Do you think you have crazy relatives? Let me tell you about mine, and you might just change your mind.<\/p>\n
My husband, Harry, and I had been together for nearly fifteen years, married for seven, and we had two wonderful children\u2014Maya and Luke. Our little family was my world, but dealing with our extended family? That was another story.<\/p>\n
From the very first day I met my mother-in-law, Charlotte, and my sister-in-law, Candice, I knew something was off. At first, I convinced myself I was just nervous, that I was overthinking things. I had no idea then just how much trouble they would bring into my life.<\/p>\n
Before our wedding, Candice proved just how self-centered she was. She threw a full-blown tantrum because I had chosen someone else as my maid of honor. As if that wasn\u2019t bad enough, she complained that my wedding dress was prettier than hers, as if my wedding was supposed to be about her!<\/p>\n
She nearly ruined the entire day, but thankfully, Harry\u2019s grandmother, Grace, stepped in and handled the situation. Grace was the only truly kind soul in that family, aside from my husband, but unfortunately, she lived too far away to rescue us often.<\/p>\n
Candice had always been dramatic, but just before her thirtieth birthday, she did something so outrageous, it made me question reality itself.<\/p>\n
She rarely visited us, and when she did, she kept her distance from our kids, always complaining that they were \u201ctoo noisy\u201d or \u201cgave her headaches.\u201d But one day, she suddenly spent hours playing with Maya. Something about it sent a shiver down my spine. As it turned out, I had every reason to be worried.<\/p>\n
During dinner, Candice kept glancing at me and Harry. I knew she wanted attention, but I had no idea why.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an announcement!\u201d she finally declared, her voice ringing through the dining room. \u201cI\u2019m going to be a mom!\u201d<\/p>\n
Harry choked on his food, coughing as he grabbed his water. I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I asked, my brain struggling to process her words.<\/p>\n
Harry wiped his mouth, staring at her with furrowed brows. \u201cWho\u2026 who\u2019s the father? You\u2019re not even dating anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right. The last boyfriend she had ran off after she screamed at him for not buying her an expensive handbag.<\/p>\n
Candice waved a hand dismissively. \u201cThat\u2019s actually why I came over today. The parents of my daughter will be you two.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted. \u201cWhat?!\u201d<\/p>\n
She sighed like I was the crazy one. \u201cI\u2019m almost thirty, and I don\u2019t have a husband. The perfect birthday gift would be a daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth, then closed it. I had no words. Was she serious?<\/p>\n
Harry rubbed his temples. \u201cYou want Stephanie to be your surrogate?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice shook her head. \u201cNo, I want you two to have a baby for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I placed my hands on the table. \u201cSo, it would be our child, and you expect us to just\u2026 give it to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just give\u2014give it to me for my birthday. What\u2019s the problem?\u201d She smiled as if she were asking for a sweater.<\/p>\n
I stared at her in disbelief. \u201cYou seriously don\u2019t see a problem?\u201d My voice rose. \u201cHarry and I aren\u2019t having any more children. I am NOT having a baby just to hand it over to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice scoffed. \u201cStephanie, you\u2019ve always been so selfish.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harry\u2019s chair scraped against the floor as he sat up straighter. \u201cNo, Candice. Stephanie is right. We\u2019re not doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why? You already have two! What\u2019s the big deal about having one more?\u201d she whined.<\/p>\n
I clenched my fists. \u201cI am not an incubator! A child is not an object! A child is a person!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just don\u2019t want me to be happy! You want to be the only one with kids!\u201d Candice shrieked.<\/p>\n
Harry slammed his hand on the table. \u201cEnough! Leave. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice\u2019s face burned red. She stood, shaking with anger. \u201cI\u2019ll tell Mom about this!\u201d She stomped to the door, threw it open, and slammed it behind her.<\/p>\n
I exhaled. \u201cHow did she even come up with this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Harry shook his head. \u201cShe\u2019s completely lost it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong.<\/p>\n
A week later, Candice showed up at our house with Charlotte by her side. Candice\u2019s arms overflowed with shopping bags from baby stores. My first thought was that she had decided to be a good aunt and bring gifts for Maya and Luke. But the smug look on her face told me otherwise.<\/p>\n
Charlotte walked in without waiting for an invitation, sat on the couch, and gestured for Harry and me to join her. Candice stood nearby, grinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cCandice told me that you agreed to give her a baby,\u201d Charlotte said matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? No, we told her we weren\u2019t going to do that,\u201d I said firmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s insane,\u201d Harry replied.<\/p>\n
Charlotte folded her arms. \u201cStephanie, as a woman, you should know that the older you get, the harder it is to have children. Candice is already almost thirty.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a deep breath. \u201cI\u2019m not going to give my child to your daughter, who has no idea what it means to be a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true! I already bought everything!\u201d Candice announced, pulling out baby clothes and dresses from her bags.<\/p>\n
I pinched the bridge of my nose. \u201cYou do realize that a baby is not a doll you can just dress up, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice smiled. \u201cMy daughter won\u2019t cry. She\u2019ll be like Maya\u2014I\u2019ve never seen Maya cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because you\u2019ve never spent enough time with her,\u201d I said bluntly.<\/p>\n
Charlotte suddenly stood and disappeared down the hall. My gut told me something was wrong. I followed her and found her in our bedroom\u2014poking holes in our condoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n
Charlotte turned to me, completely calm. \u201cMaking everyone\u2019s life easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
I saw red. \u201cHave you lost your mind?!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just decided to help a little,\u201d she said with a shrug.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp? You\u2019re interfering in our personal lives!\u201d I screamed.<\/p>\n
But then, an idea formed in my mind\u2014a way to teach Candice and Charlotte a lesson they would never forget.<\/p>\n
I plastered a smile on my face. \u201cYou know what? If you\u2019re going to help, then I agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charlotte beamed. \u201cFinally!\u201d<\/p>\n
For the next nine months, I played my role well. I faked a pregnancy, wore fake bellies, and even \u201cleft town to give birth.\u201d On Candice\u2019s birthday, I presented her with a baby carrier wrapped with a bow. She squealed in excitement. But when she opened it, she found a doll inside.<\/p>\n
Her face twisted in horror. \u201cWHAT IS THIS?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Harry and I burst into laughter. \u201cThe only baby you\u2019re fit to take care of,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Candice shrieked, and Charlotte gasped in outrage. But their reaction was nothing compared to Grace\u2019s fury.<\/p>\n
She stood and pointed a shaking finger at them. \u201cARE YOU BOTH OUT OF YOUR MINDS?!\u201d<\/p>\n
Then she said the words that changed everything. \u201cI am writing you both out of my will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Candice sobbed hysterically. Charlotte shouted in frustration. But Harry and I? We walked out, hand in hand, with our heads held high. Justice had been served.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do you think you have crazy relatives? Let me tell you about mine, and you might just change your mind. My husband, Harry, and I had been together for nearly fifteen years, married for seven, and we had two wonderful children\u2014Maya and Luke. Our little family was my world, but dealing with our extended family? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27749,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27748\/revisions\/27749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}