My parents canceled my wedding & kicked me out when I refused to give $500K to my sister. But then..

my name is Cheryl and at the beginning of last year I ate too much fancy food and gained 5 kilograms now I'm 49 years old and trying to lose weight before the holidays my plan is to lose 5 kilg now so that if I gain it back during the holiday season it won't be a big deal right you must be kidding there's so much delicious food from Christmas to New Year's it's a happy problem to have I'll probably end up buying myself Valentine's chocolates too oops I'm already drooling looks like I'm going gain weight again

this year oh well today I have a story from Winter that I'd like to share with you it's about something that happened when I was 28 years old after dating for several years my boyfriend Paul and I got engaged and I introduced him to my parents this was the so-called marriage greeting my parents liked Paul and everything was supposed to go smoothly but then my older sister Laura who was 3 years older than me came home from work and there was an issue she became fixated on Paul it's strange but when you're sisters you can

sense each other's feelings I could tell right away that she had fallen in love with Paul the moment she saw him I hoped it was just a fleeting Crush but when she shook his hand she blushed and held on a little too long even when she talked to him there was this dreamy look in her eyes I didn't think it was right for her to act like that toward my fi but maybe she didn't even realize she was doing it emotions can be hard to control so I decided to pretend I didn't notice hoping my

sister wouldn't act on her feelings however after Paul left my sister fresh out of the bath and still wrapped in a towel confronted me you should call off the engagement she said according to her Paul was a womanizer and I could find someone better she kept criticizing him but she didn't have any real reason for saying that why do you think he's a player I asked her it's a woman's intuition she replied the thing is my sister has never had a boyfriend so how could I trust her woman's intuition when she has no experience with

men I decided I should trust Paul whose character I've known for years I casually brushed off my sister's advice saying yeah I'll be careful without taking it too seriously after that Paul started visiting our home often he said he wanted to build a good relationship with my family so I invited him over feeling comfortable about it my parents were happy and I hoped Paul would get along well with them since he was going to be my husband but while things should have been going smoothly my sister had other ideas she tried to get close to

Paul in a different way according to Paul when I wasn't around she would grab his arm press her chest against him and ask don't you think maryan is a bit immature she even asked for his contact details and once purposely fell down in a way that exposed her underwear Paul said it was so over the Toop that it was actually funny but I would have been worried if he was the kind of man to take it seriously my sister believed she had a chance because Paul couldn't directly reject her since she was my sister every

time they met she would approach him with a sweet voice saying hey it started with her falling in love at first sight but it didn't help that Paul worked for a big company which made him even more appealing to her she told me he's reliable has a face I like and seems like the kind of man who can provide security for the future she was completely taken by him my parents saw all of this happening but said nothing in fact it wasn't unusual for them to stay quiet when it came to my sister's actions honestly

she's always been the type who struggles with things for example if she's asked to warm up food she might accidentally use a plastic dish that isn't heat resistant and it melts she wasn't good at studying either or at sports she often skipped swimming class by making excuses like hurting her foot feeling unwell or having skin problems she wasn't great at school work sports or even household chores and to be honest she's not particularly good-looking either still because she's the eldest daughter my parents always treated her differently giving her special treatment they even quietly pushed the

responsibility of supporting her on to me I was constantly told to make sure she stood out but without drawing attention to myself it felt unfair to be treated so differently as siblings but I guess my parents saw her as someone who couldn't do much on her own and felt sorry for her on the other hand I've always been the type to do things quickly and efficiently maybe the adults didn't see much value in helping someone who could handle everything themselves so I became good at managing my sister's needs sometimes I would even pretend to be

less capable in public to keep the balance but as I grew out of my teenage years I realized that continuing like this wasn't going to help me in the long run I started pushing back against my parents and doing things my way if I had kept going along with everything I would have become someone who couldn't do anything when I started standing up for myself my sister didn't like it much because she was losing my support but we never really had a bad relationship we could still talk normally and sometimes I even gave her advice

when she had problems our family had its issues like being too protective of my sister and a little bit of tension between us but I still thought we were a pretty normal family however things changed when Paul didn't return my sister's feelings she couldn't handle the fact that her younger sister was getting married before her the night before my wedding my sister blurted out to our parents I can't accept that my younger sister is getting married before me my Dad tried to calm her down saying don't worry Laura you'll find a good partner soon too

