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(FULL STORY) I Ignored the Red Flags About Her… Then THIS Happened! | Readiator
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Jul 1, 2025
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0:00
when I first met Maggie she was without
0:01
a doubt the most beautiful girl I'd ever
0:03
laid my eyes on but as often happens
0:05
when you're falling hard I heard
0:07
whispers dozens of red flags people said
0:10
ones I really tried to ignore it was
0:12
hard believe me I remember staying up
0:15
all night tossing and turning haunted by
0:17
what I'd heard one guy told me her dad
0:19
was dying and she was sleeping with
0:20
every guy on campus to heal another time
0:23
I heard she was abusing her halfbab my
0:25
girl best friend bless her heart told me
0:27
to pump the brakes she insisted Maggie
0:29
was a really sweet girl and I needed to
0:31
give her a chance so I did and looking
0:34
back it ended up being the best decision
0:35
of my life because Maggie she was an
0:38
absolute angel the truth was her dad was
0:41
dying but she wasn't out partying she
0:43
was fighting tooth and nail for custody
0:45
of her half brother Charlie so she could
0:47
raise him she wanted to give this little
0:49
boy a loving home and within months of
0:51
us going out I already knew i wanted
0:54
nothing more than to support her during
0:56
this journey into parenthood i wanted to
0:58
be there for her for Charlie for our
1:00
future but here's the sad painful part
1:04
there was one massive red flag I never
1:06
mentioned except it wasn't hers it was
1:08
mine my stepmother Harper she is to put
1:11
it mildly a truly awful human being
1:13
she's willing to hurt anyone and
1:15
anything to get what she wants and that
1:17
includes innocent young children and she
1:18
hated Charlie like with her whole heart
1:20
harper never stopped seeing baby Charlie
1:22
as a tool she was convinced Maggie
1:23
somehow used him to baby trap her way
1:25
into our family and these insane
1:27
accusations only intensified after our
1:28
biological son was born we always always
1:31
tried to avoid leaving her alone with
1:32
them we knew we had a gut feeling but
1:35
last Sunday we had an event to attend
1:37
and we had no other option so with heavy
1:40
hearts Maggie and I agreed to let Harper
1:42
and my dad babysit when we returned all
1:45
hell had broken loose both kids were
1:47
trembling and crying in a way I had
1:49
never heard before it wasn't just a
1:51
tantrum it was a cry of pain my dad
1:53
looked utterly exhausted in the midst of
1:55
trying to calm everyone down my head was
1:57
spinning trying to process the scene and
1:59
then I saw it a shocking sickening red
2:01
stain on the shirt of my baby he was
2:03
lucky my kids were watching because if
2:05
they weren't I swear to God I would have
2:07
beaten the life out of his goodfor-no
2:08
wife Harper until she begged for
2:10
forgiveness instead I stood there fists
2:12
clenched a murderous look in my eyes
2:15
immediately my dad came clean he told me
2:17
that Charlie had been crying a lot so
2:19
Harper disciplined him the only way she
2:20
knew how she split his lip open my mouth
2:24
literally dropped i couldn't help but
2:26
fantasize about hanging them both from a
2:28
tree especially when I heard the
2:29
absolutely insane explanation of what
2:30
made her lose her cool in the first
2:32
place you see Maggie and I were due to
2:34
get married and while we were gone
2:36
little Charlie in his innocent
2:38
four-year-old excitement simply informed
2:40
Harper that he and our son would both be
2:41
ringing bearers in the wedding and
2:43
apparently Harper with her clinically
2:44
insane brain couldn't fathom the idea of
2:46
letting a 4-year-old boy be happy in her
2:48
eyes Charlie wasn't family which in her
2:51
twisted logic gave her permission to lay
2:53
hands on him during her pathetic
2:55
explanation my dad did what any
2:56
reasonable adult would do in a
2:57
highstakes situation he looked at me and
3:00
said "You better not stop her from
3:01
attending your wedding son don't forget
3:03
who raised you." At this point Maggie
3:05
was already walking towards the car with
3:06
the kids trying to shield them from the
3:08
chaos so I clocked him again and again
3:12
and of course his idiot wife Harper
3:14
didn't do anything because she only
3:15
likes to lay hands on children who are
3:17
10 times smaller than her in between my
3:19
blows he tried to declare that he
3:21
wouldn't attend the wedding without
3:22
Harper i just laughed i only stopped
3:25
when he finally gave up on defending his
3:28
r-worded wife but after I left he still
3:30
tried to hurt me not physically this
3:33
time but with lies he convinced half of
