My mother-in-law, Denise, wasn’t thrilled about me marrying her son, but I didn’t expect her to go “this far.” When my passport went missing the morning of our honeymoon, I blamed it on the wedding chaos. In fact, Denise had gotten ahead of herself by hiding it… but karma was behind her.
They say you can’t choose your family, but if I could, I certainly wouldn’t choose my stepmother, Denise. The moment I said “I do” to Ethan, I became his public enemy number one. Her kind smiles and passive-aggressive comments contained enough sugar to give you diabetes. But beneath all that sweetness, I knew she hated me.
Especially after I married his “precious baby.”
A newlywed couple sealing their love with a kiss | Source: Pexels
Ethan and I had been together for five years before we got married. That was long enough for me to get used to Denise’s thinly veiled attacks. But I thought she’d calm down after the wedding. I was wrong!
“She cried at the engagement dinner,” I whispered to Ethan one night, shaking my head. “Like… awful tears.”
“She’s just emotional,” he replied, brushing the question off. “It’s hard for her to watch me grow up.”
“Ethan, she told me she hopes I don’t take you away from her. It’s not emotional.”
He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “I know. I’ll talk to him.”
But talking didn’t change anything. On the contrary, Denise redoubled her efforts.
A distressed woman overwhelmed by anxiety | Source: Midjourney
When we planned our honeymoon, I was practically buzzing with excitement. Two weeks in Bali, crystal-clear water, no cell phone… just Ethan and me, soaking up the sun and being disgustingly in love.
But Denise found out the date of our departure. Her birthday fell right in the middle of our trip. And of course, it was a national tragedy.
“Mom, we’ll be gone during your birthday,” Ethan mentioned casually. “But we’ll celebrate when we get back.”
The room temperature dropped ten degrees. Denise’s smile flickered for a moment.
“Your mother’s birthday is important,” she said, her eyes fixed on mine. “Surely you understand that family comes first?”
Annoyed elderly woman staring at someone | Source: Midjourney
Before I could answer, Ethan interjected. “We booked these tickets months ago, Mom. They’re non-refundable.”
I saw a flash of something darker behind his carefully cultivated exterior… something that made my skin prickle with unease.
“Sweetheart, you’ll have plenty of time for the beaches. A son has only one mother,” she whispered, her gaze fixed on mine. “Don’t forget that!”
The warning hung between us, heavy and laden with implications I could not yet comprehend.
A frustrated woman | Source: Midjourney
I bit the inside of my cheek. I wasn’t going to let myself get sucked into another round of guilt.
Ethan didn’t move. “Let’s go, Mom. End of discussion.”
“I thought it was over – the Denise drama had finally taken its final bow. But no, twist!
***
The morning of our departure arrived like any other. Our suitcases stood ready by the door, crisp white labels declaring “Bali” in bold letters. Ethan hummed as he double-checked our travel documents one last time.
“Passport?” he asked, glancing in my direction, holding up his document.
I grabbed my travel wallet. I checked the drawer where I always kept important documents. My heart started racing.
“Ethan,” I called, my voice shaking, “I can’t find my passport.”
“WHAT ??!”
A man holding his passport | Source: Unsplash
We searched everywhere. Kitchen counters. The bedroom dresser. The living room side tables. Every minute that passed felt like a knife in my stomach. The flight was in three hours, and without ID, I’d never get through airport security.
Denise appeared in the doorway. “Oh, honey, what happened?”
“We can’t find Vika’s passport,” Ethan muttered, pacing back and forth.
Denise’s eyes turn to me, sympathy evident on her face.
“That’s such a shame. You were both so excited. Have you checked everywhere, dear? These things happen in the excitement of wedding planning.”
I felt bad. Had I lost my mind in the chaos of the wedding? But I wasn’t careless… not like this.
Shocked elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
Ethan was on the phone with the airline, his jaw clenched. I could see frustration etching lines around his eyes. “No, we can’t get a replacement today!” he mumbled into the phone.
Tears burned behind my eyes. Our dream honeymoon, months of planning, saving, and anticipation… it all slipped through our fingers like sand.
“Ethan, darling,” Denise said softly, her hand resting on his arm. “Why don’t you come with me on my birthday trip while Vika sorts out her new passport? I mean, you shouldn’t be wasting your free time…”
Ethan’s eyes locked with mine, and I could see the conflict swirling within them.
A man in distress | Source: Midjourney
“Go ahead,” I whispered, barely able to get the word out.
“Vika, no-“
“It’s okay. Go ahead. I don’t want to spoil your plans.”
“I don’t want to leave you.”
I forced a smile, but my face felt like it was cracking. “Just… leave.”
“I’m going to start packing my bags!” Denise chirped, sounding positively cheerful.
***
I sat numbly on the couch, watching Denise load her bags into the trunk of the car. I fought back tears, but as the car drove away, taking months of dream planning with it, I couldn’t hold them back any longer.
A sad woman | Source: Midjourney
An hour passed. Then my phone rang. It was Ethan.
“You won’t believe what just happened,” he said, sounding alarmed.
“What ?”
“Mom is at airport security. And you won’t believe what happened.”
A shaken woman | Source: Midjourney
The story unfolded in breathless fragments: At the airport security checkpoint, Transportation Security Agency agents had taken Denise aside. It turned out something was wrong with her passport. When they began searching her bag, Ethan noticed something familiar.
“Wait a second,” he said to the security guard, pulling out a small blue booklet. “This is my wife’s passport.”
I could hear the tremors in his voice as he told me everything. “She took it, Vika. Actually, she took YOUR passport to stop us from going on our honeymoon.”
