'Brother hijacked my gender reveal party to expose secret.'

As told to Ann Degrey

I was so excited about my gender reveal. We already have a daughter, and I'd always dreamed of her having a little sister; someone to grow up with, play dress-ups with, and one day share secrets with. But honestly, my husband Matthew* and I weren't fussed either way.

Boy or girl, we just wanted a healthy baby. Still, we thought it would be nice to bring everyone together, have a moment, celebrate something joyful. Life's been a bit heavy lately for a lot of people, and we just wanted to create a happy memory.

I almost didn't invite my brother Greg*. He's always been quite unpredictable. He's a colourful character; the kind who always drinks too much, tells inappropriate jokes, or finds a way to make everything about him. But I convinced myself this time would be different.

I thought, "It's a family event, he'll behave." But I was wrong. We had the party at a local park. Nothing over the top; some balloons, cupcakes, a little picnic spread. Our daughter wore a pink tutu and kept telling everyone she was getting a baby sister, even though we hadn't told her the result yet. It was sweet and chaotic, and exactly how I wanted it.

Watch: 'My mum ruined our $13,000 gender reveal party'. Post continues after video.

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Greg showed up late, as usual, with a six-pack under his arm and a dramatic sigh about how "everyone always starts things without him." His wife didn't come, which was strange, but I assumed maybe she wasn't feeling well.

I didn't bother asking him why she wasn't there. I figured maybe she had something else on and I didn't want to make a big deal about it. They had a rocky relationship at the best of times, so I didn't want to be the one to cause any more problems by pushing for an explanation for her absence.

Everything was going well. We gathered everyone around, did the countdown, and popped the confetti cannon — pink! I was thrilled as my daughter started squealing, and Matthew hugged me. It was this perfect gender reveal I'd hoped for and, for a few minutes, I felt like everything was right in the world and this would go down as a beautiful memory.

Then Greg cleared his throat and said he wanted to say something. 'Oh sh**', I thought. What is he about to do? He raised a beer can like he was about to give a toast. I knew right away that this wasn't a good thing.

"I know this is about the baby, and congratulations, by the way. But I've got an announcement too," he said.

People laughed awkwardly, thinking he was joking. I smiled tightly, hoping he'd say something harmless and sit down. But no.

"I'm leaving Megan*, because I found out she's been cheating on me. For over a year. With her boss."

There was stunned silence. My aunt actually gasped. My dad tried to say something, but Greg just kept going. "I figured since we're all being honest and sharing news, I might as well put it out there."

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I was mortified! My baby girl was standing there holding a cupcake with pink icing, and now people were whispering and staring, not at me or her, but at Greg.

I pulled him aside and said, "What are you doing? This isn't the time." He just shrugged. He said he didn't plan it, the words just came out. "I needed to say it," he said.

But I know Greg. He did plan it. That's what makes it worse.

This is just who he is; he's always had to be the centre of attention. When I got into university, he dropped out of his course and told everyone he was "choosing a different path." When I got engaged, he brought a random girl to our engagement party and proposed to her (they broke up two weeks later). It's always something. Always drama.

The worst part is, people did feel sorry for him. He turned the afternoon into a pity party.

Everyone wanted to talk about his heartbreak instead of celebrating the new baby. Some people even left early because it felt "awkward." I ended up sitting in the car and crying while my husband packed everything up. I haven't spoken to Greg properly since.

He texted the next day saying, "Sorry if I ruined your thing. Wasn't my intention." But there was no real apology, just that vague kind of message that shifts the blame back onto me for "overreacting." I still don't know what I'm going to say to him. Maybe nothing.

I'm due in a couple of months, and I want to focus on that, not on repairing another mess he made. My daughter talks about her baby sister every day. That's what matters. That joy, that moment, before Greg opened his mouth, is what I'm choosing to remember.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

Feature Image: Getty.

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