3:35
his relatives that Harper had tickled
3:37
Charlie a little too hard and that I had
3:39
hit him for no reason this includes my
3:41
stepbrother who blindly supports his
3:43
mother no matter how many times I
3:44
explain what actually happened maggie
3:46
and I refuse to back down many of my
3:48
cousins who are now skipping the wedding
3:50
are practically trying to force us into
3:51
inviting hateful Harper on the other
3:53
hand nearly all of Maggie's family
3:55
supports our decision though I had to
3:57
hold myself back when one of her aunts
3:59
suggested that Harper could just be
4:01
lashing out because she doesn't feel
4:02
welcomed honestly I'm fed up with my
4:04
relatives enabling Harper's behavior and
4:06
constantly making excuses for her being
4:08
abusive i realized I accidentally
4:10
deleted a crucial paragraph in my
4:11
original post we pressed charges the
4:14
very next day we took Charlie to his
4:15
pediatrician and gathered every single
4:17
piece of evidence possible not only do
4:19
we have photos documenting Charlie's
4:21
facial injury that split lip was no
4:23
tickle but through some incredible
4:24
stroke of luck we also had nanny cam
4:26
footage some commenters correctly
4:28
guessed that Harper hadn't been invited
4:30
to our house but since my dad hasn't
4:32
gone anywhere without her in years we've
4:34
taken precautions we never expected her
4:36
to do something this horrific but we've
4:38
always been cautious about trusting her
4:40
with the kids the actual physical attack
4:42
happened off camera but there's footage
4:44
of her screaming and Charlie crying both
4:45
before and after the incident she now
4:48
has a child abuse charge on her record
4:50
we absolutely refused to let her get
4:51
away with this the pediatrician visit
4:54
was the day after the incident charlie
4:56
was already seeing a counselor maggie
4:58
was understandably traumatized when her
4:59
dad and stepmom died and worried about
5:01
how it might affect Charlie and he'll
5:03
continue treatment we've been giving him
5:05
extra hugs and attention he's still
5:07
upset but already doing much better i
5:09
want to thank everyone who took the time
5:11
to read and comment on my previous post
5:13
it's been an incredibly difficult week
5:15
but it means a lot knowing that people
5:17
care while I haven't been able to reply
5:19
to every comment I'll address some in
5:20
this update which might get lengthy
5:22
first Maggie and I are going completely
5:24
no contact with my dad and Harper we
5:26
haven't spoken to either since the
5:28
incident and I don't plan to initiate
5:29
contact any necessary communication is
5:32
being handled through my younger sister
5:34
she completely supports us but will
5:35
maintain minimal contact with dad for
5:37
now i've decided to adopt Maggie's
5:39
approach to handling relationships with
5:40
people she cares about forgive what's
5:42
genuinely apologized for but never
5:44
forget essentially if Dad or Harper ever
5:47
truly understand what they did wrong and
5:49
sincerely apologize we might forgive
5:51
them albeit reluctantly but we'll never
5:54
ignore or let them forget what they did
5:55
to our family for the foreseeable future
5:58
neither will be allowed near Charlie our
6:00
baby or any future children we might
6:02
have even if we do eventually forgive
6:04
them regarding the rest of my family
6:06
many comments suggested posting pictures
6:08
of Charlie's injury and the nanny cam
6:09
footage i'm not very active on social
6:11
media but even if I were I'm
6:13
uncomfortable exposing my injured
6:14
preschooler like that especially knowing
6:16
that nothing truly disappears from the
6:18
internet i've also decided against
6:20
sharing the pictures with extended
6:21
family unless absolutely necessary it's
6:23
worth mentioning that while my family
6:24
adors my dad most aren't particularly
6:26
fond of Harper she had two failed
6:29
marriages before meeting my father her
6:31
first marriage produced my stepbrother
6:32
and my dad actually cheated on his
6:34
girlfriend at the time to be with her my
6:36
family loved that girlfriend and
6:38
disliked Harper from the start beyond
6:41
being controlling and manipulative from
6:42
day one she's constantly tried to force
6:44
her way into the family matriarch role
6:46
by any means possible taking over
6:48
planning duties for every family event
6:50
was her favorite method because it
6:51
garnered attention and compliments i
6:54
hated these parties growing up primarily
6:56
because she always found ways to make
6:57
everything about herself including
6:59
Christmas and my sisters and my
7:00
birthdays most relatives felt neutral
7:02
about the situation but nobody genuinely
