{"id":95185,"date":"2025-01-31T00:46:27","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T17:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/levanews.com\/?p=49820"},"modified":"2025-02-26T11:39:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T04:39:36","slug":"i-got-engaged-to-a-perfect-woman-when-i-met-her-parents-for-the-first-time-i-canceled-the-wedding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/i-got-engaged-to-a-perfect-woman-when-i-met-her-parents-for-the-first-time-i-canceled-the-wedding\/","title":{"rendered":"I Got Engaged to a &lsquo;Perfect&rsquo; Woman \u2013 When I Met Her Parents for the First Time, I Canceled the Wedding"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em>When I met the woman of my dreams, I believed we were perfect for each other. But after meeting her parents, I had serious doubts about our future. It took time, but I finally saw her true nature, and I didn\u2019t like it.\n<p>At 31, I had dated a few women, but everything changed when I met Olivia. She was beautiful and lively, and from the moment we met, I knew I wanted her to be my wife. I learned the hard way that it\u2019s ideal to take time to know someone. Here\u2019s my story.\n</p><p>I met Olivia at a concert, and our relationship blossomed quickly.\u00a0 After just four months of dating, we moved in together. It felt right\u2014everything about us felt right.\u00a0In my eyes, we were the perfect couple, and my friends agreed.\n</p><p>After eight months, I knew she was the one. I planned a proposal at a concert featuring the same band we had seen when we first met. I proposed while the band played our favorite love song, and Olivia said yes without hesitation. I felt like the luckiest man alive. But I should\u2019ve been more cautious.\n</p><p>Since everything happened so quickly, we hadn\u2019t met each other\u2019s families yet. Olivia often spoke highly of her parents, calling them &ldquo;fun and old-school.&rdquo; They were excited about our engagement and wanted to meet me.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-49837 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/473020317_2023438138122798_3378817169908373706_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"992\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>They planned a visit, and Olivia suggested celebrating our engagement at an upscale restaurant. Afterward, she would meet my parents.\n</p><p>When we arrived at the restaurant, my nerves kicked in, but Olivia squeezed my hand and whispered, \u201cRelax, they\u2019ll love you just like I do.\u201d\n</p><p>From the moment her parents arrived, I knew this dinner would be unusual. Her father, Richard, was broad-shouldered with a serious demeanor, barely acknowledging me. Her mother, Diane, wore so much jewelry it dazzled the waiter. She quickly assessed me before turning to Olivia with a tight smile.\n</p><p>\u201cSo, Tommy, right?\u201d Richard started, not waiting for my response. \u201cLet\u2019s talk about your future roles now that you\u2019re marrying our daughter.\u201d\n</p><p>I smiled, thinking he meant family traditions. But he leaned back and said, \u201cOlivia dreams of being a full-time homemaker. You\u2019ll need to cover all the household expenses so she can focus on that.\u201d\n</p><p>I blinked, unsure if I heard correctly.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-49836 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/472999423_1107790480650879_2014231249170310320_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"992\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Diane chuckled, swirling her wine. \u201cAnd a little financial help for us wouldn\u2019t hurt. Just a small monthly amount for your in-laws\u2014a loving son-in-law would do that, right?\u201d\n</p><p>I froze, my smile faltering. \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u2014what?\u201d\n</p><p>Richard nodded as if it were normal. \u201cYou want to marry into the family, right? So, you have to provide. Your wife shouldn\u2019t work. We\u2019ll appreciate a modest pension from you as well.\u201d\n</p><p>I glanced at Olivia, expecting her to laugh it off, but she smiled sweetly. \u201cIt\u2019s no big deal, baby. It\u2019s how we\u2019ve always done things in our family.\u201d\n</p><p>The waiter arrived with drinks, giving me a moment to process. I felt sucker-punched. I remembered small things I ignored\u2014Olivia brushing off serious conversations. Once, she laughed and said, \u201cMy parents always said I\u2019d marry someone who\u2019d take care of me.\u201d I thought it was a joke until now.\n</p><p>As everyone ordered, I sat in shock. I ordered the first thing on the menu, my mind spinning from what I had just heard.\n</p><p>Richard continued, \u201cIt\u2019s not just money. My daughter deserves the lifestyle she\u2019s accustomed to\u2014vacations, fine dining, spa days. You\u2019ll need to buy her apartment from us too. We raised her with high standards.\u201d\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-49835 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/473076776_885138343694095_8417876474419576819_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"992\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>Diane added, \u201cEventually, you\u2019ll need a bigger place for grandchildren. And when we visit, we expect a dedicated bedroom.\u201d\n</p><p>My appetite disappeared. The whole evening felt surreal. I glanced at Olivia again, but she sipped her wine, perfectly comfortable.\n</p><p>I don\u2019t remember much of the rest of the dinner. I smiled occasionally and made comments, but mentally, I wasn\u2019t there.\n</p><p>When the check came, Richard slid it toward me without a word. I paid, my hands trembling. The drive home was silent. Olivia finally asked, \u201cSo? What did you think of them?\u201d\n</p><p>I gripped the steering wheel, ready to address it. \u201cHonestly? I can\u2019t marry you.\u201d\n</p><p>Her head snapped toward me. \u201cWhat? Are you serious?\u201d\n</p><p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t love, Olivia. It\u2019s a business arrangement. Your parents want me as their retirement plan, and you\u2019re okay with that. That\u2019s not the life I want.\u201d\n</p><p>\u201cYou\u2019re overreacting! It\u2019s just how my family works! You said you loved me!\u201d\n</p><p>\u201cI do\u2014or I did. But love doesn\u2019t come with conditions like this.\u201d\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-49834 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/472616140_911394347859693_6310796415783636280_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"992\"' title='\"\"'>\n</p><p>We argued all the way home. Olivia called me selfish, unwilling to compromise. But my mind was made up. Once home, I packed my things. The once lively apartment now felt like a cage.\n</p><p>I moved in with my brother, Nate. A week later, I bumped into Olivia\u2019s friend, who said her parents were angry, not because I broke their daughter\u2019s heart, but because their financial plan fell apart. That confirmed everything.\n</p><p>Olivia texted me, saying I was throwing away something amazing. But I knew better. Love shouldn\u2019t feel like a contract.\n</p><p>Months passed as I rebuilt my life. I joined a hiking group, reconnected with friends, and focused on myself. I learned love is about support, challenge, and growth.\n</p><p>Looking back, walking away was the best decision I ever made. Sometimes, the &ldquo;perfect&rdquo; person is perfect for all the wrong reasons.\n</p><p>And I&rsquo;m fine with that.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"alignnone' size-full wp-image-49833 aligncenter src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/02%5C/472760697_571737232345004_579415313093766262_n.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"992\"' height='\"992\"' title='\"\"'>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>When I met the woman of my dreams, I believed we were perfect for each other. But after meeting her parents, I had serious doubts about our future. It took time, but I finally saw her true nature, and I didn\u2019t like it. At 31, I had dated a few women, but everything changed when &hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[670,1439],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95185"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103528,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95185\/revisions\/103528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></em></strong></p>