I agreed with him yeah Laura it's not a big deal but she wasn't having it normally the older sister gets married first then the younger one it's too soon for her the wedding is tomorrow I reminded her what are you talking about mom don't you care about me I'll be the poor older sister who's left behind while her younger sister moves on she cried that night I listened quietly from the hallway as my sister and our parents argued should my sister really get married first if I waited for her to marry I would end up

growing much older without about any progress in my own life what was she thinking I hoped she would calm down after venting her frustrations then I heard something shocking we won't attend the wedding tomorrow Laura please be okay with that my father said what both my parents agreed not to come to my wedding just to make my sister happy I couldn't believe it it was like they were under some spell doing whatever she wanted this went Way Beyond simply indulging her even then my sister side still not fully satisfied fine I'll compromise let her have

a wedding that nobody acknowledges it was clear she didn't want me to marry Paul likely because she had feelings for him it was unbelievable that my parents wouldn't attend my wedding because of my sister's jealousy the day of my wedding came but I barely slept the night before instead of excitement I felt anxious and uncomfortable constantly thinking about what had happened I'll never forget the satisfied smile on my sister 's face when my parents told her they wouldn't be there at the venue I had to explain to Paul and his parents why mine weren't coming

I apologized and said my sister doesn't support this marriage so my family won't be attending I told them it was heartbreaking to say that my own parents weren't coming to my wedding my in-laws were shocked and couldn't believe there were parents who wouldn't attend their daughter's big day after hearing my story they stayed silent for a while the mood felt so heavy but then my mother-in-law gently took my hand and my father-in-law placed his hand on top of ours remember your family is here with you don't let this day be a sad one come on

why don't you smile my mother-in-law said warmly her words made me tear up Paul seeing me cry softly stroked my head and said Ashley I'm your husband now so please stop saying that your family isn't here my in-laws and Paul quickly tried to cheer me up joking ly telling me not to cry because my makeup would smudge then my mother-in-law looked at me with kindness and said Ashley I know things are hard with your family back home but this is the start of a new life let's build your own family together even though I felt

abandoned her words and her strong Embrace gave me Comfort Paul and my father-in-law joined in with hugs and I told myself that everything would be okay like my mother-in-law said this was a new beginning I promised myself that I would build my own happy family and on that day I officially married Paul 18 years have passed since that day in that time Paul and I had a daughter and three sons our daughter is capable and looks after her three mischievous brothers who sometimes turn the house upside down I surprise even myself with how often I

end up shouting stop it now Paul's career has been going well we bought a house and we've been living a stable life but then something expected happened my father mother and sister showed up at our house after the wedding I had kept my distance from them and hadn't given them our new address yet somehow they found us and came unannounced when they appeared instead of a warm long time no see the first words out of my mouth were what do you want I need a favor from you my sister said my parents added it's something

only you can do for us looking at me with serious Expressions I had no idea what they could possibly want after 18 years of Silence half curious and half afraid I wondered what was going on I stayed quiet as my mom spoke up we want you to give Paul to your sister what both Paul and I were stunned by her words wait a minute what do you mean I need to give Paul away I asked sharply my parents both looked away guilty while my sister stood there smug and proud she's still single and she's turning

45 this year that's a problem my father said his words made no sense to me and Paul looked just as confused actually my father continued the company she worked for recently went out of business and she's unemployed now it's tough we're worried about her future being single and without a job we hope you understand since you're sisters you should feel the same way in my mind I thought no I definitely don't think so but I stayed silent waiting to see what they would say next I was getting frustrated with how slowly my father was speaking

but I held back from saying anything eager to hear his point she's always liked Paul and she's still alone because of it you've had your time with him could you let her have him for the rest of her life what Paul and I were speechless my parents kept pleading please while my sister stood there confidently certain she would get what she wanted given how my parents always catered to her it made sense that she believed this but the request was outrageous as I put my head in my hands Paul pulled me aside and whispered this

could actually be a chance a chance what do you mean I asked well remember that joke you made when you were drunk it's like it's coming true he said with a small grin then should we go with it I asked we stood up and turned back to face my sister and parents do you really love Paul that much much I asked my sister was caught off guard she blinked in Surprise and repeated yes yes I've loved him all this time wow that's some serious love I said you've been in love with him for 18 years

even though heun's married to me yes she said it's been so painful watching you and Paul together it should have been me Paul and I could barely hold back our laughter at her serious tone I took a deep breath and said all right I give up if you love him that much I'll step aside my parents were shocked my mom quickly asked really don't you love Paul too no actually I said looking at Paul to be honest I've always liked Laura Paul played along turning to my sister and saying yeah I've always liked her too

