Two days before my wedding, my passive-aggressive future MIL secretly replaced my blonde hair dye with neon green. She thought she’d finally sabotage my “unsuitable” style, but she didn’t count on one thing — my fiancé’s unwavering loyalty and mischievous sense of revenge.
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I’d always known wedding planning would be stressful, but I never imagined I’d end up looking like a punk rock reject two days before walking down the aisle.
An emotional woman | Source: Midjourney
The whole mess started during what I’d dubbed “Wedding Week,” when Linda dropped by our apartment unannounced almost every day to “help” with last-minute details.
She’d been picking at every decision since Ryan proposed, from the venue (“Oh, a backyard wedding? How… quaint.”) to the menu (“Buffet style? Well, I suppose some people prefer casual.”) to the flowers (“Wildflowers? How… rustic.”).
It was driving both of us insane, but Linda’s passive-aggressive remarks made it impossible to confront her.
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A woman planning her wedding | Source: Midjourney
I’d spent months carefully crafting what I thought would be the perfect intimate ceremony.
There would be string lights threading through the oak trees in my parents’ backyard, and mason jars filled with freshly picked wildflowers. I’d picked a dress that made me feel like a woodland fairy rather than a formal bride.
Everything was designed to reflect who Ryan and I really were, not who his mother wanted us to be.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
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A few days before the wedding, Linda perched on our secondhand couch like she was afraid it might bite her, scanning our living room with the same sour expression she always wore during these visits.
We’d also had to shrug off numerous remarks about our decor choices since we moved in together. Linda always found something to pick on. Our wedding was just her latest bugbear.
“Are you sure you want to wear your hair like that for the wedding, dear?” Linda’s perfectly plucked eyebrows arched as she studied my ash blonde waves.
A mature woman with a judgmental look | Source: Midjourney
“Your natural blond is quite pretty. And with your complexion…” She let the sentence dangle like a guillotine blade.
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I forced a smile, gripping my coffee mug until my knuckles went white. “Yes, Linda. I’m sure. It’s close to my natural color anyway. I’m only touching it up tomorrow at the salon, like I told you last week.”
“Hmm.” She took a delicate sip of her tea.
A condescending woman | Source: Midjourney
“Well, it’s your day, I suppose. Though I do wish you’d consider that lovely upscale salon I recommended. The one where all my friends go.” She sighed dramatically. “A salon that lets you bring your own dye seems a bit… well, I understand budget constraints can be… limiting.”
My jaw clenched so tight I could hear my teeth grinding.
Ryan’s voice echoed in my head: “Just let it roll off, babe. She’s trying to get a reaction.” Easy for him to say — he’d had thirty years to build up an immunity to her passive-aggressive venom.
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A frustrated woman speaking to her future MIL | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, would you mind if I used your powder room?” Linda set down her barely touched tea.
I gestured toward the hallway, relief flooding through me at the brief reprieve. “Of course. You know where it is.”
She was in there longer than necessary, which should’ve been my first clue something was up. When she emerged, her lipstick was freshly applied, and she was wearing that cat-that-ate-the-canary smile I’d come to dread.
