James were arrested.

Walter hugged his son, relieved to have him back. But Abby wasn’t done yet.

“You think you’ve won? Logan isn’t even yours! You couldn’t get me pregnant, remember? But whatever’s wrong with you clearly doesn’t run in the family!” she yelled.

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

For illustration purposes only | Source: Pexels

Walter froze. He looked at his brother, who wouldn’t even raise his head to look at him. It pained Walter. But nothing mattered because he had Logan with him.

“I will adopt him if that’s what I have to do!” he shot back. “I will watch him grow up while you two rot behind bars!” he said and left with Logan.

Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who spots her husband taking his wedding ring off before leaving for work. She decides to follow him, only to discover something shocking.

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.

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