7:04
liked her with Charlie things were
7:07
different most of my relatives didn't
7:09
meet him until CO restrictions eased
7:11
when he was about two he's an incredibly
7:13
bright and lovable kid and since there
7:15
weren't many small children in the
7:16
family everyone immediately adored him i
7:19
suspect Harper resented how easily
7:21
Maggie and Charlie were accepted by my
7:22
family compared to her own experience
7:24
which fueled her animosity toward them
7:26
both though I can't confirm that theory
7:28
Harper was also furious about having
7:30
absolutely no involvement in our wedding
7:31
party she tried pressuring us to let her
7:33
officiate we'd already asked one of
7:35
Maggies best friends a year ago she
7:36
tried to make my stepbrother my best man
7:38
he wasn't interested and I'd already
7:40
chosen my best friend and to include her
7:42
niece as our flower girl we promised
7:44
that role to Maggie's three-year-old
7:45
niece plus Harper's niece is 15 and
7:48
barely knows us she even tried
7:50
convincing us to have my dad walk Maggie
7:52
down the aisle since her father passed
7:53
away but Maggie's oldest brother had
7:55
already been chosen for that honor
7:56
harper was clearly disappointed that my
7:58
family wasn't as involved in the wedding
7:59
as Maggie's and kept making comments
8:01
about how this would never happen if
8:02
they'd put her in charge that said
8:05
nothing can excuse being so cruel to a
8:07
child especially if it stems from the
8:08
petty jealousy i suspect since I haven't
8:10
spoken with my father my sister has kept
8:12
me updated i've learned that the story
8:14
my dad and Harper told the rest of the
8:15
family completely omits Charlie's injury
8:17
and the abuse charges their version
8:19
suggests that Maggie and I banned them
8:21
simply because we got annoyed with
8:22
Harper and decided to punish my dad as
8:23
well since most relatives already
8:25
dislike Harper explaining what actually
8:27
happened wasn't difficult and most
8:29
family members I actually wanted at the
8:30
wedding have apologized and are now
8:32
criticizing my dad too those who didn't
8:35
believe us or claimed we overreacted
8:36
have been informed they're no longer
8:38
welcome in our home these are mostly
8:40
people from my dad's generation so I'm
8:42
not surprised but realizing they're so
8:44
biased they'd protect a woman they
8:45
dislike after she hurt a child just to
8:47
appease my dad confirms I don't need
8:49
them in my life my brother remains in
8:50
denial he refuses to believe his mother
8:52
would harm a child despite all our
8:54
evidence i understand his position to
8:56
some extent i love my mom too but that
8:59
doesn't excuse his willful blindness so
9:01
he's banned as well it's unfortunate
9:03
because we were close growing up but I
9:05
don't regret the decision besides Maggie
9:07
has three siblings besides Charlie an
9:09
older brother a twin brother and a
9:11
younger sister and I'm closer to them
9:12
now than I ever was to my stepbrother
9:15
maggie's family is furious about what
9:16
happened and has been incredibly
9:18
supportive her maternal relatives
9:20
essentially adopted Charlie after she
9:21
gained custody and they've called
9:23
frequently to check on him we've managed
9:25
to save some money with all the
9:26
uninvited guests and we're using it to
9:28
help Maggie's cousin who lives abroad
9:29
and was previously unable to attend
9:32
we're paying for her plane ticket
9:33
charlie is doing much better and almost
9:34
back to his usual cheerful self the
9:37
split lip was shallow and he's healing
9:38
gradually though it didn't require
9:40
stitches we sat him down recently and
9:42
explained that my dad and Harper
9:44
wouldn't be around anymore he really
9:46
liked my dad but understands that he and
9:48
Harper are inseparable he's clearly
9:50
afraid of her but we're doing everything
9:52
possible to make him feel secure maggie
9:54
and I have repeatedly assured him that
9:56
he is family we love him and nothing
9:58
will ever change that i'm not overly
9:59
concerned about Dad or Harper attempting
10:01
to crash the wedding but we've alerted
10:03
the venue and provided photos just in
10:04
case better safe than sorry some people
10:08
pointed out Harper's hypocrisy in
10:09
claiming Charlie isn't family i
10:11
completely agree for obvious reasons her
10:14
primary excuse for her behavior has
10:15
always been that she doesn't feel
10:16
welcomed by my family dad has guilted me
10:19
into participating in her events by
10:20
reminding me of this for as long as I
10:22
can remember the fact that he continues
10:24
making excuses for her without
10:25
recognizing this is essentially the pot
10:27
calling the kettle black except Charlie
