My husband threatened divorce if I didn’t hand over my $10K salary, MIL: No! We’re kicking him out!
The Unacceptable Demand
Feeling a deep sense of embarrassment that our family issues had become neighborhood gossip, I murmured a denial and quickly returned home. As I entered the living room, I found my mother-in-law absorbed in her TV show, snacking away.
“Please stop spreading rumors,” I urged firmly.
To my dismay, she just laughed and insisted: “But it’s true,” she angrily.
Something inside me reached its breaking point. If she was determined to persist in her falsehoods, then I would no longer uphold the pretense of a dutiful daughter-in-law,.
The very next day after returning from work, I was met with the usual demands for dinner. This time, however, I bypassed my husband and mother-in-law’s complaints, went straight to the kitchen, and prepared just a single serving of instant ramen for myself.
Seeing this, my mother-in-law’s face turned a shade of crimson, her protest growing louder. “So you’re just proving you’re the worst daughter-in-law, not doing any housework, huh?” “Fine, if that’s the way you want to be,” she angrily.
As I quietly enjoyed my noodles, she was left speechless, eventually turning to my husband, seeking his support. When he approached me, I laid out the whole situation.
“Mom’s been telling everyone that I’m a terrible daughter-in-law who neglects the housework.” “When I confronted her, she doubled down on her claims, so I’ve decided to just stop doing it altogether.” “I’m only doing what she’s been telling everyone,”
I shared the encounter with the neighbor from the previous day. My husband, looking concerned, tried to mediate:
“Mom probably just exaggerated.” “Don’t be so stubborn,” he suggested.
Despite his mother clearly being in the wrong, he still sided with her. Exhausted and without the energy to argue further, I discarded the empty ramen cup, ignored his pleas, and retreated to the bathroom. There I did my laundry and took a bath in solitude.
As I soaked, a wave of relief washed over me. It became clear that regardless of my efforts, I was always going to be labeled as the bad wife. From that moment on, I decided to stop engaging in the household tasks my mother-in-law complained about.
She bemoaned the lack of freshly baked bread for breakfast on my days off, but I remained steadfast in my new resolve. When I woke up and stepped into the living room, my mother-in-law demanded that I go out and buy bread immediately. In response, I retorted:
“Why don’t you buy it yourself?” “I’m such a bad wife, I’ll only buy my share from now on.” “You’ll need to pay for your food or handle it yourself,” I retorted.
With that, I ignored her protests, made myself coffee, and quickly ate my bread,. As I watched her reaction, a part of me worried that I might have been too harsh, but considering all I had endured, it felt just justified.
After finishing my breakfast, I tidied only my part of the cluttered living room and settled down with a book. The calm was soon interrupted by the doorbell. Glancing at the monitor, I saw a group of more than four elderly people, all familiar faces, standing there with visibly upset expressions.
Confused, I watched as my mother-in-law rushed to greet them. They filed in one after the other, and I was taken aback when one of them rudely berated me: “I hear you’re the wicked woman who doesn’t even care for her mother-in-law,”.
These visitors were my mother-in-law’s siblings and their spouses. She had spread false tales of mistreatment. She accused me of not feeding her properly and not allowing her to bathe, pleading for their intervention.
Being the youngest of four with three elder siblings, she had a significant support network. Now with spouses included, there were eight elderly people in my living room. They were labeling me as some kind of demon wife deserving of retribution.
Their accusations made me break out in a cold sweat from fear. “This is a misunderstanding,” I finally managed to say, my voice trembling.
But then the eldest brother raised his voice, pounded his cane on the floor, and yelled: “Stop making excuses,”.
The others joined him, demanding that I apologize and reflect on my supposed. Just then my husband arrived, drawn by the noise.
When my mother-in-law’s brother turned to criticize my upbringing, my husband didn’t defend me. Instead, he joined in the criticism, adding to the chorus of voices against me. My affection for him vanished in that instant.
I had always believed my husband was a kind person until we began living with my mother-in-law. It became clear that he wasn’t kind; he was just weak, easily influenced by those around him and unable to withstand any form of pressure.
During a heated discussion, one of my mother-in-law’s brothers took my husband’s criticisms to heart and suggested a divorce. To my dismay, everyone seemed to agree. My mother-in-law then offered me a so-called second chance, provided I promised to change and better serve her and my husband in the future.
Trying to hold back tears, her siblings urged me to be grateful, claiming I would never find a kinder mother-in-law elsewhere. They even decided to implement a rotating schedule, taking turns each week to check whether I was keeping up with the household chores and attending to my mother-in-law and husband’s needs adequately.
Once their plans were set, everyone appeared content and decided to celebrate their reunion with a sushi outing, leaving the house together as they departed. My mother-in-law couldn’t resist a parting shot, instructing me to ensure the house was clean and the laundry done by the time they returned.
I was left to wonder how had things escalated to this point. Alone in the cluttered living room, tears began to well up. Our marriage had been happy until my mother-in-law’s intrusion. Now I found myself the subject of complaints from all the relatives despite doing my best.
Tears streamed down my face, a mix of sadness, regret, and anger. A few hours later, my husband and mother-in-law came back. I was still sitting in the disarrayed living room.
My mother-in-law smirked at me, her words sharp with disdain. “Leave.” “We don’t need a wife who can’t do housework.” “I told you to clean up earlier, didn’t I?”.
Seemingly tipsy, she demanded that I leave immediately. My husband, with a grin on his face, joined in, thinking his support would ensure I complied quietly.
I had reached my limit and no longer had the desire to exert myself for them. “Fine, I’ll leave then,” I stated with conviction, void of any hesitation,.
I stood to exit at the living room. At that moment, I decided it was no longer my concern to fret over their actions or attitudes. Behind me, I heard my mother-in-law and husband laughing, probably thinking I was just bluffing. It dawned on me that they would eventually have to confront the repercussions of their behavior.
I went to my room, packed my things, and left the house without another word.
