My Ivy League Daughter-in-law Forced Us To Give A 10-minute Speech In French To Humiliate Us. She Thought We Were Uneducated Dropouts. Wait Until She Finds Out My Husband Is Actually A Ceo. Am I The Jerk?

A Cruel Whisper on a Wedding Day

The French spoken by the elderly individuals who never completed high school is impeccable when utilized for entertainment. As I was on the verge of passing Aubrey, my eldest son’s wife, she discreetly shared a remark with us, ensuring that only we could hear.

The smirk on her face mocking us seemed inappropriate for a bride on her wedding day. It turned out that the surprise speech we were asked to give for Tyler, our eldest son, was a trap set by Aubrey to embarrass us.

Aubrey consistently looked down on us for having only completed middle school and seized every opportunity to insult us. Being a proud Ivy League graduate, she often made remarks like, “For someone who is a high school dropout…”

When she suggested our participation in the wedding the day before, she might have intended to make a joke out of us in front of her relatives. Perhaps she believed that high school dropouts wouldn’t be able to deliver a proper speech in French. Despite her expectations, a feeble attempt at showcasing broken and incomprehensible French, we reassured our eldest son that we were prepared.

Standing Up to Disrespect

Determined to stand up against Aubrey’s disrespectful attitude, I took hold of the microphone. “My name is Violet and I’ll be turning 70 this year.”

Despite facing hardships growing up, we now lead ordinary lives like any other family. We’ve always been protective of our eldest son, wanting to shield him from the struggles we endured. Our sacrifices seemed to pay off when he decided to marry Aubrey. Unfortunately, their wedding posed new challenges.

When we first met Aubrey, she gave off a modest and gentle impression, making us thrilled about our son marrying such a wonderful person. However, things changed when my husband began reminiscing about our son’s past. “He’s always been smart unlike us. Thanks to that, he even attended the State University.”

Aubrey interrupted with surprise. “Oh, so you two didn’t go to a public university?”

“No,” I replied. “We didn’t even finish high school. Due to family circumstances, we had to help out with the family business instead of attending school. Although there were circumstances we couldn’t be proud of.”

We exchanged wry smiles at the behavior of my eldest son’s wife. It’s not like we didn’t want to learn at school just like everyone else. Nevertheless, we were proud of our home and didn’t resent it.

“Well, hearing that someone only completed middle school is quite surprising, right?”

“Absolutely. But I’m so glad that intelligence wasn’t passed down to Tyler.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, having in-laws who only completed middle school is truly like a black hen laying a white egg,” my eldest son’s wife said with a slight smile.

The atmosphere became tense in an instant. We couldn’t say it was something to boast about, but both my husband and I exchanged glances at her blunt remarks. We were taken aback by her words, but my eldest son’s wife seemed unfazed and even laughed, saying, “Oh, was that too difficult a term for high school dropouts?”

Seeing her nonchalant smile, we were at a loss for words. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, we thought perhaps she meant no harm and bit back our words. However, my eldest son’s wife’s words and actions were nothing short of disdain, as if she was simply looking down on us. She must have thought that because of the term “high school dropouts,” we were pitiable, uneducated in-laws.

A Pattern of Malice

From then on, her attitude became increasingly terrible, making spiteful comments at every opportunity. “You two married quite young, didn’t you? Because you had nothing better to do?”

“That’s not true. We got to know each other well and then got married.”

“It must have been a time when you could choose who you loved. But ending up with another high school dropout means you could only get someone on your level, right?” Aubrey said with a mocking smile.

Her words were dripping with malice. Despite her terrible behavior, both my husband and I repeatedly warned her, yet she didn’t seem to listen, acting as if we were arrogant despite our lack of formal education. In front of Tyler, she would act somewhat well-behaved, but when he wasn’t around, she’d become brazen, openly voicing her criticisms.

It’s true my eldest son graduated from an Ivy League school, but her behavior made it clear that academic achievements don’t necessarily reflect one’s character. As the wedding preparations progressed, her attitude only worsened. When she occasionally came to our house and we had dinner, she’d say things like, “Oh, even someone with just a middle school education can cook, huh?”

Looking over the meal I prepared, another time she remarked, “Even with just a middle school education, you live in such a nice house. Maybe it’s because your son is so accomplished?”

Her tone suggested as if we were dependent on my eldest son. “Aubrey, don’t be disrespectful to my dad. This house was bought with his earnings.”

“Tyler is so kind, he probably helped out a lot, right?”

Even when Tyler noticed and tried to intervene, Aubrey just brushed it off saying, “I didn’t mean any harm.”

She said all the while smirking at us. When I looked into her condescending eyes, I could only feel malice. Even when my eldest son tried to correct her behavior, she assumed I had tattled on her and seemed annoyed. “He can’t possibly earn enough to build a house just because he dropped out of high school. That’s what my friends say too.”

To make matters worse, my eldest son’s wife had been spreading baseless rumors around town, claiming that we were leeching off our son’s earnings and living a luxurious life at his expense. We were at our wits’ end with her insensitivity.

“Don’t expect me to take care of you just because I married your son, okay? I just became a family with Tyler, not to deal with burdens like you.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. We wouldn’t want someone who can spout such harsh words to look after us anyway.”

“You’re in denial. Oh, by the way, I hope you’ve given up on the idea of relying on Tyler. Please don’t be a bother any longer.”

No matter how many times we clarified, Aubrey seemed convinced that we intended to continue relying on my eldest son, constantly keeping us in check every time we met. Even when we told her that wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t listen, leaving me with nothing but sighs.