My brothers barred me from their weddings, so I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.

I wasn't invited to any of my siblings weddings so I decided not to invite them to mine I have four older siblings all of whom are married none of them invited me to their weddings because each one chose to have a ceremony without children I thought I might be the exception since I'm their sister but the first one to get married was my older brother Leonardo his wedding was child-free and the others followed his lead when Leonardo got married I was 10 so I understood why I wasn't invited but I was still very upset he

married a woman I liked and I wasn't even there to see it my next brother Fernando got married when I was 12 again I wasn't invited but I still didn't mind much because I was a well- behaved child my sister beatric got married when I was 15 At first she didn't want a child-free wedding but the family convinced her to exclude all kids because it was easier when I asked her to make an exception for me since I was 15 she said no she said it wouldn't be fair to the other children I was upset

and yelled at her that it wasn't fair that I couldn't attend any of my siblings weddings my parents got mad at me and grounded me for 6 months finally my youngest brother Gustavo got married when I was 17 by then I didn't care anymore because I knew it would be another child-free wedding and I'd be excluded and I was right I didn't ask about it and my cousin who had just turned 18 was invited but I wasn't I didn't care so I just sent a short message to congratulate him and ignored everything else my parents

got mad because I didn't congratulate them properly I ignored them and spent all my time in my room with my fiance now that I'm getting married I decided not to invite any of my siblings to my wedding since they didn't invite me to theirs when they realized they weren't invited they started asking questions in the family group chat beatric asked if there was a problem with the mail and Fernando directly asked why he didn't get an invitation I just read the messages and ignored them because I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of a

quick response the next day my mom called as soon as I answered she immediately started asking why I didn't invite my siblings sounding angry like I had done something wrong I took a deep breath and calmly told her they didn't invite me to their weddings so I thought it was fair to return the favor there was silence on the other end of the phone as she tried to understand what I said then she exploded she asked if my fiance had influenced me saying I was always so sweet but now I seemed like a stranger I

almost laughed nervously because says as usual my mom blamed someone else instead of accepting that I might be right I told her it's not about him Mom this is my decision they never made me feel important enough to include me in their most special moments so I don't see why they should be at mine she hung up on me which was typical the next day the messages kept coming Leonardo sent me a dramatic message saying Mariana I know you felt hurt about not being invited to my wedding but you were just a child it wasn't

personal person Al I thought you would have gotten over it by now how could he say that they ignored me during all the important moments of their lives and now they expected me to just get over it I replied it's not about getting over it it's about what's fair if I wasn't important enough to be at their weddings why should they be at mine it seemed fair to me his reply came quickly and it was even more ridiculous he called me a spoiled brat and said that family should always come before resentment now they wanted

to pretend we were a close family but where was that closeness when I was a little girl begging to go to their weddings things got worse when my parents decided to have an intervention they showed up at my house without warning thinking they could change my mind as soon as they started talking it was clear they cared more about what people would think than about me my mom said what will people think of us Mariana what kind of person doesn't invite their own siblings to their wedding she spoke like I had done something terrible I

tried to explain again that this was about all the years of ignoring me but my dad interrupted calling me childish and selfish that's when I lost my patience I said childish and selfish I was a child when I begged to go to their weddings and everyone said I was dramatic now as an adult they want to pretend that never happened I'm sorry but I'm not changing my mind they're not coming to my wedding and if you keep treating me like this neither will you the room went silent my mom looked like she might faint and

my dad turned bright red without saying anything else they left and slammed the door in the weeks that followed they called me spiteful and ungrateful my siblings tried to make me feel guilty saying I was ruining the family beatric even tried to appeal emotionally saying my nephews were excited about the wedding and it would be cruel to leave them out this time I ignored them on my wedding day I felt a huge sense of relief the ceremony was exactly how I wanted it light full of love and surrounded by people who truly cared about me

as I danced with my husband I thought about how for the first time I had control over my life later I found out that my mom had organized a separate dinner for my siblings on the same day as a kind of Silent protest I found it pathetic they could comfort themselves however they wanted but it wouldn't change the fact that for the first time I had stood up for myself and that was liberating after the wedding I thought everything would settle down it felt like a turning point in my life the flowers the music the

food and the people there were perfect also surounded by genuine love I didn't feel the absence of anyone but as always peace didn't last a few days later the comments started first there were indirect remarks in the family group chat beatric was the first saying we saw some pictures of your wedding why did those flowers look so basic I tried to ignore it but it started to irritate me then Fernando added and the venue I don't know it looked more like an impromptu party than a wedding you could have asked us for help didn't he

know I had blocked everyone from my social media how had they seen the photos it turned out they got them through mutual friends which bothered me even more not only had they invaded a moment I had deliberately excluded them from but they were also criticizing something they hadn't even experienced I took a deep breath and forced myself not to respond but it was hard the last straw came when my mom called she didn't waste any time with small talk when I answered the phone my mom immediately started criticizing me Mariana what was that wedding I

