My two engaged daughters, Hannah (my biological daughter) and Christine (my stepdaughter), were always arguing during wedding preparations. One day, I found Hannah’s wedding dress in ruins with Christine crying nearby, and I knew I’d misjudged the situation.
Christine is competitive, often comparing herself to easy – going Hannah. Tension grew when Hannah set her wedding date two months after engagement, while Christine, engaged for eight months, couldn’t get an earlier one. Christine asked Hannah to postpone, but Hannah had already set the date and bought a dress.
Christine was distant for a week, then visited before the wedding. After dinner, she excused herself, and I followed her. In Hannah’s room, I saw the torn dress and a shaken Christine, who swore she was innocent.
She revealed she was worried about John. Months ago at Hannah’s birthday, she saw John texting his ex. He admitted wedding doubts. She gave him a deadline to tell Hannah, but he said he’d sorted it. Tonight, she saw John sneaking out of Hannah’s room. When he denied anything was wrong, she checked the room and found the dress.
We confronted John. He confessed to seeing his ex and not being ready for the wedding. Christine told him to leave. Then, she offered to fix the dress, explaining she never hated Hannah, just felt the need to prove herself in the family.
The next day, Christine turned the ruined dress into a cocktail dress. On the original wedding day, we had a small family gathering. Seeing Hannah smile again, I knew our family had become stronger.