Ethan and Sloane have been together for three years, and despite this, Sloane’s father simply cannot accept him. But during family dinner, Ethan is ready to propose to her… except Sloane’s father takes out his laptop, ready to reveal incriminating photos of Ethan. What will happen next?
Ever since I met Sloane’s father, Adam, I knew he didn’t think I was good enough for his daughter. He never said it directly, but his actions were always much louder than words.
From the first time I shook his hand, the man had found ways to undermine me, sneering at my job, casting doubt on my background, even questioning my family’s values.
A frowning man | Source: Midjourney
“Are you sure your family doesn’t drink? Like your father? Your mother?” he said. “I need to know all of that before allowing my daughter to get involved with your family.”
And he would usually ask questions like this while he was pouring a whiskey for himself.
It was as if he was always searching for some flaw to confirm I wasn’t worthy of Sloane.
But Sloane? That young woman was my entire world, and I was determined not to let Adam come between us.
A smiling young woman | Source: Midjourney
Despite his constant digs, I did my best to brush it off. I thought that maybe, over time, he’d come around. Maybe if he saw how happy Sloane and I were, he’d ease up and realize I wasn’t the villain he’d built up in his head.
“He’ll come around, Ethan,” Sloane said one day when we were at my apartment making lunch. “He’s just always been like this. When Liza got engaged, he did the same thing. But it was a lot worse because, you know, she was pregnant before the wedding.”
A woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
As horrible as it was, I was glad that I wasn’t the only one having gone through Adam’s hazing routines.
The worst part was that over the years, I’d gotten to know the rest of the family, and they liked me well enough. But Adam? Three years later, and I was nothing but a “good-for-nothing blue-collar electrician.”
“He needs to respect me, Sloane,” I said, tossing the salad. “But I don’t think it’s coming anytime soon.”
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
Last weekend was just the cherry on the cake for good old Adam.
I had it all planned out. We were having dinner at Sloane’s parents’ house, and I was going to propose. It was the usual once-a-month family dinner that I always loved and dreaded.
Sloane’s mom, Alison, made the best food, but that also meant that I’d have to worry about Adam and his antics for an entire evening. I’d been saving for months, and I finally had the perfect ring.
A table full of food | Source: Midjourney
That night felt like the right time. Intimate, with her family gathered around us. I had the ring in my pocket, nerves building up inside me, but I was excited.
I couldn’t wait to make Sloane my fiancée.
But then Adam threw a wrench in everything.
A man’s hand in his pocket | Source: Midjourney
Throughout dinner, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat, in a way that made my stomach churn. He’d shoot me these looks, smug and knowing, like he was savoring some deep secret he couldn’t wait to share.
It wasn’t long before I figured out what he had in mind. But before that, he had to humiliate me first.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
“Ethan, the lightbulb in the bathroom seems to be on its way out. Do you think you can sort it out? It’s important. You don’t have to worry about having dessert. Do that first.”
“Adam, stop it. Honey, you just sit down and enjoy dinner,” Alison said.
We continued to eat, and Sloane told her parents all about work and the camping trip we were planning. It was at that moment, seeing her face light up while talking about us, that’s when I knew.
A lightbulb in a bathroom | Source: Midjourney
Just as I was about to pull the ring out of my pocket, Adam stood up, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Before this night gets away from us,” he said, his voice slick with satisfaction. “There’s something I think we all need to see.”
Sloane frowned as she dropped her fork onto her plate again. I froze, my hand still in my pocket, wondering what the hell he was up to now.
A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney
Then, Adam pulled out a laptop, set it on the table, and turned the screen toward Sloane and me.
“Just a few days ago,” Adam began, “your precious Ethan here was caught getting cozy with another woman. These pictures don’t lie, honey. You need to see the truth.”
I stared at the screen, my heart pounding. I had nothing to worry about because I had never been unfaithful to Sloane, but as the image loaded, I just felt anxious.
A laptop on a table | Source: Midjourney
There I was, sitting with a woman in what looked like an intimate setting.
I didn’t even need to explain anything; I knew exactly what Adam was showing Sloane. And Sloane knew it too.
“Shocked, aren’t we?” Adam said.
“Dad, I don’t know what your problem is, but this is ridiculous!” Sloane shouted, her voice breaking through the silence.
Siblings sitting at a restaurant together | Source: Midjourney
Everyone’s heads swiveled toward her, confused. Adam blinked, taken aback by her outburst.