10:29
actually is family has helped me accept
10:31
that while I'll always love my dad it's
10:33
not healthy or safe for my family to be
10:34
around him anymore it hurts knowing my
10:36
son won't have his only remaining
10:38
biological grandfather in his life but
10:39
he has two amazing stepgrandfathers to
10:41
compensate for now I'm sad but satisfied
10:44
with how things have developed i try not
10:46
to complain about my life it's chaotic
10:49
but beautiful i adore my fianceé i love
10:52
my children and I'm fortunate enough to
10:54
love my job we're happy and I won't let
10:56
anyone ruin that to those annoyed by my
10:59
censorship in the original post when ATA
11:01
didn't work out Maggie suggested making
11:03
the writing less explicit i'm still new
11:05
to Reddit and might have overdone it
11:07
hopefully this is my final update on
11:09
this situation but I'll keep you posted
11:11
if anything changes again thank you for
11:13
all your support and kind words i'll
11:16
start by disappointing many of you we're
11:18
accepting that Harper will likely get
11:19
nothing more than a slap on the wrist
11:20
for what she did maggie and I are
11:22
discussing next steps with our lawyer
11:24
but we're still uncertain about how to
11:25
proceed it's too early to make
11:26
definitive plans anyway so we're trying
11:28
not to get ahead of ourselves the good
11:30
news is that we're initiating the
11:32
process for a restraining order against
11:33
Harper we're using the same evidence we
11:36
gathered after the incident including
11:37
the nanny cam footage and photos of
11:38
Charlie and focusing on that for now i
11:41
still haven't spoken with my father my
11:43
sister maintains limited contact but is
11:45
seriously considering cutting ties with
11:47
him completely since she's the only one
11:49
from my side still communicating with
11:50
him he constantly asks her about me and
11:52
whether I've calmed down yet according
11:55
to her he's annoyed that half his family
11:56
refuses to speak to him but still
11:58
doesn't seem to grasp why i've told my
12:00
sister she doesn't need to keep acting
12:02
as an intermediary between us i never
12:04
asked her to do this and it's clearly
12:06
taking a toll on her but she insists
12:08
she'll stop when it feels right to be
12:10
absolutely clear there's no question
12:11
about whether Harper attacked Charlie
12:13
not only did Charlie tell us immediately
12:15
when we got home but my father confirmed
12:16
it in his misguided attempt to defend
12:18
her behavior he never tried to hide it
12:20
from us providing Charlie with an ice
12:22
pack is literally the only positive
12:23
thing I can say about his response
12:25
meanwhile Harper was too busy screaming
12:27
about what a whining brat Charlie was
12:29
being to deny what she'd done for those
12:31
who guessed Harper is younger than my
12:32
dad you win an invisible cookie she's
12:35
also 5 years younger than his previous
12:36
girlfriend they got together when I was
12:38
around 15 my stepbrother is only a month
12:41
older than me harper turns 50 later this
12:43
year she had him at 21 and married his
12:45
father a year later both children are
12:47
doing relatively well charlie's back to
12:49
running around the house in his Superman
12:50
costume whenever he's not occupied with
12:52
something else he has had a few
12:54
nightmares this past week and has asked
12:56
to sleep in our bed twice we don't
12:57
mention my father around him and he's
12:59
continuing to see his counselor our
13:01
14-month-old has learned two new words
13:03
hi and by and Charlie is trying to teach
13:05
him to say his name maggie's sister who
13:08
moved away for college is visiting for a
13:10
few days to celebrate her 21st birthday
13:12
later this month charlie's excited to
13:14
see her and Maggie's looking forward to
13:15
having drinks with her sister can't say
13:17
I blame her we're hoping her presence
13:19
will lift everyone's spirits i'm
13:21
struggling emotionally and so is Maggie
13:24
she typically tries to keep negative
13:25
emotions to herself but she cried
13:27
herself to sleep almost every night the
13:28
week after the incident it breaks my
13:30
heart seeing her like this and I can't
13:32
help feeling responsible part of me
13:34
knows I couldn't have predicted Harper
13:36
would do something this extreme but that
13:38
doesn't change anything i allowed my
13:40
father near my children unsupervised
13:42
knowing Harper would likely accompany
13:43
him this is the most guilt I've ever
13:45
experienced and I don't think I'll ever
13:47
fully forgive myself maggie has been
13:48
improving lately and is encouraging me
13:50
to see a therapist apart from briefly
13:52
