On my wedding night, I had to give up my bed to my drunk mother-in-law: the next morning, I walked into the room and saw something terrible on the sheets š±š²
The wedding was over, and my husband and I went to the bridal suite.
I couldnāt wait to take off my dress, wash off my makeup, and finally be alone with my husband. Everything felt magical ā until we heard a persistent knock at the door.
When my husband opened it, his mother was standing there ā drunk, barely on her feet, slurring her words, her eyes unfocused.
She mumbled something incoherent, walked past us, and without saying a word, lay down right on our bed, among the rose petals, and immediately fell asleep.
I stood there in shock. My husband tried to wake her, shook her gently by the shoulder, but she didnāt respond.
ā Maybe you could sleep in the next room; thereās a little sofa there, ā he said awkwardly, glancing at me. ā Iāll stay with Mom, in case she feels sickā¦
ā This isnāt how I imagined our wedding night, ā I whispered.
ā I know, Iām sorry⦠but sheās my mother.
I nodded silently and left. I lay awake all night on the sofa, unable to close my eyes, thinking ā about the wedding, about us, about how absurd everything had turned out.
In the morning, I opened the door to our bedroom ā and froze⦠On the sheets there wereā¦ š±š«£ To be continued in the first comment šš
As soon as I entered, I smelled the heavy scent of alcohol mixed with perfume. The room was a mess ā pillows on the floor, my mother-in-lawās dress half fallen off, and on the snow-white sheets were dark stains.
I stepped closer and froze. It was blood. Not much, but enough to make my heart drop.
ā Mom! ā my husband shouted, rushing in after me. ā Mom, are you all right?
My mother-in-law groaned softly and tried to sit up. Her face was pale, her lips dry. My husband helped her sit while I stood motionless, not knowing where to look.
ā What⦠is that? ā I asked quietly.
My husband looked at the sheet and turned white as chalk.
ā Looks like⦠she might have fallen somewhere, maybe cut herself, I donāt knowā¦
He examined her hands and saw a small but bleeding cut on her palm. She must have hurt herself on a piece of glass while trying to find her way to us.
Still confused, my mother-in-law mumbled:
ā I⦠didnāt mean to bother you⦠I just couldnāt find my roomā¦
I stood there in silence. All my expectations for that first night ā the romance, the warmth, the tenderness ā had shattered, like the rose petals scattered on the floor.
Later, when my husband helped his mother change and settle into another room, I went back to ours. The stained sheets lay crumpled on the floor, and the smell of alcohol and blood filled the air.
I thought: so this is marriage. A test ā from the very first day.


