I sat on the couch, staring at my suit for tomorrow’s wedding. Everything was ready—the venue, the guests, the rings. But something felt off. I chalked it up to nerves until my little daughter walked into the room, her face troubled.
“Dad, do I really have to call her Mom?” she asked, hesitating at the doorway.
I frowned. “Sweetheart, what do you mean?”
She fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “She told me I have to call her Mom after the wedding. She said it’s the only way we’ll be a real family.”
My stomach twisted. “Did she say anything else?”
She nodded. “She told me I talk too much and that you won’t love me as much when she’s your wife.”
I felt my heart drop. My fiancée, Lisa, had always been kind—at least, when I was around. But my daughter had no reason to lie. If she felt this way, something was wrong.
The next morning, I asked Lisa about it. She laughed it off. “She’s a child, Charlie. She doesn’t understand how families work. She’ll adjust.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine. She wasn’t denying it.
I took a deep breath. “Lisa, if she doesn’t feel comfortable calling you Mom, she doesn’t have to.”
Her smile faltered. “Charlie, she’s part of the problem. She needs to learn that I come first now.”
That was all I needed to hear. This wasn’t about love or family. It was about control.
I stood up. “The wedding is off. I won’t marry someone who thinks my daughter is a problem.”
Her face twisted in anger. “Are you serious? Over a kid’s silly feelings?”
I didn’t reply. I just walked away.
As I hugged my daughter later that day, she whispered, “Thank you, Dad.”
And at that moment, I knew I had made the right choice. Family isn’t about forcing relationships—it’s about love and respect.