seeing a psychiatrist when I was younger
13:54
I've never done therapy before but now
13:56
seems like an appropriate time to try i
13:58
was surprised by messages from people
14:00
urging me to forgive my father and
14:01
Harper and to reinvite them to the
14:02
wedding
14:04
that's absolutely not happening in fact
14:07
I'll never forgive Harper my dad is now
14:09
a huge maybe but I'll never understand
14:11
or forget what she did although the
14:13
wedding is far from our primary concern
14:15
right now we're not postponing it we
14:17
considered rescheduling but realized our
14:19
chosen date is essentially the only one
14:21
that works for our guests we have
14:23
password protection with all our vendors
14:25
and have given clear instructions that
14:26
they should only communicate with us
14:27
directly maggie's family is larger and
14:30
closerknit which explains why they're
14:32
more involved in the wedding than mine
14:33
but I do have family participating my
14:36
sister is a bridesmaid two of my cousins
14:38
are groomsmen and my mom will walk down
14:40
the aisle with the wedding party going
14:41
through this ordeal with Maggie has
14:42
deepened my understanding of how much I
14:44
love her i couldn't ask for a better
14:46
partner to build a family with and I
14:47
have no idea what I'd do without her
14:49
this crisis hasn't torn us apart and I'm
14:51
incredibly grateful for that i probably
14:53
won't update again until after the
14:55
wedding unless something significant
14:56
happens until then as always best wishes
14:59
to everyone i hadn't planned on updating
15:01
before the wedding but something major
15:03
happened the good news we got the
15:05
restraining order the bad news Maggie
15:08
and I had to face both Harper and my
15:10
father at the court hearing our first
15:12
time seeing them since we kicked them
15:13
out of our house over a month ago
15:15
neither of us was looking forward to it
15:17
we left the kids with Maggie's brother
15:19
and sister-in-law so at least Charlie
15:20
didn't have to see them the hearing
15:22
itself proceeded much faster than I
15:24
anticipated i'll give credit where it's
15:25
due my father was at least smart enough
15:27
to realize they had no chance of winning
15:29
the evidence against them was
15:30
overwhelming not only did we have the
15:32
nanny cam footage Charlie's photos and
15:34
medical records but my sister had also
15:36
collected every text and email Harper
15:37
had sent her and other family members
15:38
about the incident since Harper hates
15:40
phone calls there were many written
15:42
communications they didn't even bother
15:43
hiring an attorney for the hearing the
15:45
judge granted us a protection order
15:46
against Harper she's now prohibited from
15:48
coming within 500 ft of us or our
15:50
property we're changing all our locks
15:51
this week and I'm considering changing
15:53
my phone number as well i must admit
15:55
leaving the courthouse was the safest
15:56
I'd felt since this nightmare began
15:58
maggie nearly broke into tears of relief
16:00
when we reached our car we picked up the
16:02
kids and celebrated at McDonald's with
16:03
my brother-in-law and his family hours
16:05
later my father called that order
16:08
doesn't extend to him so he's still able
16:09
to contact me the kids and Maggie were
16:11
in bed so I answered while I didn't
16:13
expect a sudden change of heart or
16:15
apology I decided to give him one final
16:17
chance he attempted some awkward small
16:19
talk but I told him to get to the point
16:22
he asked if the restraining order was
16:23
truly necessary i stated very clearly
16:25
that Harper would never come near Maggie
16:27
or my children again and I was glad to
16:28
have a formal order confirming that
16:30
every excuse he offered for Harper was
16:32
easily dismissed but she only hit him
16:34
once yep and that's enough for me the
16:37
kids need their grandma she's not their
16:40
grandma my mom is she's my wife you need
16:42
to respect her she attacked Charlie she
16:45
disrespected my family in my own house i
16:47
don't owe her anything least of all my
16:49
respect he then launched into a rant
16:51
about family how Harper was a godsend
16:53
and everything she'd supposedly done for
16:55
me and my sister since entering our
16:56
lives i countered by listing every
16:58
instance I could recall of her lying
17:00
overstepping boundaries or behaving
17:02
irrationally around me my sister or
17:04
anyone else in our family i referenced
17:06
both my childhood and adult experiences
17:08
examples included her attempts to hijack
17:10
our significant milestones recently our
17:12
wedding plans our son's birth Maggie's
17:14
baby shower and my sister's college
17:16
