After their marriage was arranged due to a business agreement between their parents, Jason and Aria had no choice but to get to know each other quickly. A few months in, the couple were expecting their first baby. But now that Lily is seven months old, Aria begins to wonder if Jason is really happy…
I wasn’t supposed to overhear it. But maybe I was meant to.
There’s something about family gatherings that always feels familiar. Warm. Chaotic. Comforting.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
Today was no different.
Our daughter, Lily, was seven months old, and every time we visited Jason’s parents, she was the center of attention. Jason’s mom fussed over her, while his aunts and uncles passed her around, taking turns cooing and doting on her.
I sat on the couch outside, watching them, feeling a sense of contentment wash over me.
A smiling baby girl | Source: Midjourney
“She’s just such a beautiful baby, Aria,” Jason’s aunt said. “Look at those eyes!”
I smiled at her, wondering how different everything could have been if Jason’s family hadn’t accepted us as we were.
Jason was in the kitchen with his mom, helping prepare dinner and getting everything ready for the grill outside. He always seemed so at ease in these moments, slipping effortlessly into the role of devoted son, loving husband, and doting father.
Platters of meat for a grill | Source: Midjourney
It hadn’t always been that way. At least, not in the beginning.
We were married young. I mean, I was only 20, and Jason had just turned 21. Our marriage was arranged by our parents in an effort to strengthen a business deal.
At first, I hated everything about it. I mean, Jason and I were only given two months to get to know each other before the wedding.
A close up of a young couple | Source: Midjourney
I wasn’t sure if love could grow in such a short amount of time. Especially between two people who were practically strangers.
But we tried.
And day by day, we learned each other’s quirks, built trust, and started creating a life together.
A young woman looking out a window | Source: Midjourney
“I know that our relationship is based on our parents, Ari,” Jason said one day when we were getting ice cream together. “But we’ve both decided that we’re in this for the long haul. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed, adding chocolate sauce to my sundae.
“We can be happy, Aria,” he said, picking the cherry off my ice cream.
A couple getting ice cream | Source: Midjourney
Things moved fast after that. We got married at a vineyard my father owned. And just a few months into our marriage, I found out I was pregnant with Lily.
The news hit us unexpectedly, and we were both hesitant about keeping our baby.
“What do you want to do?” he asked me one morning when I sat and looked at the pregnancy test.
A newly wed couple | Source: Midjourney
“Keep her. I think the baby is a girl,” I said.
And just like that, it was decided.
Neither of us were prepared for it, but Jason stepped up in ways I hadn’t expected. After the business deal went through, my parents moved to a different state, leaving me to fend for myself in my marriage with a baby on the way.
A woman holding a pregnancy test | Source: Midjourney
Instead, Jason spoke to his parents and decided to take a year off work from his job at his father’s company to support me.
From that moment on, he was by my side, through every bout of morning sickness, every doctor’s appointment, and every sleepless night.
I leaned into his support, but at the back of my mind, I wondered if he ever felt the weight of it all. Jason was many things, but emotional wasn’t one of them. He rarely talked about his feelings and what this new life together meant to him.
A smiling pregnant woman | Source: Midjourney
But today, as the noise of family surrounded me, I couldn’t help but think about how far we’d come.
I stood up and quietly headed down the hallway, planning to check on Jason and Salma, my mother-in-law, in the kitchen.
But halfway there, I heard his voice.
I paused, not wanting to interrupt. He was speaking in a tone that I’d never quite heard before.
A woman walking down a hallway | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know what I’d do without Aria and Lily, Mom,” Jason said softly.
I froze in place, my heart pounding. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but something about the way Jason said my name held me captive.
His voice lowered.
A smiling man in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“She’s changed my life, Mom. Like before, I was just interested in parties and chilling on the boat. But now? I wake up every day and think about how lucky I am. I mean, I never really imagined this kind of happiness.”
I stayed hidden just around the corner from the kitchen arch, straining to hear every word. My mind raced as I tried to process the depth of his emotion.
Jason wasn’t the kind of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve like this. And if I’m being really honest, I had been wondering whether our little life was good enough for him.
A young man partying on a boat | Source: Midjourney
We had gone from strangers to married to being parents in less than a year. Everything was rushed. So, I wondered whether his feelings for me were true.
But now? Hearing this?
I wasn’t so insecure anymore.
“I wouldn’t be half the man I am without her,” he continued.
A smiling young woman | Source: Midjourney
There was a pause, and all I could hear was something being chopped.
“That’s beautiful, honey,” Salma said. “I’m glad that you feel this way. You know, when Dad and Aria’s father came to their arrangement, I wasn’t sure about it because of your age. I thought that we were setting you two up for divorce or failure in general. But you guys hit it off and made something wonderful.”
