it's nice to think she won't be around for a while my youngest brother was getting married and I was busy getting ready for an overnight stay I even took paid time off from work to leave our home where I live with my in-laws it's been a while since I did that I was packing my overnight bag for the celebration when I heard my mother-in-law's voice behind me never come back and while you're at it why don't you just get a divorce and leave she said sure as you wish I responded calmly and accepted her spite
with a quiet smile leaving her sneering taunts behind I stepped out of the house before I got too far I said goodbye to our home thank you for everything it's been a long time I don't remember ever being looked after by my mother-in-law but somehow I felt very light-hearted I pulled along a slightly oversized suitcase rushing to where my beloved family awaited I'll be staying at the hotel for 3 nights and 4 days what comes after that remains a secret my mother-in-law doesn't know that I will never return as a resident of this house I'm
Michelle Williams a 53-year-old part-timer while working at an office I also manage our busy household my husband Daniel and I are the same age and our marriage has lasted over 31 years it was an arranged meeting recommended by an acquaintance but we're a couple who share similar values and get along well the only loneliness comes from Daniel's job as a sailor he works for a shipping company and can be away from home for over a year at times still our relationship is good and we are blessed with a son we live in a house with
my in-laws until recently I was mainly responsible for taking care of my husband's grandmother who lived with us I used my income to hire a caregiver during the day at after that I took care of her mostly by myself this went on until my grandmother-in-law passed away Michelle thank you for everything over the years Grandma must have been happy too she was grateful to you until the end Daniel said his kind words bringing tears to my eyes surrounded by children to great grandchildren my grandmother-in-law was well cared for in her younger days when I was
new to household tasks she taught me how to live live properly she was kind and fun though strict at times and seemed to laugh most of the time thanks to her I could keep my job for my younger days and work part-time even during caregiving despite caregiving being a significant burden now that it's over I find myself cherishing those days with Nostalgia I never imagined that the environment around me would change so drastically right after that Daniel due to his job on the ship often has to be away from home for long periods I'm proud
of him for his important work in American Logistics but living with my in-laws puts me at a disadvantage the moment my grandmother-in-law passed away my mother-in-law's attitude changed dramatically previously she would try to appease me with sweet talk while dumping all the caregiving responsibilities on me but as soon as the caregiving ended she began to disregard me when she went out she would deliberately exclude me from the sovenir and when we passed each other in the house she would bump into me on purpose her overly hostile Behavior was so shocking that I couldn't help but
be surprised before feeling disgusted moreover my son Adam who happened to be visiting said something to me hey Grandma started saying nasty things again it's an old story but when Adam was just five or 6 years old there was a significant an incident with my mother-in-law she filled Adam with baseless accusations against me and upset Adam reported this to the whole family your mom is cheating she's going to leave you eventually that woman is no good she doesn't work and she's all bad your dad hates her too that's why he doesn't come home you got
that I was shocked to learn she had been teaching him such lies I wasn't cheating and despite working every day and doing household chores I was truly busy moreover the reason Daniel was absent was genuinely because of work that's such a joke it's ridiculous to take it seriously anyway such a small kid won't understand anything my mother-in-law sulked and my father-in-law was also Furious about it I was too busy comforting a sad Adam to worry about anything else later when Daniel came home I felt relieved as he changed his demeanor and scolded my mother-in-law now
let's return to the present Daniel is currently away for work maybe because of that my mother-in-law seems to be taking full advantage you'd think she have more free time now that the caregiving is over but instead she keeps me very busy she frequently hands me complicated recipes to cook and Demands a thorough cleaning just the other day she invited the neighborhood ladies over and they watched a marathon of Dramas I thought they were just enjoying themselves but I ended up having to clean up the messy room full of snack wrappers and drink spills right during
the busiest time before dinner it added unnecessary work and I was understandably irritated really you're such a drag aren't you done yet hurry up and get dinner ready she'd say while I was sweating from cleaning up but come dinner time she wouldn't even sit at the the table claiming she was full from the snacks I was utterly exasperated then Adam complained to me she says she doesn't like you and that you should disappear I'm going back home I feel sick wouldn't it be better if we lived separately from Grandma I think Dad would understand too
I calmed down and upset Adam and drove him to the station for his return trip of course I couldn't let things continue like this soon I'll need to have a serious talk with Daniel the day after Adam left I was troubled not by my mother-in-law but by something else suddenly I started feeling unwell my limbs were cold yet my face would suddenly heat up and I'd break out in a sweat it seems like today my symptoms of menopause were particularly severe I've been feeling oddly unwell since last year and the doctors told me it's menopause
right now they're just watching how it goes with no medication yet but some days can be tough maybe the stress from what I heard about my mother-in-law's behavior is getting to me by evening my condition worsened and I was lying down in my room hey what are you sleeping for dinner I could hear my mother-in-law stomping towards me I had such a headache that it was hard to even get up let alone deal with her I thought about pretending to be asleep but she suddenly yanked off the blanket and I reluctantly sat up dinner she