graduation her obsession with presenting
17:18
a perfect family image and her
17:19
disgusting attitude toward Charlie i
17:21
also mentioned her habit of going
17:23
through my sisters and my belongings
17:24
when we were younger a seemingly trivial
17:26
issue compared to everything else but
17:28
this behavior continued until my sister
17:30
moved out just 3 months ago we suspect
17:32
Harper discovered Maggie's wedding dress
17:34
appointments by reading my sister's
17:35
planner while she was out some memories
17:37
I mentioned are too complex to fully
17:38
explain here but they reinforced that
17:40
Harper means nothing to me my father
17:42
tried using the she doesn't feel
17:43
included excuse again but I shut him
17:45
down i told him he had the opportunity
17:47
to protect his grandchildren but chose
17:49
his monstrous wife instead which is
17:51
enough for me to want nothing to do with
17:52
him i hung up without saying goodbye my
17:55
sister later told me he called her
17:57
afterward and she informed him she was
17:58
also going no contact i think we're both
18:01
beginning to accept that our father
18:02
won't change it's painful but he's made
18:05
his priorities clear and his children
18:06
and grandchildren aren't among them for
18:08
now that's all now that these memories
18:10
are fresh in my mind I'm considering
18:12
sharing some of the stories I reminded
18:14
my father about but that will take time
18:16
until then as always best wishes to
18:19
everyone i mentioned previously that I
18:20
was considering sharing some stories
18:21
from before we finally got a restraining
18:23
order against Harper and went no contact
18:25
with my dad while there are many worth
18:27
telling I'll start with one of my
18:28
sister's favorites maggie discovered she
18:31
was pregnant in June 2021 we announced
18:33
it to our immediate families that August
18:35
and initially Harper showed zero
18:37
interest in our baby not that I expected
18:39
much from someone whose reaction to our
18:41
pregnancy announcement was to ask Maggie
18:42
if she was sure it was mine even my dad
18:45
criticized her for that comment but she
18:47
barely acknowledged we were expecting
18:49
instead she focused on my stepbrother
18:51
who was also engaged and would
18:53
supposedly give her beautiful grandbaby
18:55
soon no complaints from us we didn't
18:57
want her involved anyway planning our
18:59
baby shower was complicated both Maggie
19:02
and I had to work until the holidays and
19:03
I wanted to participate in the planning
19:05
with a February 2022 due date we decided
19:07
early January would be ideal we enlisted
19:10
two planners my sister Honor and
19:12
Maggie's best friend Amber maggie and I
19:14
are generally laid-back people we didn't
19:16
want an extravagant party or to spend
19:18
excessively we were saving for both the
19:19
baby and our wedding we decided early on
19:22
that the shower would be co-ed would
19:23
need to be indoors given January weather
19:25
and settled on a guest list of about 25
19:27
people plus a dozen children we
19:29
developed the concept of a pizza party
19:31
maggie Charlie and I have had weekly
19:32
homemade pizza nights since I moved in
19:34
and we thought incorporating that into
19:35
the shower would be fun amber found a
19:37
venue with a pizza oven and Honor
19:39
figured out ways to integrate
19:40
traditional baby shower elements into
19:41
the theme the resulting plans were
19:43
fantastic make your own pizzas
19:45
non-alcoholic beverages and plain
19:47
bodysuits for kids to customize amber
19:49
and Honor blended pizza decor with baby
19:51
items and found pizza-shaped treats
19:53
though it might have seemed like an
19:54
unusual combination we loved it most
19:57
planning was completed by mid- November
19:59
later that month my stepbrother's
20:00
fianceé left him for her they'd been
20:03
together for four years and the breakup
20:04
was both sudden and devastating for him
20:07
harper then realized her dream
20:08
grandchildren would take longer to
20:09
arrive than anticipated naturally
20:12
without her son's milestones to obsess
20:13
over she redirected her attention to
20:15
mine suddenly Harper transformed from
20:17
disinterested relative to enthusiastic
20:19
grandmother to be facebook posts tacky
20:22
promoted to nana shirts the works
20:25
initially we were too busy with work and
20:26
holiday preparations to worry about the
20:28
shift but she quickly began pestering us
20:30
about planning the baby shower and
20:31
adding a gender reveal party we firmly
20:34
rejected the gender reveal idea no
20:36
offense to those who enjoy them they're
20:37
just not our style plus we decided to
20:40
wait until birth to learn the sex harper
20:43
