My neighbor called with the sad news that I didn’t know that this call would change my life.

I don’t even know where to start: with the fact that my beloved aunt died; with the fact that I had an unexpected inheritance; or with the fact that my boyfriend and I did not have time to get married, and I am already thinking about what the divorce will be. Why are we getting married? If I understand now, I can no longer trust this man. And my aunt's death demonstrated that, sadly, at the most critical moment.



I used to think marriage was a symbolism, almost a thing of the past. Most of my friends live in a so-called civil marriage, although it would be more accurate to call it cohabitation. Nothing! They have been living for 10 years, and those who separated at least did so without unnecessary litigation. But when Dima asked me to marry him, I thought, why not? I always wanted to fulfill my childhood dream and walk around in a snow-white dress like a princess. Well, I guess the dream isn't gonna come true.

Why do we marry people who don't deserve it? I turned 33 this spring, though I don't look like it. Girlfriends and classmates have long jumped out of marriage, many have already children in school. I don't feel like it. A serious relationship, of course, was, but the further they went, the more I realized that it was not mine. Why are we getting married? I always thought I had to get married to start a family, and I wasn’t ready for that either morally or financially.

I have no other relatives (except my late aunt) but I have made fun of them. And they called me a careerist, and they warned me that I would be an old-born woman, and that there would be no one to serve a glass of water in old age. Only my mother’s sister accepted my choice. She herself was married once, and, according to her, she did not like it – much did not get along with her mother-in-law.



Unsplash And then a miracle happened. That's what I thought the first six months after I met Dmitri. Not a man is a dream! A promising young specialist, well-groomed, humorous, two years younger than me. And his intentions were the most serious - in 4 months he called to marry. Of course, that made me melt. It was dinner in an expensive restaurant, a bunch of people around, he's on one knee, I'm wearing an evening dress. Anyway, how can I disagree?

They started planning the wedding. We decided to arrange a modest holiday for close friends and relatives - the time is now wartime, and we do not have much money. They set a date and already started sending out invitations, when suddenly I get a call from the city phone to my mobile. It's my aunt's old roommate who called me to report that my aunt passed away last night. I'm the closest relative. Then I had no time for the wedding.



You know, Tatiana Lavrentievna has largely replaced my mother. I was aware of her poor health, but I didn’t expect her to leave this world so soon. I've never felt so lonely before. Only Dima was there, comforting as much as he could, helping to arrange the funeral.

After the funeral, during the general cleaning of the aunt’s apartment, a will was found. It turns out that everything she had (a flat and savings) she bequeathed to me, although one of her cousins claimed an inheritance and even negotiated something with her. I didn't count on a will. Especially for the money my aunt saved.



Unsplash has since been replaced. On the first day, as he learned about it, he resumed preparations for the wedding and was in seventh heaven with happiness. I thought to myself that it is not very beautiful to be happy that such a good person has passed away. I wanted to wait at least six months, but Dmitry did not understand me. He looked at me with rounded eyes and said convincingly: Why wait? We live once!

He even invited everyone he knew to the wedding. Former classmates, friends, almost people from kindergarten. This is how he decided to use the money I inherited: to play the biggest wedding in town, so everyone would know. And Auntie's apartment to sell, add what's left after the wedding, and build us a house for two.



Unsplash How we started fighting! I didn't want to sell my aunt's apartment. And it's better than the one we're shooting right now. A 200-person wedding was not part of my plan. Why are we getting married? You know what the atmosphere is like now. There’s a lot to spend except on cakes and other treats for dear guests. This is all wrong.

We quarreled so much that I decided to move out and live in the same apartment for a while until Dmitry and I came to some rational conclusion. But then my mother-in-law decided to wedge in. She came to visit me, and she is already trying to put pressure on me by thinking about what money is and what it is for. I was very offended by her attitude to other people's wealth, how easily she manages them. And her last argument seems to have put an end to our relationship with Dima.



Judge for yourself: Dima is young, economical, he will still earn money. You're in your fourth decade. What will you do if he leaves you?

Immediately after that sentence, my mother-in-law stood outside the door for five minutes. I regret telling my fiancé about the money. What kind of fiancé is he? Why are we getting married? It was as if my head was spinning, I did not see that he was so miserable for money. And now I have no trust in this man or his family. Now I'm trying to put my thoughts together and figure out how to quietly break up. If I am destined to marry, it is certainly not to such a tactless and greedy man.



What worries me the most is that I am now afraid of being alone. My mother-in-law’s words about being too old for marriage hurt me a lot. What if she's right?