“I don’t tell Ari enough, but she’s everything to me. And Lily, my God! That little girl has taught me more about love than I ever thought possible.”
A smiling older woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“That’s the love of a parent, my boy,” Salma said. “And the feeling that comes with being in love and at peace with your relationship.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape.
Jason had no idea that I was there, listening to the most beautiful confession I had ever heard. I wanted to run into the kitchen, wrap my arms around him, and tell him how much those words meant to me.
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
But I stayed rooted to my spot, overwhelmed by the weight of what I’d just overheard.
Instead, after a few minutes, I walked outside to join the rest of the family as they played with Lily.
I sat down, pretending everything was normal. I mean, it was, but it was also so much better. The world seemed brighter.
People in a backyard | Source: Midjourney
I had been worrying about our future and whether we even had a future lined up. We were young, I knew that. But a part of me always felt like we were doomed from the start.
And I had always known that he cared, but I didn’t know he felt this deeply.
How had I missed that?
Was I too caught up in being Lily’s mother? Had I been ignoring Jason?
A pensive young woman | Source: Midjourney
That evening, after we returned home and put Lily to bed, the silence between us felt heavy. Jason sat beside me on the couch, his hand resting on my knee as he ate some of the leftover dessert we brought home.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said, his voice soft. “Is something on your mind?”
I bit my lip, unsure of how to begin.
A couple sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
I wanted to tell him everything I’d heard, but I didn’t know how Jason would react.
Finally, I took a deep breath.
“I overheard you today… when you were in the kitchen with your mom.”
Jason’s eyes widened for a moment before he glanced down.
A shocked young man | Source: Midjourney
“What did you hear?” he asked.
“You said… you said that you wouldn’t be the man you are without me. You said I’m everything to you.”
“You heard that?” he gasped.
I nodded.
“I was coming to see if you guys needed help. Lily was with the rest of the family. Jason, I had no idea. I mean, I knew you loved me, but hearing you say that…”
A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Aria, I meant it,” he said quietly. “I don’t say it enough. I know that. But it’s true, Aria. You’ve made me a better person, and I can’t imagine my life without you. Without Lily. You two are everything.”
The next day, I wanted to show Jason how much his words meant to me. I spent most of the day cooking his favorite meal, and I decorated the house with candles and notes detailing all the things I loved about him written down.
When Jason walked in that evening, his face lit up.
Candles in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“What’s all this?” he asked, smiling.
“This,” I said. “Is my way of saying thank you. For everything.”
We put Lily to bed and had our romantic dinner. And in that moment, I realized that arranged marriage or not, we were happy. And we were in love.
And that we had made it.
A romantic dinner set up | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
My Fiancé Humiliated Me in His Wedding Vows — He Regretted It Later
As Emily walks down the aisle, she feels as though she is finally living her wedding dream. The dress is perfect just like the venue, music, and her groom. Until it’s time for the vows when Jason completely humiliates her in front of everyone. But later, he gets a taste of his own medicine.
It was the day that I had been waiting for. After months of wedding planning and dieting to fit into my dream dress. This was the moment.
Bride walking down the aisle | Source: Midjourney
“Come on, darling,” my father said, holding out his hand, ready to walk me down the aisle to Jason.
“How do you feel?” my father asked me, kissing my forehead.
“Happy,” I said simply. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for years now, Dad.”
We walked down the aisle to soft music that I had chosen months ago. The guitarist perched on a wooden stool.
A bride and her father | Source: Midjourney
“You look beautiful, Emily,” Jason said, taking my hand from my father.
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.
After My Sister’s Wedding Was Canceled, She Demanded the $10K Gift I Promised – I Had to Set Her Straight
When Davina promised her sister Clara $10,000 for her wedding, she never expected betrayal to cancel the big day. But when Clara demands the money anyway, despite her role in the wedding debacle, it’s time for Davina to set her straight. A lesson in loyalty, consequences, and unexpected twists you don’t see coming…
Being the older sister comes with its fair share of responsibilities, and apparently, some unexpected chaos. I’ve always been the calm one in the family, the fixer. But when my younger sister Clara pulled her latest stunt, I knew I couldn’t just sweep up the mess for her this time.
A woman standing in her apartment | Source: Midjourney
Clara was supposed to get married last fall to her fiancé, Jack. They’d been together for five years, and he was the kind of guy you hope your sister ends up with: funny, dependable, and endlessly patient.
“I’ve always thought that you and Jack could make a good couple,” I confessed to Clara when we were getting our nails done.