clapped her hands as she demanded dinner if she wants dinner she should make it herself why does she always expect me to do it as if she's someone special my grandmother-in-law used to manage the kitchen but lately it's only been me cooking my mother-in-law only steps into the kitchen when Daniel is home and even then she barely does more than arrange the plates maybe she can't cook at all I feel feeling unwell I think it's menopause but I really can't do the housework today please can you make dinner today I managed to say feeling utterly
tired my mother-in-law had severe menopause symptoms herself I had already moved in with them and had my fair share of her snapping at me so there's no doubt about it I thought she'd understand the pain if I mentioned it was menopause however her reaction was the exact opposite of what I had hoped for with a snort she suddenly turned a bag over my head what I let out a small scream as something showered down on me in the dim room just waking from sleep and feeling sick I couldn't tell what it was at first a
moment later I realized it was the smell of potatoes the bag she turned upside down was nearly empty but she had sprinkled me with snack crumbs the sheer unexpectedness of it left me dumbfounded for a moment don't be lazy she said with a click of her tongue and then left the room here I was bedridden and in pain being yelled at I almost felt like clicking my tongue back at her how could she do something like this rather than anger it was a bizarre sensation like seeing some rare animal I felt sure that my limit
was nearing about half a year later I had taken some paid leave from work and was preparing for a trip it was for my younger brother's wedding he had been living with his girlfriend for a few years and they were finally tying the knot their home is in Michigan and they wanted to have the wedding there since it's quite far from here I booked a hotel for a three night 4-day stay I decided to take the trip and participate overnight my younger brother offered to cover the hotel costs but I declined since the date of
the ceremony was set according to my schedule I wanted to pay for it myself it's it's a small ceremony with just the family but it's a rare opportunity for all the relatives to gather so I'm looking forward to it since nobody else would likely prepare meals in my absence I decided to make a week's worth of meals in advance the night before leaving while we were eating dinner I told my in-laws about the meals I prepared and stored in the fridge my father-in-law thanked me but as usual my mother-in-law seemed displeased with everything about me
why are you even going to your brother's wedding it's just a remarriage isn't it probably nothing good she said with a frown and my father-in-law glared at her actually both my brother and his partner are marrying for the first time I replied my mother-in-law burst out laughing with a rude expression first marriage at 41 there must be something seriously wrong with him to be single that long your brother's at a good age yet he's having a flashy wedding Shameless she seemed to be confusing him with another brother or had completely forgotten about my family structure
in fact I have three brothers the youngest brother and I have a 15-year age Gap so he's still quite Young no it's my youngest brother who's getting married he's in his early 33s and his partner is in her 24s I explained shrugging my mother-in-law raised her eyebrows offended by the correction but soon Twisted her face into a sneer again how creepy his partner is 24 that's like a parent and child she said I was astonished at her refusal to listen this time even my father-in-law seemed to realize the mistake clearing his throat I swallowed a
sigh as I responded it's not 24 she's in her 24s they are only five or six years apart doesn't that sound normal to you I talked to her over video call the other day and she seemed like a very sensible young lady I ended the conversation with my in-laws and started preparing to leave at the venue I should see Adam and my parents as well I packed a beautiful outfit for the ceremony into my suitcase and meticulously checked for anything I might have forgotten from the living room I could hear my mother-in-law loudly talking to
my father-in-law it will be refreshing to have her gone for a while I felt the malice in her words on my back as I bit my lip getting angry now could provoke her to tamper with my carefully packed belongings better to endure until I leave the house the next morning I pulled my slightly large suitcase and headed to the front door never come back and while you're at it why don't you just get a divorce and leave her words momentarily stopped me as I began walking towards the entrance again I answered cheerfully yes as you
wish my voice was calmer than I expected maybe I'm more relieved by this situation than I realized I had reached my limit of endurance long ago actually I had been in touch with Daniel beforehand steadily preparing for this day just stop with the nonsense and really do it soon my mother-in-law scoffed munching on snacks and laughing early in the morning it's surprising how much she can eat just after waking up I decided to to walk to the station as I left the house before getting too far I looked back at our familiar home and said
with emotion I really owe this house a lot except for my mother-in-law I've been grateful to this home for a long time to my grandmother-in-law my father-in-law Daniel and Adam I even feel indebted to the roof and the walls but I can't recall ever needing my mother-in-law's help somehow I feel incredibly light-hearted I hurried to the place where my beloved family was waiting pulling a slightly large suitcase behind me I planed to stay at the hotel for three nights and 4 days after that I'm set to move into a new place where I can live
alone I met up with Daniel at my brother's wedding venue we had planned this beforehand the reason the wedding was scheduled at this time was so Daniel could be sure to attend hard day huh got this for you Daniel said with a lonely smile smile pulling out divorce papers his name hadn't been filled in yet we were both going to sign it mutually agreeing it would be our final Joint Task as a couple thanks let's write it when we get back to the hotel I booked a twin room hope that's okay though it's sad for
my brother getting married today this is also a new beginning for us I hope it's okay that our signing the divorce papers happens on the same day as the wedding I won't announce it in front of everyone today but we'll have to make it known later that we've divorced of course a double would have been fine too thanks for booking Daniel and I smiled affectionately at each other no one could possibly imagine that in a few hours we'd be signing divorce papers I Marvel at how heavy a single piece of paper can feel filing this
