I Caused Yelling & Crying at My Boyfriend’s Mom’s Birthday Because She Kept Calling Me by the Wrong Name

I was irritated by my boyfriend’s mother’s persistent use of his ex’s name even after their breakup, but I kept it to myself until a family get-together provided the ideal occasion to bring it up. I should warn you that what I did could have caused our relationship to end.

Hi everyone! I’m Leylah, and I’ve been in a happy relationship with my boyfriend, Todd, for five amazing years. Since his breakup with his high school girlfriend, our relationship has been going strong, and he’s truly a great guy.

Emma and Todd had been together since their younger years, and their bond was so strong that she was seen as part of his family. When they broke up two years before Todd and I began dating, he didn’t face the hardship alone, as his family was there to support him.

Todd’s mother, Tammy, grew very close to Laura, even seeing her as a daughter. She likely thought they would be together forever, maybe even hoping they’d eventually marry and start a family.

In the beginning, Tammy mostly called me by my name, but sometimes she slipped and used Laura’s name. I chose not to make a fuss about it, wanting to fit in and be accepted, so I let it slide for a while.

I understood how Tammy felt, so I wanted to give her time to grieve the relationship she had envisioned for her son. I knew it was difficult for her to let go of what she had hoped for.

I thought that was just a habit she would grow out of.

After several years into our relationship, Tammy started calling me by Todd’s ex-wife’s name, Laura, instead of my actual name, Leylah. Todd corrected her multiple times when she used the wrong name, but she continued.

A few weeks before Tammy’s 60th birthday, she gathered the family and asked everyone to bring food for her celebration. Todd and I, along with his two sisters and brother-in-law, were also invited to the event.

One of the siblings mentioned my cooking to Tammy, her girls, and the BIL one day when we were in the kitchen together. “My husband says you make mean meals and desserts, too,” the eldest sister remarked.

Blushing, I playfully said, “I cook a little here and there, but I think Todd praises my skills because he’s a bit biased.” Upon hearing this, Tammy turned to me and loudly exclaimed,

“Why don’t we let Laura make the birthday cake this year?”

The mention of their brother’s ex-wife’s name being used for me made Todd’s sisters stifle giggles, though they tried to hide it. I chose to ignore the slight and pretended to be enthusiastic, saying, “That’s a fantastic idea!” But in reality, I had a lesson in mind for Tammy and didn’t even tell Todd about it.

The mood was electrifying with anticipation for the dessert finale as the birthday party went on. It was evident that everyone was excited, and after the savory feast, they were all in the mood for something sweet. I grabbed the chance as soon as the birthday cake topic came up.

So on her birthday, there was screaming and yelling because I said, “Ah, the birthday cake!” with a false sense of surprise when asked if I had made the dessert. Acting perplexed, I continued:

I couldn’t have been more excited to try Laura’s renowned baked goods. Did she not deliver the cake?

The room was filled with confusion, resembling an unexpected storm. The mother of my boyfriend screamed, “What do you mean, Laura? Her face was a mask of astonishment. Leylah, you were meant to prepare the cake!”

In the midst of all the feelings, my partner choked back a nervous laugh and said, “Mom, I think there’s been a bit of a mix-up.” Perhaps Laura was caught in heavy traffic.

His attempt to defuse the situation just made things worse.

Ever the diplomat, Todd’s younger sister attempted to diffuse the conflict. “Well, how about we all simply have some freezer ice cream? There’s always going to be a way, right?

However, Tammy refused to accept it. With a mix of annoyance and shock, she raised her voice and said, “This is unbelievable! Without cake, a birthday would be like a summer without sunshine! “How could you, Leylah?”

I remained firm and composed while speaking. “I believed that ‘Laura’ was in charge of the cake. That’s the person you’ve been looking forward to seeing today, after all.”

A startled stillness descended upon the room, the tension palpably palpable.

Todd and I were then ejected following additional screaming and some tears! Upon our departure, escorted by Tammy, the uncle of my lover who had been silently witnessing the events, broke the tension with a boisterous chuckle.

“I guess we’ll simply have to refer to this as Laura’s birthday that she forgot! Let’s not allow an excellent gathering to be ruined by a cake—or lack thereof.”

The room began to seem lighter and more cheerful as the laughter that followed was initially forced due to how ridiculous the scenario was. Even though Todd’s mother was clearly furious, she managed a faint smile, maybe realizing at last that there was some humor in the situation—or at least that it was pointless to harbor resentment.

Todd hasn’t spoken to me since because he is so furious with me! I fear that I may have overreached myself and that our relationship is doomed. We drove home together, both of us replaying the night’s unexpected turn of events in silence and reflection.

As we drove home, my boyfriend turned to me and said, “You definitely made this a birthday to remember,” one of the last things he said that night.

Reflecting on the event, I realized that while my actions may have stirred some drama, I still don’t believe I did anything wrong! What do you think, dear reader? If the family of the man you love had treated you disrespectfully, how would you have reacted?

That story was nothing compared to the one that follows if it didn’t surprise and shock you:

The family of our leading lady’s ex-boyfriend—who is now her husband—was something out of a drama series. Our hero was disliked by the mother-in-law (MIL) and her go-to friends, the sister-in-law (SIL) and brother-in-law (BIL). Why did they do it? Unlike them, she didn’t swim in cash.

Even though everyone else was praising her, this family wanted to turn her life into a contemporary version of Cinderella—minus the magical godmother, of course.

As the drama plays out, the family makes up false online personas in order to propagate hurtful rumors about her! They pretended to be innocent when questioned. Talk about a low blow: things became so bad that the BIL tried to pay her to leave his brother!

When the pair got engaged, the mother-in-law staged an award-winning prank by pretending to have a heart attack in an attempt to break them up! She and her group of villains decided not to attend the wedding after that failed. However, they didn’t end there!

They orchestrated a scenario like out of a horror film, hiring goons to paint the bride’s clothing scarlet so that everyone would gasp in shock and mistake it for blood!

Here’s where our heroine really shines, though—she showed that love always wins by not letting this fiasco mar her special day! Thanks to yet another evil act by the groom’s family, the wedding went well, despite a brief police raid.

Following the wedding, the community came together in support of our couple, proving to the MIL and her henchmen that karma exists! The groom’s family faced the music despite their protestations and warped enjoyment in their conduct. The groom was fired from the family business by the FIL, who also got involved in the drama, but the groom’s uncles, who were sympathetic, saved the day.

And when you believed it was finished, the groom’s relatives attempted one final act of disloyalty to spoil the honeymoon! Warning: they failed horribly. Our couple had a wonderful honeymoon away from the poisonous environment.

In the end, love and tenacity triumphed, demonstrating that genuine kindness and courage cannot be eclipsed by cunning. What a wild ride, don’t you think? Who’s up for this epic love story to be made into a movie now?