“What?” I jumped. “Are you serious?”
“Completely serious. She’s being questioned right now. They think she tried to commit identity fraud.”
A scared woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
In the background, I could hear Denise pleading with someone. Her normally calm tone was replaced by panic.
“She claimed she ‘accidentally’ took the wrong document,” Ethan explained. “And honestly… I think she did. But that doesn’t change the fact that she deliberately hid it from the start to ruin our trip.”
“What’s happening now?”
“Security is taking her to a separate room. I’m not going to help her. She tried to sabotage our honeymoon. She dropped the axe on her own foot.”
I could hear the hurt in her voice—not just anger, but deep disappointment at her mother’s actions.
“The officer asked me if I wanted to press charges. Can you believe that?”
A moment of silence stretched between us.
Agents in an interrogation room | Source: Pexels
“Pack your bags,” he finally said. “We’re leaving tonight. Our honeymoon isn’t canceled… it’s just delayed.”
A small smile tugged at my lips as I realized something profound: love isn’t about blood. It’s about choosing each other, uniting against all those who try to tear you apart.
***
The airport cafe was buzzing with travelers, but all I could hear was Ethan’s voice.
“I can’t believe she could do that,” he said, stirring his coffee more forcefully than necessary. “All these years, I thought she just had a hard time letting go.”
I reached across the table, touching his hand. “Tell me everything.”
Grayscale photo of a woman holding a man’s hand | Source: Unsplash
Ethan’s eyes darkened. “When security pulled her aside, she started crying. Not real tears… those manipulative tears she always used.”
“What did she say?”
“At first, she tried to play the victim. She said she was ‘just worried about me’ and ‘wanted to spend time together.’ Can you believe that?”
“And the officer?”
“He wasn’t impressed,” Ethan chuckled bitterly. “He asked her to explain why she had your passport. Her story kept changing.”
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
“What made him break?” I asked.
Ethan’s laugh was high-pitched. “When the officer asked her if she understood the legal implications of identity theft, she went blank. She kept mumbling that she just wanted to be close to her son.”
“And you?” I asked, shaking his hand.
“I told the officer everything. How possessive she was. How she tried to manipulate our wedding plans. Our entire relationship.”
Shaken woman in interrogation room | Source: Midjourney
“Were you angry?”
“Disappointed,” he corrected. “I watched my mother try to destroy my marriage. And why? Because she can’t accept that I’m an adult who loves his wife?”
I saw the pain behind his words. This wasn’t just about a stolen passport. This was about a lifetime of emotional manipulation finally coming to light.
“We’re still going to Bali,” he said firmly. “Nothing… not her, not anyone… will stop our honeymoon.”
***
The resort’s balcony overlooked crystal-clear waters. Ethan stood next to me, leaning against the railing, a cocktail in his hand.
A delighted couple standing on the balcony | Source: Midjourney
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked softly.
“From my mother?”
“Everything.”
Ethan sighed. “I always knew she was possessive. But this? This was a new level.”
“Tell me how you grew up with her.”
Her laugh was bitter. “She called me ‘her baby’ until I was 20. She was always checking my phone. She questioned every girlfriend. When we got engaged, she cried for days.”
“Not tears of happiness?”
“Definitely not,” he replied. “More like funeral tears. Like I’m dying instead of starting a new chapter.”
An emotional man | Source: Midjourney
“Remember how she kept saying, ‘I hope she doesn’t take you away from me’?” Ethan shook his head. “I thought it was just being dramatic. Now I see it was a warning.”
“What happens next?”
“We’re living,” he said. “We’re enjoying our honeymoon. We’re building our life… on our terms.”
Ocean waves crashed below, a rhythmic reminder of the constant movement of life.
“Have a nice honeymoon!” I whispered.
Ethan pulled me closer to him. “Let’s be happy!”
A man hugging his wife | Source: Midjourney
On the last day of our honeymoon, the phone rang. Ethan’s hand rested on it, hesitation etched on his face.
“It’s her,” he said bluntly.
I looked at him, waiting.
“Should I answer?” he asked, looking at me.
“It’s up to you,” I replied cautiously.
He took a deep breath and pressed the speakerphone button.
“Hello, Mom…”
A man holding his phone | Source: Unsplash
The silence crackled for a moment. Then, Denise’s voice, softer than I’d ever heard it, filled the silence. “Honey, we need to talk.”
“What ?”
“About what happened at the airport. About us.”
“What is there to talk about? You stole my wife’s passport. You tried to sabotage our honeymoon.”
“I was just -“
“Just what? Were you just trying to control my life? Were you just trying to stop me from being happy?”
An upset elderly woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
Denise’s voice trembled. “I love you. I always have.”
“Love is not possession, Mom. Love is not manipulation.”
I could hear his breathing, uneven and desperate. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’re losing me right now… by not understanding boundaries.”
“Can we meet?” she pleaded. “Just to talk?”
Ethan looked at me, and I gave a small nod.
“Okay. But on my terms.”
After he hung up, silence filled the room.
A couple sitting together | Source: Midjourney
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m freeing myself.”
“We’re fine,” I whispered.
Ethan pulled me closer to him. “We’re more than okay. We’re us.”
Outside, the world continued. But inside our room, something had changed. A line had been drawn, a boundary had been established, and the healing had begun.
An emotional man hugs his wife | Source: Midjourney
Here’s another story : My mother-in-law took back the bike she gave my daughter… yes, she stole it. But what really got to me was the ridiculous reason behind her action.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the opinions of the author or publisher.
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