tried to persuade us to find out and
20:44
tell her as a Christmas present but we
20:46
refused we also declined her offer to
20:48
plan the baby shower she complained to
20:50
my father who pressured Honor into
20:52
letting Harper help with the plans since
20:54
Honor was still living with them she had
20:56
little choice honor contacted Amber and
20:58
they met Harper for coffee though I
21:00
wasn't present Honor later described
21:02
what happened before they could even
21:04
mention their plans Harper began
21:06
discussing hers according to Honor she
21:09
pulled out a surprisingly thick binder
21:10
complete with O Baby on the cover
21:13
colorful tabs and fabric samples and
21:15
flipped to the shower section though
21:17
shorter than other sections it still
21:19
contained extensive plans for her baby
21:20
shower concept honor sent me photos and
21:23
wow I'll give Harper credit it looked
21:26
like the most Instagram worthy baby
21:27
shower imaginable however it was also
21:30
impractical and obviously expensive
21:32
there were balloons everywhere oversized
21:34
teddy bears giant alphabet blocks and
21:36
cringe-worthy signage harper prioritized
21:38
aesthetics over comfort with
21:40
uncomfortable seating arrangements and
21:41
elaborate food ideas that weren't even
21:42
pregnancy appropriate many contained
21:44
soft cheeses Maggie couldn't eat the
21:47
color scheme consisted of three shades
21:48
of pink with gold accents we'd have been
21:51
fine with a pink themed shower if it
21:52
offered some variety but Harper's vision
21:54
resembled Barbie throwing up all over a
21:56
Hello Kitty birthday party when Amber
21:58
reminded her we didn't know the baby's
21:59
sex Harper claimed she just knew it was
22:02
a girl spoiler alert it wasn't harper
22:06
also insisted on an all female
22:07
child-free gathering with professional
22:09
catering and alcohol she prepared a
22:11
guest suggestion list featuring some of
22:13
her closest friends neither Maggie nor
22:15
my mother was included and planned games
22:17
nobody wanted to play essentially the
22:19
only thing everyone could agree on was
22:21
holding the party indoors honor and
22:23
Amber weren't given a chance to present
22:24
their plans until Harper finished once
22:27
they could they explained that while
22:29
they might incorporate some of Harper's
22:30
ideas they'd already finalized the pizza
22:32
theme she protested but Honor pointed
22:35
out they were being generous to even
22:37
offer that compromise since the shower
22:38
was only a month away and we'd already
22:40
approved their plans harper called me
22:42
trying to change their minds but I
22:44
simply echoed their position my dad
22:46
learned he couldn't attend the shower so
22:48
he no longer cared about the planning as
22:50
the holidays approached the subject was
22:51
dropped harper seemed to accept the
22:54
pizza party amber managed to incorporate
22:56
some pink decorations with matching blue
22:58
items and even added one of the giant
22:59
teddy bears Harper wanted fast forward
23:01
to the week before the shower maggie was
23:04
nearly 8 months pregnant everything had
23:06
been purchased all guests had RSVPd and
23:08
preparations were complete the shower
23:10
was scheduled for 700 p.m harper offered
23:13
to arrive at the venue early to set up
23:14
and honor agreed mostly because she knew
23:16
Harper would complain if she didn't get
23:18
to do anything the venue even allowed
23:20
them to drop off decorations beforehand
23:22
maggie and I promised to arrive by 6 p.m
23:24
2 days before the shower however the
23:26
venue called Amber they explained that
23:28
Harper had dropped off several large
23:30
heavy boxes of what she called a little
23:31
surprise she'd informed them she planned
23:33
to arrive at 3:30 p.m to begin setting
23:35
up but they were calling to clarify that
23:37
the venue was only booked from 400 p.m
23:39
onward apparently Harper nearly had a
23:41
tantrum when told this since the
23:43
decorations were still at Amber's home
23:45
she called Honor to check if they'd left
23:46
anything with Harper thankfully my
23:48
sister is both clever and accustomed to
23:50
Harper's antics so she visited the venue
23:51
the next day and asked to examine
23:53
Harper's boxes honor told me she wasn't
23:56
surprised by their contents but was
23:57
still shocked by Harper's audacity all
24:00
the boxes contained pink frilly
24:01
decorations seemingly the exact items
24:03
Harper had initially shown Honor and
24:05
Amber honor realized Harper intended to
24:08
arrive early to set up her version of
24:09
the baby shower and essentially force us
24:11
to celebrate in her pink nightmare she
24:12
called Amber to determine their next
24:14
