Stepparents can be beneficial or harmful to a household. The latter was definitely true for me! She was trying to erase my late mother’s memory behind my father’s back, but I knew she had ulterior motives. I came up with a clever scheme that made her reveal who she really was!
Dad’s single status didn’t last long after Mom died. I, Jillian, was fine with that at first because everyone should be happy, right? But then he got married again and met Marlene. Her sudden arrival in our lives turned everything upside down!
She seemed particularly drawn to things that made Dad think of my late mother. That marked the end of my patience. I honestly didn’t mind him remarrying so I don’t want to come across as a brat. However, everything changed when his new bride started destroying my mother’s things!
It all started quietly. Mom’s pictures disappeared from the living room, indicating that she had taken them down. The red wine got on her favorite blanket, the one she wrapped around us on cold winter nights.
However, the final straw for me was Marlene’s claim that Mom’s wedding ring was “lost”.
One afternoon I came home earlier than usual. I followed the sound of constant scrubbing into the living room.
The scene before me made my heart race and my eyes widen!
Pieces of a familiar porcelain vase lay scattered on the ground near Marlene.
My stepmother whistled to herself and casually cleaned the place.
“THOSE ARE MY MOM’S ASHES?” She gasped as she noticed the remains of the glass vase that had previously held her mother’s urn.
Marlene looked up, her expression unreadable. “Oh no, her urn just fell off the shelf. Thank goodness my new carpet wasn’t ruined,” she snapped. She spoke as if the remains of my late mother were just some random poison.
The fact that she was open about her true goals this time was what really got my blood pumping. She was smiling as she turned to me.
I was incredibly alive! However, I remained silent and went straight to my room. What annoyed me the most was that my father didn’t seem to realize what his new wife was doing. Or he longed to remarry and lived in denial.
Maybe he was one of those individuals who could never settle down. Individuals who believed they needed to get over their loss quickly and move on to the next person.
I couldn’t talk to my dad after my mom died for whatever reason.
I was aware that he would believe that I was against his second marriage.
That night as I lay in bed I couldn’t stop thinking about Marlene’s smile and it gave me so much fire! I realized that I had to act on my behalf because I could no longer tolerate her actions.
That evening I came up with a clever scheme.
I figured if Marlene could make up accidents, so could I! This time, however, I vowed that I would not be the one to suffer!
I kept my cool and the next day I acted like everything was fine with my stepmother. I claimed to have brought a large, sturdy, sealed box that contained my mother’s last belongings. I gave it to Marlene and asked her:
Would you please keep this box safe? My dad may ask, but sometimes he forgets and loses things. I really appreciate it, so please take good care of it for me.”
She grabbed the box and promised to take care of it, though I could see the confusion in her eyes.
That night I lay in bed planning the “mysterious fate” of the box.
At dawn, Marlene was at the epicenter of the chaos and woke me up! The woman was screaming and panicking. She was digging everywhere, bending down to pick up chairs and look under tables!
She was screaming in the kitchen when I walked in. “I can’t find my favorite cashmere sweaters, iPad, and other valuables!”
I motioned for my dad to stay back and listen as I caught sight of him approaching.
“Where did you last see them?” I asked.
With a frustrated “I don’t know, they were scattered around the house,” she replied.
However, you shouldn’t worry too much.
Please tell me what happened to the box I gave you yesterday and calm down.” | she shifted her focus.
“The container? You mentioned it belonged to your mother, so what’s the significance?” Marlene spoke in a high voice, her words tinged with fear.
“Yes, I did! Then what happens to the box?” I pressed and spoke in a calm tone.
She began to explain, “I… I dropped it in the sink while washing the dishes last night.” “So I left it on the doorstep so I wouldn’t forget to take it to the garage to hide it there,” she continued.
“But when I came back it was gone…
It could be taken.”
Marlene finished condescendingly and exasperated.
“Interesting,” I crossed my arms and thought. Just as her mother’s ashes and pictures disappear, so do the boxes containing her last possessions. Did you really do it on purpose?