“Sweetheart, you don’t understand! I’m trying to save you from a dead relationship!”
“Excuse me?” I exclaimed.
I was stunned.
A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney
Before saying anything else, I took out the ring and placed it on the table.
“I was going to propose to Sloane tonight,” I said. “But after this? Is there any point?”
I pushed back the chair and I left their home. I didn’t want to leave Sloane yet, but I also didn’t want to deal with Adam. So, I walked to the diner that was not far from their home. I decided I would wait for her there.
An upset man | Source: Midjourney
Sitting down at a booth, I texted her.
I’m at the diner. I’ll get you when you’re ready to leave. x
And while I was at the diner, this is what I missed:
“Dad, that’s Rachel, Ethan’s sister! I told you. I told you and Mom about it last week. We all met for lunch together. If your photographer was there about five minutes later, I’d be in those photos too.”
An upset man sitting in a diner | Source: Midjourney
“I… I thought,” Adam stammered.
“You thought what?” Sloane snapped, her voice thick with emotion. “That you could sabotage my relationship? That you could make me think the man I loved was cheating on me? We’ve been together for three years! And you still can’t be happy for me?”
Sloane’s mom, who’d been quietly watching the whole scene unfold, finally spoke up.
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
“Adam, is this true? Did you really do this?” she asked.
“I just wanted to protect her,” he muttered, but even he didn’t seem convinced by his own excuse.
“Protect me from what? From being happy? From being with someone who loves me more than anything? You’ve done nothing but try to tear us apart, and for what? Because you think he’s not good enough for me?”
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
While that was going on, I was sitting in the diner drinking a cup of terrible coffee, wondering whether Sloane would tell them off.
My mind kept racing. Even if Sloane and I managed to get past this, would we ever really escape Adam’s interference? I needed time to think, to clear my mind.
But then, about thirty minutes later, the diner door swung open, and I saw Adam storm in, his face flushed. With all honesty, I expected him to gloat, to rub salt in all my wounds.
A cup of coffee on a table | Source: Midjourney
Instead, he did something I never saw coming.
He dropped to one knee in front of me.
“I’m sorry,” Adam said, his voice trembling. “I was wrong. I let my biases cloud my judgment, and I’ve been trying to ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to my daughter.”
I just stared at him.
A close up of a man | Source: Midjourney
“Sloane explained everything to me. She’s furious,” he continued, his eyes filled with a mix of guilt and shame. “She told me that I had two choices. I could apologize and accept you, or lose her. I can’t lose my daughter, so here I am. Asking for your forgiveness.”
He pulled out my ring box and held it out to me.
“I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m asking for another chance. Please, don’t walk away from her. Propose to her. She’s waiting for you.”
A ring box on a table | Source: Midjourney
For a moment, I didn’t move. I wasn’t sure how to respond. After everything he’d put me through, part of me wanted to walk away, to tell him that I didn’t need his approval.
But Sloane’s face flashed in my mind, the way she had stood up to him, the way she had defended me.
“Get up,” I said quietly. “I forgive you.”
Without another word, I walked past him, slipping the box back into my pocket. I was ready to get back to the woman I loved, knowing that this time, no one was going to stand in our way.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
Customer Tipped Me $100 Every Sunday — When I Found Out Who He Was, I Broke Down in Tears
Jess, a waitress at a diner, is used to having her regular customers. But lately, there’s been a new one: a man who leaves her a $100 tip every Sunday without fail. Things escalate when Jess posts a photo of the man online, thanking him for his generosity… only for her entire world to change in an instant.
I’ve worked at Denny’s for two years now, and, like any small diner, we’ve got our regulars. You get used to them, and they become a welcomed part of your day.
A smiling waitress | Source: Midjourney
I have the retired couple who always split a stack of strawberry pancakes, the group of teens who come in after their Sunday soccer games, the mom and toddler who eat chicken and waffles every Wednesday, and the hipster guy who orders the same omelet every Thursday.
But out of everyone, there was one customer who stood out the most.
He wasn’t flashy or loud. In fact, I don’t think he ever said more than ten words to me. It was just his order and “Have a good day,” when he left. But every Sunday morning, right when we opened, he’d walk in.
An elderly couple sitting in a booth at a diner | Source: Midjourney
He was an older man, always wearing a worn-out plaid shirt, his face lined with age, but his eyes were sharp, like he was looking through you, not at you.
Read the full story here.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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