My cousin ruined my engagement party, so I ruined her pregnancy

Rivalry, Sabotage, and the First Lie

My cousin wore a wedding dress to my engagement party, announced her pregnancy at my wedding, scammed everyone with a baby registry, and now she’s mad that I’m exposing her. I still remember the moment Pedro proposed to me.

We were surrounded by family and friends at my favorite restaurant, and a band started playing when I said yes.

It was perfect, except for the fact there was one thing missing: my cousin Daniela. We’ve always been extremely close, so her not being there broke my heart.

I had no idea why she wasn’t here, and I tried so hard to not think about it, but I just couldn’t ignore it.

And that’s something I still regret to this day because I called Daniela the next morning, and she told me, “I don’t want you to marry him. You can do a lot better.”

Wait, what? Then there was beeping on the other end. I drove over to her house after work that day, demanding that we talk.

When she opened the door, she gave me a big hug and started speaking in a fake high-pitched voice. “Ah, Bonita, so good to see you.”

I tensed up while her arms wrapped around me. After we walked inside, I asked her what the call was about.

She just laughed. “That was just a joke, Amore. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have I taught you nothing?”

As I looked into her widened eyes, I swore I could see some sort of envy or even hatred, but I brushed it off. I told myself she was family, and family is always happy for each other, right?

But then she began insisting that we start planning the engagement party. She ended up planning the whole thing by herself in front of me, which I thought was kind of odd.

Because it seemed like a good plan, I ran with it. Fast forward to the day of the engagement party.

I was getting ready with my mom when she handed me the dress that Daniela had picked out. I expected a white or beige color, but instead it was light green.

I wasn’t even suspicious, just grateful because Daniela had always insisted green was my color.

Plus, I still felt pretty. When Pedro picked us up, I felt like a princess because he got out of the car, twirled me around, and called me Deina so many times.

By the time we arrived, my face was still red from how much I was blushing. Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived because when I saw Daniela, a wave of nausea hit me.

It wasn’t that she looked ugly. Quite the opposite, actually. She looked beautiful in her white ball gown style dress.

Luckily, I didn’t have to say anything because Pedro instantly pulled her aside and politely asked her why she had chosen this attire.

“I just love the color white.” I knew my husband was about to say something he’d regret, so I swooped in.

“Hey Daniela, I feel pretty upstaged right now.” “Good, because my boyfriend was coming close to proposing, but now your little show scared him away.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. I took a deep breath.

I still want you to come to my wedding, but I would appreciate it if you made sure to not make me feel like this again. After all, it is my day.

She just scoffed and gave me the silent treatment.

I didn’t see Daniela again, but she had texted me a very long apology. I had never even heard her say sorry before, so this meant a lot to me.

I knew I made the right decision to invite her to my wedding. The months leading up to it were bliss.

Pedro insisted on planning most of it. Since it was my day, I was too scared to even talk about how amazing he was because I didn’t want my friends to be jealous.

When the day came, I realized I had been worrying about the wrong people. Daniela was one of the first people to arrive, and she was, thank goodness, wearing a light pink.

At the wedding reception, after I finished my speech, I agreed to let her make a toast. “I know she’s the kind of person to make someone’s life magic one day,” she said.

I was confused, but as she continued speaking, I noticed a bump on her belly. That’s when I realized she wasn’t talking about me and my husband.

Panic washed over me, but before I could do anything, her hand reached out for an envelope on the table, and she showed us a photo. “I’m pregnant, everyone!”

The photo was an ultrasound.

The crowd gasped. I felt tears sting my eyes. Couldn’t she have waited a day?

My husband held my hand super tight and whispered, “Ignore her, Mia Moore.” “Nothing changes the fact that today is about us.”

But not even the butterflies could distract me from my anger. Everyone rushed towards her, congratulating her, but something about it seemed off.

So off, I decided to pay very close attention to her for the entire day. Then an hour later, I caught her downing a bottle of champagne when she thought no one was looking.

At that moment, I knew she was faking it. I could have exposed her, but instead, I just smiled and talked about her baby’s future with her.

Not because I wasn’t mad; I was. Not because I wasn’t upset; I absolutely was.

I knew the best way to play her game was to act nonchalant. But inside me, a storm was brewing and she was going to suffer.

One Sunday morning, Pedro and I were enjoying breakfast when my phone pinged with another group chat notification. Daniela had sent a sonogram image with the caption, “Baby’s first profile pick.

Can you see how they have my nose?” The image looked suspiciously generic, like something you’d find on Google.

Pedro noticed my expression and put down his coffee. “You still think she’s faking it, don’t you?”

I nodded. “I caught her drinking champagne at our wedding.”

“And have you noticed her bump sometimes looks bigger and sometimes smaller? That’s not how pregnancy works.”

We were interrupted by a knock at the door. Pedro went to answer it.

Guess who was standing there? Daniela with a shopping bag wearing a tight dress with what looked like a perfectly round pillow stuffed underneath.

“Surprise,” she squealled, barging past. “I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to show you what I bought for the baby.”

I forced a smile while she emptied the bag, showing off tiny onesies and booties. The whole time I was watching how her bump shifted unnaturally when she moved.

No real pregnant belly moves like that. “How far along are you now?” I asked innocently.

She hesitated for a split second. “Almost 5 months.”

I remembered her announcement at our wedding was about 6 weeks ago.

The math didn’t add up, but I kept my mouth shut. After she left, Pedro looked at me seriously.

“That was weird, right? I’m not just imagining it.” “Super weird,” I confirmed.

“And where’s this boyfriend? She mentioned the one who was supposedly about to propose. She never brings him around.”

Pedro suggested we just keep our distance, but Daniela made that impossible. She started showing up at my workplace for lunch because pregnant ladies need company.

My co-workers thought it was sweet, but I was getting more frustrated by the day.