Her expression changed first to remorse, then to irritation. “I don’t know why you’re talking about your dead mother,” she shouted in response. Her stuff should be gone too because she’s GONE.” I said, keeping my composure even though I knew my father was listening:
“At least you admit to tampering with my mother’s things. It was a test box.”
“The things you thought were gone, I put them in the box,” I told her. “I wanted to see what you would do with it if you thought it was my mother’s prized possession.
“How dare you touch my things!”
Marlene lost it. “I’ll tell your dad and he’ll be on my side because I’m his whore now, not that old hag you call mother!” Now her mouth was literally drooling!
I’ll take care of your father and this house while you’re away at college! No matter what you say, he’ll believe me and not you.”
It was her fault and sealed my father’s fate. With a shocked and betrayed expression, he entered the kitchen. Never before had the true nature of Marlene’s character and her disdain for anything that wasn’t hers been more apparent.
Her favorite things disappeared and so did my mother as she stood there staring at us. Her place in our house went with them. Dad hadn’t spoken yet, but the look on his face told me everything.
I whispered, “Dad, I just wanted you to understand.” “I wanted you to see.
He put an arm around my shoulders and nodded. We saw Marlene trying to save as much as possible. Although the lesson was harsh, it was essential. When my father filed for divorce, she was forced to leave a failed marriage without her favorite things.
She threw the box into the bin, which we later found out had been picked up that morning. It was the least people who pretended to care could do for Mom’s memory and legacy.
Eventually, in order for both of us to fully recover from our loss, my dad and I went through therapy.
In a story not unlike the one you just read, a widowed mother believed she had found love again after losing her husband of more than a decade. But the woman’s daughter made a revelation that shook their world to its core!
I heard about the diabolical plan of my widower mom’s partner and I didn’t let him get away with it.
Hello, my name is Darin. I would like to tell you about the emotional journey I had with my mother Vanessa. She’s the sweetest 55-year-old you’ll ever meet, and she’s had a long life. My dad died of a heart attack 14 years ago, which brought an abrupt end to the happy life my parents had enjoyed. Watching my mother’s suffering was difficult.
After some time, Mom met Jeremy again, who was every bit the pleasant and attractive man. His presence made his mother smile again. Jeremy became an instant member of our family, attending all important meetings and providing support when needed. I’ve even come to think of him as a father figure.
Let’s go back to last month when Jeremy proposed to his mom over a candlelit dinner. However, my whole world was turned upside down when I inadvertently overheard him referring to my mother as an “old hag” and talking sweetly to another woman! He was having an affair with none other than my Aunt Emma, I found out when I stalked him!
Uncle James encouraged me to face the matter head-on. We revealed Jeremy and Emma after gathering evidence at a family meeting. It happened that they were planning to financially abuse my mother! Both public and personal betrayals left the family in disbelief.
My mother found strength in her grandchildren and the love she knew she still had for her family, even though it was a traumatic realization – especially considering her own sister’s involvement. She is definitely more cautious, but she does not resent love.
From this experience, I learned the importance of standing up for my family and facing the facts, no matter how hard they may be. How do you feel? Would you act similarly in my place?
When my father remarried, I had hoped for a harmonious blending of our families, but Marlene’s action quickly dashed that hope. She seemed determined to erase my late mother’s memory, which I could not tolerate. So I came up with a clever plan to uncover her true intentions.
After witnessing Marlene’s blatant disregard for her mother’s belongings, I decided to test her further. I presented her with a box that supposedly contained my mother’s prized possessions, which she eagerly accepted. When she later claimed the box had disappeared, her panicked reaction confirmed my suspicions.
I exposed her deception to Marlene’s face, which led to a confrontation that finally revealed her true character to my father. Although this was a hard lesson for him, it was necessary for the well-being of our family. Marlene’s passing marked the end of her reign of disrespect, allowing us to focus on healing and preserving her mother’s memory.
In a similar tale of betrayal, a daughter exposed her mother’s partner’s fraudulent scheme, ultimately protecting her family from financial exploitation. Through these experiences, we learn the importance of standing up for our loved ones and facing difficult truths, no matter what the cost.