It was the morning after their first date, and I wanted to know everything, even if I was a tiny bit jealous. But still, I hoped that Jack would ground Clara and her antics.
The interior of a nail salon | Source: Midjourney
“Really?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. “Usually, you don’t like me anywhere near your friends.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “But Jack is different. He’ll be good for you.”
Five years later, our friendship had taken a turn, and I’d grown to love Jack like he was family.
Knowing that they were saving for a house, I’d planned to give them $10,000 as a wedding gift. It was a big gesture, but I wanted to help them build their future together.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
“That’s a lot of money,” my friend Camille said one evening when we were having a girls’ dinner at my apartment. “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”
“I do,” I replied, shredding chicken to add to our noodles. “Jack is insanely talented, but he’s had really bad luck on the work front lately. And anyway, you know Clara. She’s spoiled. Super spoiled. At least this way, maybe their house will be taken care of.”
“Clara is lucky that she’s got you for a sister. What with your fancy job and editorial role at the magazine and all that.”
Shredded chicken on a board | Source: Midjourney
I laughed.
“I’ve been trying to teach her how to grow up, but you know my sister.”
So, I told Clara and Jack about the money ahead of time, figuring it would relieve some financial stress. Clara, of course, had no problem letting the news slip to a few friends, she loved to brag.
“I’m going to be $10,000 richer!” she said in a video that she posted on her socials. “Life keeps getting better!”
A woman standing by a light | Source: Midjourney
But just two weeks before the wedding, everything imploded.
Jack discovered Clara had been cheating on him with his friend Liam, a guy that Jack had known since middle school. It wasn’t just betrayal. It was nuclear.
Jack called off the wedding, and though I felt awful for him, I couldn’t blame him for walking away.
Clara, though?
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
She acted like she was the wronged party, complaining nonstop about the “embarrassment” of a canceled wedding.
“Do you know how stupid I look, Davina?” she sighed dramatically, draping herself over my couch.
“But really, sis. What did you expect? How long were things going on for between you and Liam?”
“That doesn’t matter!” she said, reaching out for her glass of wine on the coffee table.
An upset woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“It does matter, Clara,” I said. “Were you really going into a new marriage while taking your lover along?”
“Don’t say ‘lover,'” she glared. “Don’t make it cheap.”
“You ruined your relationship,” I said. “Don’t make me the bad person for telling you that you made the biggest mistake.”
Any guilt that my sister might’ve felt was buried under layers of self-pity.
A woman standing in an apartment | Source: Midjourney
A few days after our argument, my sister showed up at my apartment again. This time she was puffy-eyed but determined. She was a woman on a mission.
She sank onto my couch without asking, setting a latte on the table between us.
“Davina,” she began, her voice a mix of desperation and entitlement. “So, the wedding didn’t happen. Isn’t going to happen… but I still want my gift. Okay?”
An upset woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
I blinked, certain I hadn’t heard her correctly.
“What?”
“The $10,000,” she said, crossing her legs and folding her hands neatly in her lap, like we were discussing the weather. “You already promised it, and honestly, I need it more now than ever. Jack’s kicking me out of the apartment. I have two more days until I need to be out. I need the money for a new place, Davina.”
I was silent. I couldn’t believe the audacity.
Cardboard boxes in an apartment | Source: Midjourney
“Plus…” she sighed dramatically. “I could use a major shopping spree to cheer myself up.”
Again, it wasn’t just the words, it was the audacity. I stared at her, waiting for some sign of remorse or self-awareness, but she just looked back expectantly, like I was a vending machine about to spit out cash.
“Clara,” I said carefully. “You can’t be serious. You’re asking for the gift after you cheated on Jack and ruined the wedding?”
A woman with her hands on her hips | Source: Midjourney
Her face twisted in frustration.
“That’s irrelevant! You promised the money, Davina! It’s not fair for you to take it back just because the wedding didn’t happen.”
Something inside me snapped.
“Actually,” I said, sitting up straighter. “I don’t have the money anymore. I’ve given the money to Jack.”
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
Her jaw dropped, and she almost fell off the couch.
“What?! Davina!”
“Yeah,” I lied smoothly. “Dear sister. Jack’s been a close friend of mine since college. He’s starting a business, and I wanted to support him. After what he’s been through… I figured it was the least I could do.”
Clara froze for a moment, her brain working overtime to process the betrayal.
Then she exploded.
A man with a backpack | Source: Midjourney
“You gave my money to Jack?!” she shrieked, her voice sharp enough to make my upstairs neighbor stomp on the floor. “Are you insane? He’s not even family! Davina, how could you betray me like this?”
I didn’t flinch.
