My Mother-in-Law Hid My Passport Before Our Honeymoon – But Fate Had Other Plans
My MIL Hid My Passport Before Our Honeymoon – Surprisingly, Karma Hit Her Back Fast
Denise, my mother-in-law, wasn’t happy that I was marrying her son, but I didn’t think she would go “that far.” I attributed my passport’s disappearance on the morning of our honeymoon to the wedding’s pandemonium. As it happens, Denise had taken the initiative by concealing it, but retribution was hot on her tail.
It’s said that you can’t pick your family, but if I could, I would absolutely not pick Denise, my mother-in-law. I became her worst public enemy as soon as I said “I do” to Ethan. You may get diabetes from the sugar in her courteous smiles and passive-aggressive remarks. Despite her charm, I knew she detested me.
Particularly since I wed her “precious baby.”
Before we got married, Ethan and I had been dating for five years. I had enough time to adjust to Denise’s flimsy disguise. After the wedding, though, I thought she would calm down. I was mistaken, boy!
“She cried at the engagement dinner,” I said to Ethan in a whisper one evening while shaking my head. “Like… ugly cried.”
His response was, “She’s just emotional,” dismissing it. “It’s hard for her to see me growing up.”
“Ethan told me she hoped I wouldn’t ‘take you away from her.'” That isn’t sentimental.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he let out a sigh. “I understand. I’ll speak with her.
Talking, however, made no difference. Denise doubled down, if anything.
As we were organizing our honeymoon, I was practically giddy with anticipation. Ethan and I spent two weeks in Bali, enjoying the weather and falling deeply in love while there were no phones and crystal-clear water.
Denise then discovered the date of our departure. The middle of our journey coincided with her birthday. That was a national catastrophe, of course.
“We’ll be away on your birthday, Mom,” Ethan said nonchalantly. “But we’ll celebrate when we return.”
The room’s temperature dropped by ten degrees. A brief glimmer of Denise’s smile appeared.
When she remarked, “Your mother’s birthday is important,” she fixed me with her gaze. “Surely you understand family comes first?”
Ethan cut me off before I could reply. “Mom, these tickets have been reserved for months. There is no reimbursement.
Behind her meticulously manicured appearance, I saw a glimpse of something deeper that gave me a shiver.
You’ll have plenty of time for beaches, my love. “A son can only have one mother,” she whispered, staring at me. “Remember that!”
The warning lingered between us, heavy and full of meanings I didn’t fully comprehend at the time.
I took a bite out of my cheek. I didn’t want to fall for another guilt trip.
But Ethan didn’t move. “We’re leaving, Mom. The conversation is over.
“I believed the Denise drama had finally reached its conclusion. However, a plot twist occurs!
Like other mornings, the morning of our departure came. With their clean white tags that read “Bali” in large letters, our suitcases were crammed together at the door. As he made one final check of our travel documents, Ethan hummed.
He looked at me and said, “Passport?” while holding his paper.
My hand went to my travel wallet. I looked in the drawer that always held vital papers. My heart started pounding.
I trembled when I called, “Ethan,” “I can’t find my passport.”
“WHAT??!”
We looked everywhere. countertops in the kitchen. dresser in the bedroom. Side tables for the living room. Every minute that went by made my stomach turn like a dagger. I would never be able to get through airport security without identification, and the flight was in three hours.
In the doorway, Denise emerged. “Oh, honey, what happened?”
Ethan paced and mumbled, “We can’t find Vika’s passport,”
With pity on her face, Denise’s eyes shifted to mine.
“What a shame. Both of you were ecstatic. Sweetheart, have you looked everywhere? These incidents occur throughout the hectic wedding planning process.
I was ill. Had I gone crazy during the wedding chaos? However, I wasn’t reckless in this way.
Ethan’s jaw was clinched when he spoke with the airline. His eyes were etched with lines of frustration, which I could see. He whispered into the phone, “No, we can’t just get a replacement today!”
My eyes were burning with tears. Months of preparation, saving, and anticipation for our ideal honeymoon—all of it slid through our fingers like sand.
Denise placed a gentle hand on Ethan’s arm and said, “Ethan, honey,” Would you mind accompanying me on my birthday trip while Vika arranges for her new passport? You shouldn’t waste your vacation time, after all.
The turmoil swirled in Ethan’s eyes as they snapped to mine.
“Go,” I said in a whisper, hardly able to speak.
“Vika, no —”
“It’s okay. Proceed. I don’t wish to interfere with your plans.
“I don’t want to leave you.”
I tried to grin, but my face felt like it was breaking. “Just… go.”
“I’ll start packing!” Denise seemed truly ecstatic as she chirped.
I watched numbly as Denise packed her belongings into the car trunk as I sat on the couch. I tried not to cry, but as soon as the car drove away, taking months of my dream preparation with it, I was unable to control myself any longer.
An hour went by. My phone then rang. Ethan was the one.
He uttered the alarming words, “You’re not going to believe what just happened,”
“What?”
“Mom is at security at the airport. You won’t believe WHY, either.
The narrative came out in gasping snatches: Denise had been pulled aside by TSA officers at the airport security checkpoint. As it happened, her passport had a problem. As they started going through her suitcase, Ethan saw something he recognized.
