Ella had absolutely no intention of getting married. But at nineteen, she found herself pregnant by a fellow student shed been seeing for three years. There really wasnt much of a choiceshe didnt want her baby to grow up without a father.
He was older than Ella, but emotionally stuck at the age of ten: the eternal mummys boy. Still, he didnt exactly run from responsibilityhe assured her hed marry her and raise the child. So, the wedding preparations began.
Ella would have happily just tied the knot at the local registry office, but her relatives insisted on a big shindig. She couldnt understand why she should splash out eye-watering sums of pounds just to keep other people happy, when that money could be spent on everything the baby would need. Of course, her opinions were promptly ignored. Her future mother-in-law and her own sister picked out the restaurant, the dress, and all the invitations. Yes, those two.
When she was summoned to a dress fitting, Ella would have rather poked herself in the eye than go. She imagined being trapped in a frothy meringue of a gown, dripping with rhinestones. Taste was never the strong suit of her sister or her soon-to-be mother-in-law. When Ella resisted, her relatives called her ungrateful and were livid. But she wasnt fussedshe had more pressing worries, like finishing her A-Levels, sitting exams, and getting ready for her baby to arrive.
She showed up at the registry office in a simple white dress that fit like a dream and looked perfectly lovely. Thats where all the drama kicked off.
Nobody on the grooms side had a clue that Ella had decided to keep her maiden name. Her fiancé was fine with ithe wasnt bothered. But his mum achieved a new record for volume, sputtering at the camera, Why on earth wont you take his surname?
Ella just smiled and stepped out of the way. Tomorrow would bring more funa village wedding bash with his extended family. She needed to save her nerves for that. The marriage lasted only a few years. Jack proved himself a thoroughly useless husband and father, spending every weekend glued to his computer, ignoring his family like it was a competitive sport. When Ella finally ran out of patience, she packed her bags and left.
Her mother-in-law was less than thrilled about this turn of events. But our heroine sighed with reliefat last, she felt free and genuinely happy.
