The $21,000 gift from my mother was also conditional on my parents being part of the wedding. Once they were pushed aside, the money was recalled before it could be used.
When Rafael arrived in Portugal, the venue was locked and there were no rooms waiting for his family. The engagement eventually ended after both families saw how badly my parents had been treated.
Later, I brought my parents back to Portugal, where my father was welcomed as family. They had been treated as if they did not matter, but the truth was simple: my father was not the reason the wedding failed—he was the reason it had ever been possible.
