Two Years Later, My In-Laws Demanded Repayment for Our Wedding Gift—The Shocking Twist

My In-Laws Demanded We Pay Them Back for Our Wedding They Funded as a Gift Two Years Ago

When Simon and Emma were just two young people, they had a vision for their ideal wedding. Emma’s parents chose to pay for the wedding even though they understood it would take years to make it happen. The older couple began to want their money back years later.

Emma’s parents, Jerry and Linda, volunteered to finance our wedding as a gift to us when we became engaged. We were obviously blown away by their kindness.

Just out of college, Em and I were both having trouble paying off our student loans and finding entry-level work. It was going to take years of saving money if we wanted to get married. When it all came down to it, the notion of the ideal wedding was unattainable—that is, until Jerry and Linda extended an irresistible offer to us.

“They want to pay for the wedding, Simon!” After spending the evening with her family, Emma remarked one day. “My dad said that it would be an honor to do it.”

Not only was I taken aback, but Emma’s father would have done it because of her strong desire.

With a glass of water in her hand, she questioned, “Will you let them do it?”

“Yes!” I let out a cry. “I want to marry you, and this seems like the way we’ll get our perfect wedding.”

Really, it was ideal. It has to have been in the neighborhood of $100,000.

The wedding exceeded our expectations and beyond our expectations.

We were celebrating our union with our closest family and friends on a gorgeous summer’s day. Emma had dreamed of her wedding to take place on a vineyard, complete with scented flowers and fairy lights.

And then, there she was: Emma, elegantly attired in her white gown, walking down the aisle with her firmly clutched bouquet of pink and white flowers. I thought I was the luckiest guy alive.

The ceremony proceeded without any problems. And afterwards, after we’d finished our champagne and cut the cake, Jerry and Linda and I had a quiet time. They told us how glad they were to offer us such a lovely start to our married life, beaming with pride.

Jerry had put his arm around Linda and added, “This is our gift to you.” “We want to make sure you start your life together on the right foot.”

Linda grinned at each of us and nodded.

“For years, we have been saving for Emma’s wedding. It has been such a joy to do this.”

We were appreciative of the straightforward gift.

Let’s go ahead and fast-forward two years.

I’ve been getting used to Emma’s presence in our lives since we eventually moved out of our small apartment and into a comfortable home with a garden for her. We also brought Max, a boisterous puppy, into our home. Our professions were progressing for both of us.

Life was pleasant.

Emma and I had asked Jerry and Linda around for dinner at our house one Sunday afternoon. We were eager to tell them the big news that we were ready to begin our baby-hunting journey.

Jerry’s demeanor turned serious as we sat around the table, laughing, talking about the wedding, and eating our weight in chicken wings.

“Simon, Emma,” he commenced. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

Jerry and Linda looked at each other in front of us. This was not going to work out well.

Jerry gulped down his soda and let out a long, heavy sigh.

Slowly, “It’s about the wedding,” he murmured. “We need you to pay us back for it.”

Like a lead balloon, the words hung in the atmosphere. Jerry’s look told me something wasn’t quite right. However, I never thought they would ask for $100,000 from us.

“Pay you back?” Emma repeated, sounding abruptly raspy. “But you said that it was a gift!”

Before adding her voice, Linda took a deep breath through her teeth.

“We believed it was agreed upon that you would reimburse us as soon as you could. We truly need the money because we’ve been facing financial problems lately.”

I was stunned beyond belief.

“We were unaware,” I stated bluntly. “You made no indication that this was a loan. If we had known, we never would have agreed.”

Jerry stared down at his hands as his cheeks flushed.

“Simon, things have changed. We didn’t want to burden you with it at the time. We require the money to be returned. And hey, you guys seem to be doing great because you moved into a new house.”

Emma almost burst into tears. With her fork firmly in her hand, she sat at the edge of her chair.

We just told you, Dad, that we’re trying for a child. We’ve been concentrating on that, and we’re still making mortgage payments. That type of money is not something we have on hand.”

Linda turned to face her daughter, wrath flashing in her eyes.

“Well, you must locate it someplace. Emma, you’ve had a lot from us; now is the time for you to take charge.”

There was a noticeable tension.

We ate the remainder of the dinner silently. After tackling the roasted potatoes, Linda kept helping herself to the garlic bread. Jerry just held his head and took a gulp of his soda.

At last, they abandoned us. Emma started crying uncontrollably.

She wailed, “It’s unbelievable that they would do this to us.” “How could they be so cruel?”

I said, “We’ll figure it out,” but I had no idea how.

The following week was a terrible one. Emma and I strained our minds to think of a way to solve it. We debated getting a loan, but the prospect of accruing more debt was unsettling.

Emma remarked, “I’m going to take the lotto,” and took out her phone. “I can do it online and we can just hope for the best.”

Oh, how evocative this was.

Sasha, Emma’s sister, gave us a call a few days later. She said something about a lottery while getting agitated.

With patience, Emma said, “Explain, sis.”

“Didn’t you hear?” questioned Sasha. “A few months ago, Mom and Dad became the lotto winners. However, they have been keeping it a secret from everyone, and now that they have, they are in hot water. Something concerning taxes. They have also been attempting to obtain money from Tim and myself.”

Emma and I were taken aback.

Jerry and Linda had become extremely wealthy, yet they still dared to ask for money from us?

It was incomprehensible.

“We’ll just ignore them,” Emma declared. “They can take some time away from us to sort themselves out.”

I was still anxious, though. When it came up again, I wanted to have some money saved up, if not all of it.

Then, we experienced an unforeseen event once more.

Emma said, “Aunt Mildred passed on,” while she was cutting vegetables for soup in the kitchen. “However, she left me her entire fortune! I own her entire inheritance!”

Without a doubt, we were startled and devastated by her demise. But I was also moved by her gesture.

“We have to meet with her lawyer tomorrow, Simon,” Emma replied. “Can you get time off work?”

The attorney clarified that Aunt Mildred couldn’t understand her sister’s behavior, so when she learned about Jerry and Linda’s predicament, she made the decision to leave money for us.

I had no doubt that Sasha would tell everyone.

“Your mother, Emma, was the intended recipient of the money,” the attorney stated. However, Mildred demanded that I legally alter her desires after learning the facts. You own the money.”

In the end, the inheritance was far more than what we had spent on our wedding, and Mildred had made it clear in her will that we were to use it to help ensure our family’s financial stability.

Jerry and Linda were forced to consider their behavior as word got out among the family. Their greed had come at a heavy cost.

Jerry contacted me one evening when Emma and I were putting up a new bookcase we had purchased.

“Simon,” uttered.

My phone went to speaker mode.

“What is it, Dad?” From behind me, Emma called.

Jerry said, “I’ve been thinking about what happened a lot.” “We made a mistake by asking for that money from you. When it came to paying the taxes, we were simply afraid of losing everything. Anyhow, the most of it was lost.”

Linda said, “We’re sorry,” in a tone that was softer than I had ever heard.

“We accept your apology, but if this happens again, I’m going to lose all respect for you,” Emma responded. “We need to see actions, not just words.”

How would you have responded in that situation?

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