I’m marrying the man of my dreams in three months. Liam, my fiancé, is everything I ever hoped for — kind, brilliant, grounded. But his parents? They never even tried to hide how little they thought of me. They never yelled or cursed. No, they were the kind who wounded with perfectly timed smiles and “accidental” jabs disguised as conversation.
My name’s Elena. I’m 27. Spanish-American. And owner of Capturing Light Photography, a studio that’s booked out eight months in advance. It’s my baby — the result of years of sweat, grit, and sacrifice. But the moment I shook hands with Albert and Candace, Liam’s parents, none of that mattered.
“Photography?” Candace had said during our first dinner together, eyebrows arched so high they almost disappeared into her forehead. “How… artistic of you!”
Albert had chuckled, like I’d said I taught basket weaving to squirrels. “Liam’s always had a soft spot for creatives. He’s so accomplished. It’s refreshing to see him with someone who doesn’t take life too seriously.”
Their tone was always the same — saccharine, polite, with just enough acidity to leave a burn. And I took it. I smiled, nodded, even made small talk while they poked at my worth like I was a novelty item in a pawn shop. I could feel Liam tense beside me every time. But I didn’t speak up. Not yet.
Every visit brought more of the same. At one dinner, while picking at a kale salad like it offended her, Candace dropped, “In our family, we value intellectual achievement. Real education, you understand?”
“I do,” I said calmly. “Education comes in many forms.”
“Does it though?” Albert mused, pushing up his glasses. “These days anyone with a phone thinks they’re a photographer. It’s not really a… skill anymore, is it?”
Liam’s fork hit the plate with a loud clang. “Dad…”
But I stopped him. “Not everyone understands the technical side of professional photography,” I said, offering Albert the same passive-aggressive smile he gave me.
And then came the night of Candace’s 60th birthday — her grand event, her masterpiece. A who’s who of Whitmore University’s faculty, department heads, researchers, and retired deans gathered at her home, sipping wine and flaunting decades of published work like medals.
I was upstairs getting ready when she came in uninvited. “Elena,” she said, “just a quick word.”
I turned from the mirror, my lipstick half-done.