“It wasn’t your money,” I said calmly. “It was a gift for your wedding, which, let’s not forget, you destroyed. Clara, you betrayed Jack. And you didn’t even have the decency to end the relationship first, you just cheated. Why would I reward that?”
A woman with her hands on her hips | Source: Midjourney
Her cheeks flushed with rage.
“You’re supposed to support me! You’re my sister!”
“And I do support you,” I said, standing up. “But supporting you doesn’t mean condoning your actions. You made this mess, Clara. You need to face the consequences now.”
She stormed out, slamming the door so hard it rattled the frame.
An apartment door | Source: Midjourney
I thought that was the end of it, but she kept up her tantrum for days.
She called, texted, and even roped our mom into trying to guilt me.
“Just give her the money, Davina,” Mom had said reluctantly, but I refused.
Here’s the kicker.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
At that point, I hadn’t actually given Jack the money. I’d just said it to make a point. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t a bad idea. Jack was a good man who’d been dealt a terrible hand, and he deserved a fresh start.
The next day, I called him.
“Hey, Jack,” I said nervously. “I know this is out of the blue. But I’ve been thinking about your startup. You know, you told me all about it at the engagement party. I want to invest $10,000, not as a loan. Just a gift. I believe in you.”
A man talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
There was a long pause.
“Davina, I don’t even know what to say,” he said finally, his voice thick with emotion.
“Are you sure? I can’t take that kind of money from you.”
“You’re not taking it,” I insisted. “You’re building something with it. And I think you need this more than anyone else right now.”
Eventually, he accepted.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
Fast forward a few months, and Jack’s startup, a platform connecting freelancers to small businesses, took off. It wasn’t just successful.
It was thriving. He was thriving.
He sent me a thank-you note with the first return on my investment, and it nearly brought me to tears.
As for Clara?
An envelope and a bouquet of flowers | Source: Midjourney
She eventually stopped speaking to me. She moved back in with our parents, sulked for weeks, and found a way to spin the narrative to make me the villain. When I refused to engage, she gave up.
I don’t regret what I did. If anything, I hope it taught Clara a valuable lesson: entitlement doesn’t pay, but accountability does.
As for Jack? He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him, and I’d like to think I had a small part in helping him rebuild his life.
Suitcases on a doorstep | Source: Midjourney
But then, my mother called unexpectedly and asked me to brunch.
“Davina,” she said on the phone. “We need to talk.”
“Mom, if it’s about Clara, I don’t have anything else to say.”
“No, it’s about you, honey.”
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
So, there I was, sitting at a trendy brunch buffet, waiting for my mother to appear. I hoped that she would come alone.
Thankfully, she did.
“Mom,” I said, hugging her as she sat down.
“Darling,” she said. “Let’s get some food and then we need to talk.”
A trendy breakfast bouquet | Source: Midjourney
We walked around the buffet, picking and choosing our way through the food. I just wanted my mother to spit it out. From her pursed lips, I knew she had something to say.
“Right,” I said. “Mom, talk away. I’ve got a lot of work to get through. Final approvals and all that.”
“I have to ask,” she said, picking at a strawberry on her pancakes. “Did you do this to get… did you do this to get with Jack?”
Strawberries on pancakes | Source: Midjourney
“Excuse me?” I gasped.
“Was this all about teaching Clara a lesson, or did you want Jack for yourself? I saw a photo of the two of you on his socials last week. You invited him to an event for the magazine?”
“I did,” I admitted. “It was an event for all our techies. It was the perfect networking event for Jack.”
My mother was silent for a moment.
A woman sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“And as for the other thing, Mom, come on. Jack and I have known each other for years. Since way before Clara and Jack even met. He’s my friend, and he’s close to me. But do I want anything else from him? Not a chance.”
My mother looked stricken.
“I knew it,” she muttered. “I had to ask, darling. Clara has been driving your father and me nuts. She was adamant that you got what you’ve always wanted, to ruin her.”
An older woman sitting with her hand on her head | Source: Midjourney
“I wanted to teach her a lesson,” I said. “That’s all. She needs to grow up, Mom.”
So, I might not be the perfect sister. But I am the honest one. And that’s more than enough for me.
What would you have done?
A woman standing on a balcony | Source: Midjourney
If you’ve enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
When Amber, a hardworking mom and corporate attorney, discovers a drawing by her 7-year-old daughter, Mia, her world is shaken. The picture shows Mia’s teacher in Amber’s place with a heartbreaking caption. Suspecting betrayal, Amber confronts her husband, Jack, only to uncover something deeper… Mia’s feelings of abandonment amidst Amber’s busy life.
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.
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