steps neither could arrive at 4 Modern
24:16
making it nearly inevitable that Harper
24:18
would get her way the obvious solution
24:20
was disposing of everything but Honor
24:21
devised a better plan that night they
24:24
called Maggie and me hey want to destroy
24:26
a party in 2 hours honor returned home
24:29
and invited Harper to accompany her to a
24:31
salon fabricating a story about having
24:32
coupons harper agreed and they planned
24:35
to go immediately after she finished
24:36
preparing the baby shower at 4:00 p.m
24:38
the next day Harper arrived at the venue
24:40
by 500 p.m she had completed the setup
24:42
i'll admit she works quickly and
24:44
promptly left to meet Honor at the salon
24:45
once they were together Honor texted
24:47
Amber that the coast was clear maggie
24:50
Amber and I then hurried to the venue
24:52
sure enough Harper had arranged her
24:54
version of the party to keep this
24:56
shorter I won't describe it in detail
24:58
but it was so overwhelmingly pink it
25:00
nearly made Maggie nauseous for the next
25:02
two hours Honor distracted Harper at the
25:04
salon while the three of us swiftly
25:05
dismantled every decoration Harper had
25:07
installed and replaced them with our
25:08
pizza party setup we arranged the
25:10
activities prepared the tables and
25:12
returned every pink item to Harper's
25:13
boxes it was actually quite enjoyable we
25:16
finished just minutes before the shower
25:18
began several guests arrived before
25:20
Harper so I barely saw her all evening
25:22
honor told me that when they arrived
25:23
Harper's jaw dropped as she tried to
25:25
comprehend what had happened to all her
25:26
pink decorations my sister simply smiled
25:29
whispered "Nice try" in her ear and went
25:31
to help Charlie customize a bodysuit
25:33
overall the baby shower was everything
25:35
we'd hoped for our friends attended
25:37
everyone had fun and there was plenty of
25:38
pizza i hardly cared that Harper spent
25:41
the entire party sulking in a corner
25:43
amber did catch her attempting to play
25:44
small pink bows on the cupcakes but
25:46
quickly shut that down honor and Amber
25:48
deserve full credit for saving the day
25:50
harper's interest in our baby rapidly
25:51
diminished afterward she stopped wearing
25:53
her nana shirts didn't visit us at the
25:55
hospital when he was born and refused to
25:57
acknowledge he was a boy until meeting
25:58
him weeks later until we went no contact
26:01
she was a grandmother in name only i
26:03
couldn't be more grateful my son will
26:05
never truly know her hey everyone I've
26:07
been away from Reddit for several months
26:09
due to work commitments but many people
26:10
have been messaging me about my
26:11
stepbrother so I wanted to provide a
26:13
brief update i've been busy and
26:15
exhausted lately so I might omit some
26:17
details feel free to ask questions i
26:20
first met with my stepbrother for coffee
26:21
in August he'd had a confrontation with
26:23
Harper where the restraining order came
26:25
up she had lied to him about certain
26:26
details claiming Charlie had been
26:28
tormenting our baby badmouthing Maggie
26:31
and more but this time he managed to
26:33
pressure her into revealing the truth my
26:36
stepbrother began re-evaluating his
26:37
relationship with his mother after
26:39
discussing the situation with his
26:40
therapist and friends as well as
26:42
reflecting on how she raised him he
26:44
finally accepted that I hadn't
26:46
exaggerated about what she did to
26:47
Charlie he wanted to reach out back in
26:49
June but didn't want to distract Maggie
26:51
and me from our wedding over the past
26:53
four months my stepbrother and I have
26:55
been working to rebuild our relationship
26:56
we've been meeting regularly for coffee
26:58
or lunch to discuss his mother and how
27:00
her actions affected our lives and my
27:01
children and that brings us to the
27:03
present this has been a long painful
27:05
journey but through it all Maggie and I
27:07
have grown stronger our family has
27:09
become more united and we've learned
27:10
invaluable lessons about who truly
27:12
matters it's a testament to resilience
27:15
to fighting for what's right and to
27:16
building your own family whether by
27:18
blood or by choice if you found this
27:21
story compelling please hit that like
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button share it with someone who needs
27:24
to hear it and subscribe to Radiator for
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more real life stories of triumph and
27:28
perseverance what are your thoughts on
27:31
the situation let me know in the
27:33
comments below until next time stay safe
27:36
and cherish those who truly stand by