He had murmured to the security guard, “Wait a second,” and taken out a little blue booklet. “This is my wife’s passport.”
He told me everything, and I could hear the quiver in his voice. “Vika, she accepted it. In order to prevent us from taking our honeymoon, she really stole YOUR passport.
“What?” I let out a gasp. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious. She is currently being questioned. They believe that she attempted to commit identity fraud.
I could hear Denise begging someone in the background. Panic supplanted her normally calm tone.
Ethan clarified, “She said she ‘accidentally’ picked up the wrong document.” “And to be honest, I believe she did. However, that doesn’t alter the fact that she purposefully concealed it to spoil our trip in the first place.
“What’s happening now?”
“She’s being led to a rear room by security. No, I’m not assisting her. She attempted to ruin our honeymoon. The axe fell onto her own foot.
His voice carried hurt, not just wrath, but also a deep disappointment at what his mother had done.
“I was asked by the officer if I wanted to file charges. Is that not unbelievable?
We were silent for a long moment.
He said, “Pack your bags,” at last. “We’re heading out this evening. Our honeymoon has been postponed, not cancelled.
As I came to the deep realization that love isn’t about blood, a tiny smile pulled at my lips. Choosing one another and sticking together against those who might want to break you apart is what it’s all about.
All I could hear was Ethan’s voice over the bustle of travelers in the airport café.
He remarked, “I can’t believe she would do this,” while vigorously stirring his coffee. “All these years, I thought she just struggled with letting go.”
I touched his hand as I reached across the table. “Tell me everything.”
Ethan’s eyes went dark. “She began to cry when security drew her away. Not actual tears, but the deceptive ones she consistently uses.
“What did she say?”
She attempted to play the victim first. stated that she “wanted to spend time with me” and was “just worried about me.” Is that not unbelievable?
“And the officer?”
“He was not impressed,” Ethan said with a sour laugh. “He requested an explanation from her for possessing your passport. Her tale kept evolving.
I questioned, “What broke her?”
Ethan gave a harsh laugh. “She went white when the officer questioned if she knew the legal ramifications of identity theft. The phrase “just wanting to be close to her son” kept coming out of her mouth.
“And you?” I gave his hand a squeeze.
“I disclosed everything to the officer. How possessive she has always been. How she attempted to influence our wedding arrangements. our whole partnership.”
“Were you angry?”
“Disappointed,” he said in response. “I saw my mom attempt to ruin my marriage. For what purpose? Because I’m an adult who loves his wife, and she can’t accept that?”
I could see the hurt in his voice. There was more to this than a passport theft. This was about the revelation of a lifetime of emotional manipulation.
decisively, “We’re still going to Bali,” he declared. “Nothing… not her, not anyone… is stopping our honeymoon.”
The resort’s terrace provided a view of the pristine ocean. With a forgotten cocktail in his hand, Ethan stood next to me, resting on the railing.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked quietly.
“About my mom?”
“About everything.”
Ethan let out a sigh. “Her possessiveness has always been known to me. However, this? This level was unprecedented.
“Tell me about growing up with her.”
He laughed bitterly. I was referred to as ‘her baby’ by her well into my twenties. I always look at my phone. Ask all the girlfriends questions. She wept for days after we got engaged.
“Not happy tears?”
“Definitely not,” he replied. “More akin to mourning tears. As though I were passing away rather than beginning a new chapter.
“Remember how she kept saying, ‘I hope she doesn’t take you away from me’?” Ethan gave a headshake. “I assumed she was being overly theatrical. I see now that it was a warning.
“What happens next?”
“We live,” he declared. “We have a great honeymoon. We construct our lives according to our own terms.
Below, the crashing waves of the ocean served as a rhythmic reminder of the perpetual motion of life.
“Happy honeymoon!” I muttered.
Ethan drew me in. “Happy us!”
The phone rang on the final day of our honeymoon. Ethan’s face was marked with reluctance as his hand hovered over it.
Flatly, “It’s her,” he remarked.
I waited and watched him.
He looked at me and asked, “Should I answer?”
I said, “That’s your decision,” with caution.
After inhaling deeply, he hit the speaker button.
“Hello, Mom…”
There was a brief crackle of silence. The silence was then broken by Denise’s voice, which was gentler than I had ever heard. “Sweetheart, we need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Regarding the events at the airport. about us.
“What’s there to discuss? My wife’s passport was stolen by you. You attempted to ruin our honeymoon.
“I was just —”
“What exactly? Trying to take over my life? merely attempting to prevent me from feeling joy?”
Denise’s tone faltered. “I cherish you. You have always been loved by me.
“Mom, love is not a possession. Manipulation is not what love is.
Her breathing was harsh and frantic, and I could hear it. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You’re losing me right now… by not understanding boundaries.”
Then she begged, “Can we meet?” “Just to talk?”
I nodded slightly as Ethan turned to face me.
“All right. but according to my terms. No games.
The room fell silent as he hung up.
I said, “Are you okay?”
“I’m setting myself free.”
“We’re okay,” I said in a whisper.
Ethan drew me in. “We’re doing fine. We are who we are.
The world went on outside. However, something had changed in our room. Healing had started, a boundary had been set, and a line had been drawn.
