Instead of joyfully planning weddings together, my two engaged daughters were always bickering. But when I discovered my youngest daughter’s  wedding dress destroyed and my stepdaughter standing over it in tears, I realized I’d completely misread the signs of what was really happening in our home.

I’m a mother of two: my biological daughter Hannah (22) and my stepdaughter Christine (23). They grew up together after my husband passed away years ago, and I’ve always tried my best to hold our blended family together. Last year, both girls still lived at home with me — well, mostly. They spent a good amount of time at their fiancés’ places. Our house should have been buzzing with the excitement of two upcoming weddings. Instead, the atmosphere grew heavy every time Hannah scrolled through wedding ideas on her phone while Christine sat across from her, barely hiding her annoyance behind a forced smile.

“Look at these centerpieces, Mom!” Hannah held up her phone one evening, her blue eyes sparkling. “Aren’t they gorgeous? They’re doing this thing with floating candles and flower petals. John says it might be over budget, but I think we can make it work if we DIY some of the arrangements.”

Christine grabbed her glass and headed to the kitchen. “I need a refill. Because apparently, we need to hear about every single wedding detail every single night.” “Christine,” I warned. “What?” She spun around. “I’m just saying, some of us are trying to eat dinner without a Pinterest board shoved in our faces.” This was typical of Christine. She’d always turned everything into a competition with Hannah, from their grades to hobbies and even the attention I gave them after their father died. Hannah never played along, which only seemed to frustrate Christine more.

“Christine, honey,” I called after her. “Don’t you want to show us your wedding ideas too? You mentioned that vintage theme last week.” “What’s the point?” She leaned against the kitchen door frame. “It’s not like I can get the venue I want anyway. Every decent place is booked through next summer.” “There are other beautiful venues,” Hannah offered softly. “I could help you look—”

“Of course you could,” Christine cut in. “Because you’re just better than me at Googling. I sighed. They continued bickering until I intervened. Little did I know this was only the beginning of an implosion for our family. A few days later, Hannah bounced into the living room, practically glowing. “John and I set a date!” Christine froze with the TV remote in the air. “What?” “Late January!” Hannah twirled around the room. “The Winter Garden had a cancellation, and everything just fell into place perfectly. The coordinator said we got so lucky!” I watched Christine’s face fall. She’d been engaged to Eric for eight months but struggled to secure a venue. I also suspected that  ric hoped to have a longer engagement before their wedding. Meanwhile, Hannah had only been engaged for two months and was well on her way to getting married first. John, too, seemed pleased to move forward with their plans.