saw the pictures and honestly I expected more from you everything looked so simple nothing like your siblings weddings that dress you deserved something more glamorous why didn't you have it in a church your sister had something much nicer that wedding didn't seem worthy of our family for a moment I was speechless not because I agreed but because I was shocked by how rude she was I tried not to explode and when I finally spoke my voice was cold mom the only thing that wasn't worthy here was you you weren't even invited yet you feel entitled

to criticize you saw pictures of something you shouldn't have seen if you didn't like it fine because I didn't plan anything to please you she got angry but didn't back down you're being so selfish Mariana really do you think you can just cut us out of your life that's not normal you you've always been resentful and now you're taking it out on us what did we do to deserve this that was the last straw I couldn't stay calm anymore what did you do let's refresh our memories mom you ignored me during the most important moments

of my life I was never important enough to be at my own siblings Weddings But now you expect me to include you in mine as if nothing happened that's hypocrisy and the most IR onic thing the only thing that could have ruined my wedding was inviting you there was silence on the phone I thought maybe she' finally understood but no she took a deep breath and said with contempt you're ungrateful we did everything for you and this is how you repay us you're abandoning your family for a man who barely just came into your life

you'll regret this I hung up before she could say more I was tired of arguing with someone who would never admit their mistakes but the drama didn't stop there my siblings clearly encouraged by my mom started sending me non-stop messages in the family group chat beatric wrote You've destroyed the family Mariana congratulations on pushing away everyone who ever loved you Fernando as always made a show of it I hope the husband you chose is worth it because you've lost everything for him I read everything silently while my husband watched knowing it hurt me but not

wanting to get involved after a few minutes I left the group chat without replying it wasn't worth it the next days were full of private messages and calls all of which I ignored my mom even showed up at my door unannounced but I didn't let her in mom there's no point you only know how to criticize and belittle me I don't want anym of that in my life she yelled from outside family is forever Mariana you can't just eliminate us because you're hurt I opened the door just enough to reply family should mean support respect

and love not manipulation and constant criticism if that's all you have to offer then yes I can eliminate you from my life and that's exactly what I'm going to do I closed the door while she kept yelling but I didn't pay attention I had already made my decision since then I've cut off all contact with them the few times they tried to reach out it was with more accusations and criticism but I no longer had the patience for it now my life is focused on me and my husband we've built a relationship based on respect

and love everything my family never gave me looking back I know walking away was the best decision I don't miss anything and I don't feel guilty I'm finally at peace living a happy life and knowing I don't owe anything to people who never truly valued me my life is calmer and happier than I ever imagined it could be since I cut off contact with my family I feel like I can finally breathe my husband and I are focused on building a solid life based on love and respect something I never had with my family recently

something very special happened I found out I'm pregnant it was an amazing moment when I saw the positive result tears filled my eyes and my husband hugged me tightly saying we're going to raise this baby with so much love that they'll never want for anything from the start we knew our child would only be surrounded by people who truly cared for them which meant my family had no place in their life however as always news travels fast I'm not sure how they found out maybe through a distant relative or a mutual acquaintance but soon I

started receiving messages the first one was from my mom Mariana I heard you're pregnant I want you to know that despite everything we're your family and it's important for the baby to their grandparents around I didn't reply my husband and I had already decided that they wouldn't have any contact with our child it wasn't because I wanted to be cruel but because I couldn't risk exposing my child to the same toxic Behavior I had endured all my life after my mom's message my siblings started messaging too beatric as usual tried to manipulate me congratulations on

the pregnancy Mariana despite all the fights we're siblings and I I know you'll need support we're here for you and the baby Fernando of course was more direct hold on to your Grudge if you want but at least let us meet our nephew he deserves to know he has a big family I read everything in silence while my husband as always stood by my side he took my hand and said you don't have to reply you don't owe them anything this is our moment and we only need those who truly care about us he was

right the following week my mom showed up at our house unannounced when I opened the door and saw her with an expression that seemed like regret my heart clenched for a moment but I didn't let it affect me before she could say anything I was direct mom don't insist you're not a part of my life and you won't be a part of my child's life either she tried to argue Mariana you can't do this we your family this baby is part of us too I replied firmly I'm not going to let my child go through

what I went through I want them to grow up surrounded by true love without manipulation without criticism without emotional games that's something you and the others never knew how to offer she started to cry but I knew those tears weren't real regret they were because she wasn't getting what she wanted before she could continue I closed the door it was painful but it was necessary since then the messages and attempts at contact have continued continued but they no longer affect me my focus now is on my pregnancy my husband and the baby on the way

we're planning everything with so much love and care and I can't wait to start this new chapter of Our Lives some might say it's selfish to keep my family away from the baby but for me this is about protection I won't allow any toxic influence near my child today I am at peace with my decision I know my child will grow up in a safe and loving home and that's all that matters my family can keep blaming me and saying I'm wrong but I don't care anymore for the first time I have control over my

life and the life I'm about to bring into the world and that is freeing