My stepmother thought she had it all figured out when she locked me inside to stop me from reaching the altar. But one small thing she overlooked turned her perfect day into a total disaster.
Buckle up. This still doesn’t feel real.
I’m 30. My dad is 61. And about three months ago, he told me he was getting married again.
“To Dana!” he said, all bright-eyed like a teenager. “We’re doing a small wedding. Just close friends and family.”
Dana. Fifty-something. Wears heels like they’re glued to her feet. Talks like she’s always in a sales pitch. And I swear she’s made of 70% Botox and 30% bad vibes.
Now, I never hated Dana. I tried. Really, really tried. I laughed at her jokes. Even the ones that made no sense. I ate every dry, overcooked casserole with a smile. I bought her a nice scarf one Christmas.
She never wore it.
From the beginning, she made it clear I wasn’t welcome. Not outright, of course. That would’ve been too honest. But in a thousand little ways.
Every time Dad and I were getting close again—like, sharing old memories or laughing at stupid movies—Dana would get weird. She’d start coughing. Or say she had a migraine. Once, she actually claimed she had food poisoning twice in the same week.
My dad would say, “She’s just sensitive, honey. You know how her stomach is.”
Yeah, sensitive to not being the center of attention.
She treated me like I was a ghost, not a daughter. Not even a person. Just something left over from a life she didn’t want to deal with. Still, I showed up. Every holiday. Every birthday. Every Sunday call.
Then came the big call from Dad.
“We’ve got a date!” he said. “Next month! Dana and I are tying the knot!”
“That’s great, Dad,” I said, fake-smiling through the phone. “I’m happy for you.”
“She wants to keep it small. You know how she is. Just close people.”
“Of course,” I said. “Whatever makes you both happy.”
I never got an invite. No text. No card. Nothing from Dana. But I didn’t make a thing of it. I figured she was just being… her. I still wanted to support my dad.
I bought a simple powder blue dress. Matched it with some low heels. Took Friday off work so I could drive down early and help out. Maybe set up chairs or something.
Two weeks before the wedding, Dad called.
“Dana says you should stay with us,” he told me. “No need to waste money on a hotel.”
That gave me pause.
“She said that?” I asked.
“Yeah, she insisted. Said she wanted to make it easy for you.”
Huh. That didn’t sound like Dana. But I didn’t argue.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be there Friday night.” And I was. I got there a little after seven.
Dana opened the door and smiled, sort of.
“Long drive?” she asked.
“Not too bad,” I said, dragging my bag inside.
She handed me a mug of lukewarm tea and pointed toward the guest room.
“Bathroom’s down the hall. Don’t wake us—we’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
She disappeared into her room. Dad came out a few minutes later in sweatpants and slippers.
We stayed up chatting. Just the two of us on the couch, reminiscing about road trips and the time our old car broke down in Kentucky.
Around midnight, I went to bed feeling good. Hopeful, even. I had no idea what was waiting for me.
I woke up the next morning feeling a little nervous, sure, but mostly excited to see my dad get married. Whatever I thought of Dana, this day was still important to him.
I rolled over and grabbed for my phone.
Gone.
Weird. Mayve I left it on the kitchen counter? I veguely remembered plugging it in before going to bed. No big deal. I got up, put on my dress and make up, and padded into the kitchen. Nothing.
