When my stepsister, Ava, showed up uninvited to my engagement dinner, I hoped maybe, just maybe, she was there to support me. But in true Ava fashion, she didn’t just crash the party — she hijacked it. She’d spent my whole life making every milestone about her, and this dinner was no exception.

From the moment Ava entered, seven months pregnant and glowing, I knew something was off. She embraced me with a cheery hug and claimed her “baby class” had been rescheduled just so she could be there for my engagement dinner. We’d kept the guest list small on purpose, but Ava showed up anyway, along with her husband. As the night progressed, I thought maybe things were different — that she had changed. But then came the speeches.

Just as I raised my glass to toast Morgan and our future, Ava jumped up and blurted out, “We’re having a BOY!” The room erupted in applause, but it felt like someone had just poured ice water over me. My engagement dinner had instantly turned into her gender reveal party, and I was left standing, humiliated. But this time, something unexpected happened: my stepmother stood up.

She called Ava out, something I’d never seen before, and in front of everyone. “Sit down,” she said, her voice calm but sharp. “This isn’t your night. You don’t take the spotlight here.” The shock in the room was palpable as Ava’s face fell into a mask of faux innocence. But my stepmother wasn’t done. “And since you decided to make this about yourself, you’re paying for half of the dinner,” she announced, making Ava cover her share of the bill. For once, Ava had to face the consequences of her selfish actions.

After that, the rest of the evening was ours. I finished my toast uninterrupted, and when Morgan squeezed my hand, I smiled for the first time that night. Ava learned that her antics wouldn’t fly anymore, and that was enough for me. Finally, my moment was just that — mine.