\u201cI can\u2019t believe you would do this here, mother! This can\u2019t be true!\u201d Fred yelled at his mother, Valerie, after she revealed something terrible about her past. \u201cHow do I tell Alice about this? This is our wedding! You\u2019ve ruined it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFred, I had to tell you before it was too late. Can you imagine if you had discovered this after or when you had children? That would have been a catastrophe!\u201d Valerie snapped at her son, who refused to see reason. She was doing the right thing for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is going on? I heard you guys yelling from the bridal room,\u201d Alice asked, appearing suddenly. The bridal room was just the basement of the church they had rented for their wedding. Valerie had pulled Fred towards a more private area to tell him the truth and avoid alerting the guests of anything amiss. But she never expected Alice to hear them arguing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, Alice, dear. I\u2019m so sorry to tell you this, but\u2026.\u201d Valerie began. After hearing the terrible news, the bride broke down in tears and collapsed in a heap on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two hours earlier\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Valerie arrived at St. John\u2019s Roman Catholic Church in Newark, New Jersey, for her son\u2019s wedding. It was only a few hours until the ceremony, but as the groom\u2019s mother, she didn\u2019t have a huge role except walking him down the aisle. Regardless, she hoped to check on her future daughter-in-law, Alice, in her wedding dress before they tied the knot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fred and his groomsmen were in the chapel, while some of Alice\u2019s bridesmaids were arranging a few things around the spacious area. Everything was going well as guests started to arrive. Valerie checked on Alice in the bridal room for a few minutes then came out to greet guests with her son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fred and Alice met during their freshman year in college in New York City, but Alice was originally from Seattle, Washington. Meanwhile, Fred\u2019s family was from New Jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When they got engaged, they traveled to meet each other\u2019s parents. However, Valerie and her husband, Walter, had yet to meet Alice\u2019s father and mother. Fred promised to introduce them as soon as they arrived at the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, Fred spotted them walking towards the church. \u201cMom, Dad, come here, Alice\u2019s parents have arrived,\u201d he said. Valerie smiled, reaching the entrance with Walter in tow. They saw Fred hugging a couple around the same age as his parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. and Mrs. Miller, these are my parents, Valerie and Walter,\u201d Fred announced, and they all shook hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease call me Felix, and my wife Melinda. We are family now, after all,\u201d Alice\u2019s father insisted with a smile. But Valerie frowned at the man. She recognized that voice from somewhere, but she couldn\u2019t put her finger on it. Alice\u2019s parents continued into the church and greeted other guests while she stood there thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Valerie? You became quiet after meeting Felix and Melinda,\u201d Walter asked, concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, honey. It\u2019s just\u2026 I feel like I\u2019ve met Alice\u2019s dad before, but I don\u2019t know where,\u201d Valerie replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, let\u2019s think. How about college? Although I remember Alice telling us that her entire family is from Seattle, and they all went to Washington State University,\u201d Walter commented. \u201cWhere else could you have met him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As soon as her husband mentioned Washington State University, Valerie remembered everything. \u201cOh, Walter. This is a disaster,\u201d she whispered painfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat? What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou remember years ago when we broke up and decided to see other people? I told you about the one-night-stand I had during that time,\u201d Valerie began. \u201cIt\u2019s him. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s him. His face has aged, but I\u2019ll never forget his voice or how he said he was visiting New Jersey for a football game. He was wearing a Washington State hoodie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you sure? That could\u2019ve been a million other people. Valerie, this is a big deal!\u201d Walter exclaimed as quietly as he could, although he was agitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s him. I\u2019m a hundred percent sure! I can\u2019t believe this!\u201d Valerie insisted, and tears welled up in her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, what\u2019s going on? Are you crying? The wedding will start in a few minutes. What\u2019s the problem?\u201d Fred questioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSon, come with me right now!\u201d Valerie said, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the back of the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom, please. You\u2019re not going to make a scene at my wedding like the crazy mothers on reality television, right?\u201d Fred added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, son. But what\u2019s happening could certainly make for one of those shows,\u201d Valerie started and tried to contain her emotions to keep going. \u201cI recognized Alice\u2019s dad as soon as I heard his voice. But I couldn\u2019t pinpoint him until your father said something. Now I know. And I\u2019m sorry I never told you, sweetie. But you\u2019re not your father\u2019s biological son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe broke up for a few months before we got married, and I had a one-night-stand with another college boy. When Walter and I made up, I discovered I was pregnant. I told your father the truth immediately. But he still decided to marry me and raise you as his own,\u201d Valerie blubbered. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Fred. But you and Alice are half-siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back to Alice\u2019s collapse\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlice! Are you alright? Please, baby. I\u2026 I\u2019m sure this is not true. We\u2019ll find a solution,\u201d Fred conveyed as he patted her cheeks, trying to get her to react. Luckily, Alice\u2019s eyes opened quickly. She looked at Fred sadly and stood up slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have to cancel this wedding. I\u2019m sorry, honey. But this\u2026 this is not something anyone can overcome,\u201d she said reasonably, although tears were still running down her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alice called a few of her bridesmaids, told them the story, and asked them to tell the guests that the wedding was canceled. However, they were not to reveal why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone at the church was shocked and gossiped about what had happened. But Valerie helped the bridesmaids apologize to the guests and escorted everyone out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Felix and Melinda were outraged until Valerie and Walter told them the truth, and Felix couldn\u2019t believe it. \u201cThat can\u2019t be true. I\u2026 I barely remember that trip. I\u2019m sorry. But this is such a cruel coincidence. Did you ever take a DNA test?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, but Fred doesn\u2019t look like Walter at all. Besides, we never wanted to confirm. For us, it was better to be in the dark. But after seeing you and realizing who you were, I couldn\u2019t let it go on, even knowing that I was destroying my son\u2019s happiness,\u201d Valerie justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNothing is for certain until you get that test. Let\u2019s do it, just in case, and the kids can decide what to do with their lives,\u201d Melinda proposed. \u201cAt the very least, they will have official confirmation and can move on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They all agreed on it, and a few days later, DNA tests confirmed that Fred was \u2013 in fact \u2013 Walter\u2019s biological son. Everyone celebrated the news, but Valerie felt silly. \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have said anything. I ruined your wedding for nothing. I was sure Fred didn\u2019t belong to Walter,\u201d Valerie apologized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, Valerie. You did the right thing!\u201d Alice insisted. \u201cWhat if it was true and we discovered that after having kids? What if it affected our children\u2019s health? It\u2019s better not to take that chance. And now that we have confirmation, Fred and I can move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fred looked at Alice and smiled, relieved that she was not his sister. \u201cYeah, and you know what? Our next wedding is going to be small. Or we might elope,\u201d Fred added humorously. Valerie frowned playfully at her son, and the rest of the family hugged each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walter was crying because they finally had confirmation about Fred\u2019s parentage, although the older man never treated him as anything less. \u201cThis means that you were pregnant when we broke up,\u201d Walter whispered to Valerie secretly while everyone else celebrated the news. She smiled happily at her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, Fred and Alice got married, but they took their parents and a few close friends on a fantastic trip to Las Vegas instead of renting a big church again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI can\u2019t believe you would do this here, mother! This can\u2019t be true!\u201d Fred yelled at his mother, Valerie, after she revealed something terrible about her past. \u201cHow do I tell Alice…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n