my sister's face lit up with joy really she asked her face flushed with excitement I knew it you never resisted when I hugged you and your eyes always looked so loving my sister said excitedly I've been waiting for this moment and finally it's here I had to hold back my laughter and I could see Paul pretending to cry though his shoulders were shaking from trying not to laugh we just needed to keep this up a little longer we'll always be together from now on Paul my sister suddenly said acting as if they had been a

couple all along she was so casual about it like she'd been living in this fantasy for the the last 18 years Laura I'm happy Paul replied with a smile please be my support from now on yes absolutely she said clearly thrilled so I'm going to quit my job Paul announced grinning my sister's smile faded in an instant and her face turned to shock really yeah I want to be with you all the time Laura so I'm quitting my job to always stay by your side what she stammered clearly not expecting this I won't even go

outside anymore Paul continued cheerfully I'll follow you everywhere I'll even watch you do housework from behind my sister froze for a moment her Panic setting in while our parents looked visibly Disturbed but I'm not working either this is a problem she muttered what's the problem if we're together we have nothing to fear we don't need money to be happy Paul replied but nowadays we need to pay for things like insurance it's not like the old days we can't just live on love alone she argued her eyes starting to lose focus sensing the moment was right

I jumped in Paul if we end up divorcing I'll be taking a large share of the assets so you better pay up don't worry Paul said with a laugh your sister and parents will take care of everything hearing this my parents turned pale and exchanged worried glances Laura my father said this is hard to admit but this isn't right stealing your sister's husband it's wrong exactly Laura my mom added suddenly backing away from the plan it was as if all the passion and support for my sister vanished in an instant what are you talking about

you promised Paul to me Laura yelled her frustration growing that was before my father began but she cut him off I don't want to hear it doesn't anyone support me Laura screamed and in her frenzy she grabbed my mom's hair my father tried to calm her down but it was chaos in the middle of all this Paul calmly spoke up Laura to be honest you're not my type I respect you as Ashley's sister but that's it everyone fell silent their attention now on him I don't really want to interact much with you especially when you

look at me like that Paul said that gaze actually turns me off knowing that someone has unreturned feelings for me is really uncomfortable his honest words left my sister and parents speechless but Paul what was all that earlier my sister asked clearly confused stop acting so casually with someone else's husband I said firmly there's no way he could fall for you we have a family and we're happy as I said this I stopped my sister who was walking toward Paul with a pale face you tricked me she shouted how could you think that someone who

hasn't contact Ed you in 18 years still loves you isn't that a bit unrealistic I asked my sister's face turned red and she started to tear up clearly out of frustration if you were really attractive maybe it would be different but no one finds charm in someone who is unemployed dependent on their parents and can't do basic things because their mom has always done them at your age a marriage wouldn't last long with those traits I said plainly Paul quietly chuckled behind me my sister hit by the truth of my words began to cry loudly

unable to stop our parents tried to come for her but they looked confused as if they were realizing that what I said was true I'm not giving Paul to you I continued so please give up Laura at that she cried even harder like a child throwing a tantrum it was a sad sight for an adult and it was clear she hadn't matured take this as a lesson and please don't involve yourself in our lives again I said no matter what trouble you face in the future don't expect any help from us with that I slowly

closed the front door when my children asked what happened I simply said it's Halloween season and it seems a ghost came early my eldest suggested we exorcise the spirit but I stopped the idea though it did feel like there was a ghost wailing outside as my sister continued to cry 6 years passed and she's still single she found a job but got fired for inappropriate behavior and she caused trouble by rushing into a marriage that didn't work out now she's banned from matchmaking events and seems likely to stay single for life my parents despite being

tired are still working part-time jobs to save money for her they've probably realized they can't rely on her to take care of them in the future hopefully they Now understand the consequences of spoiling her all these years I spend my days as a homemaker without having to worry about school fees for my kids thanks to my smart children and my husband who has a stable job sometimes I wonder if working outside the home would help me burn off the extra calories I gained during the holiday season from eating too much my daughter who is already

slim is entering her growth phase and has been talking about wanting to go on a diet I'm trying to convince her not to you can think about dieting when you're older like me I tell her my three sons love dancing and recently showed off their skills at a local event where they won several Awards they proudly say we're going to be in Pearl Jam one day so I really hope Pearl Jam stays together until they grow up we regularly get visits from my in-laws who are as dear to me as my own parents we always

enjoy delicious meals together when the kids have their spring break we plan to take a trip to a spa and I'm excited about spending some quality time together although there were many challenges before marriage my life since then has been filled with happiness the bonds within our family have grown stronger and I'm grateful for the love we share I hope everyone stays healthy and lives long so we can continue to make precious memories together as a family