means we won't be husband and wife anymore after being together for over 31 years just one sheet is all it takes I'm truly sorry Daniel apologized but I shook my head being with Daniel was always genuinely happy for me I knew when I married him that he wouldn't be home much and there was nothing I disliked about that it was just his mother that I could never get along with don't apologize you were a wonderful husband let's be good friends from now on I said with all the fondness I felt tearfully Daniel took my hand
thank you for everything Daniel repeated making me tear up as well I secretly decided to attribute these tears to happiness for my brother's wedding the next day Daniel went back to his parents home alone he explained the situation to his in-laws at first my father-in-law was just shocked by the sudden mention of divorce but when he understood the full story he became Furious how dare you drive out someone who cared for my mother until the end he shouted angrily causing my mother-in-law to visibly Panic while I was primarily involved in caring for my grandmother-in-law including
the physically demanding tasks like bathing my father-in-law who had been strong since his youth helped me towards the end he also took care of turning our beden grandmother in bed in a way my father-in-law and I were caregiving Partners however my mother-in-law really hadn't helped with anything it seems my father-in-law had been silently resentful about this you've been terrible at housework ever since you married into the family I kept quiet because you gave birth to our son but you used my mother's leniency as an excuse to avoid helping out you're nothing like Michelle who did
everything his grievances escalated my mother-in-law tried to retort when compared to me but my father-in-law started speaking before she could get word in it should have been you who left to think we lost a hardworking daughter-in-law like that do you have any idea how much luxury Michelle's salary provided us you haven't earned a single penny mentioning money put my mother-in-law in a weak position she had never worked outside the home the household expenses including what my in-laws used were covered by Daniel being a sailor Daniel earned a good salary and my in-laws converted all their
pension into pocket money honestly our family was wealthy the costs related to the children or my grandmother-in-law care could actually be covered by Daniel's earnings yet I worked because working was fulfilling for me that's why I had no problem using my earnings for the family I gave trips and theater tickets to my in-laws and for birthdays I treated them to upscale dining truthfully these gifts were also investments in securing some time for myself it's not too late Daniel go apologize now and ask Michelle to marry you again my father-in-law finally said realizing how precarious her
position was my mother-in-law was utterly distraught but it was too late she couldn't prevent the consequences of her actions from coming back to haunt her this is the house I built you leave my father-in-law finally enraged began to drive my mother-in-law law out understandably she resisted vehemently screaming and scratching at her hair in frustration as she raised her voice in Anger she began clawing at her hair repeating how frustrated she was this sight was bizarre and apparently quite frightening no I won't leave I won't divorce how am I supposed to live alone at this age
in the end she cried out in resistance but she was no match for my physically imposing father in-law who dragged her out of the house he firmly shut the door and even locked it my mother-in-law clung to the front door crying loudly enough that the neighbors shocked by the commotion called the police reluctantly my father-in-law opened the door when approached by the police but his anger did not subside for several days afterward my mother-in-law and father-in-law lived as if they were separated within the same house they didn't speak a word to each other and avoid
Ed even looking at each other whenever my father-in-law entered the same room my mother-in-law would flee in fear such a life couldn't continue and ultimately my father-in-law called his daughter who lived far away to hold a family meeting I'm going to divorce her he declared but his daughter showed sympathy for my mother-in-law and opposed the idea making the discussion difficult Daniel then detailed the situation confirming each instance of harass assment I had endured she had even lied to her son trying to turn him against me Daniel presented emails he had asked our son to write
recalling those times as evidence he also spoke about the suffering I endured during my menopause to this point my father-in-law who had witnessed it expressed his disapproval I hadn't known but he had told my mother-in-law to stop such Behavior he had advised her to apologize but she hadn't followed through and now this incident she had unfairly criticized my brother and mockingly told me to divorce and leave all this happened while Daniel was away and she acted differently in front of him Daniel added that I had managed all the household chores and along with the caregiver
had cared for my grandmother-in-law in that situation how would you feel if your husband's mother did the same to you and if your father-in-law got angry on your behalf whose side would you take when Daniel posed this question his sister fell silent seeing this my mother in-law became furiously upset are you betraying me too after all I did by giving birth to you hearing this she didn't claim to have raised them I ironically admired her honesty I had always asked Daniel about this it was mostly our grandmother who took care of my sister and me
mom was always out with neighbors perhaps remembering her past his sister looked at my mother-in-law with contempt after hearing about the bullying in the end the only working housewives in this house were my grandmother-in-law whom I cared for until the end and myself my mother-in-law was indeed the mother who had given birth to three children but when it came to housework she mostly just wanted to reap the benefits without doing much work by reflecting on this her habitual negligence was finally noticed by by the family completely undermining her position realizing her situation my mother-in-law stopped
her TI raides and began to sob in the end it was decided not to divorce out of pity but my father-in-law is considering separating from her upon hearing this I expressed my desire to meet with my father-in-law all these events after my departure were relayed to me by Daniel if Dad was going to get so angry now he should have helped Michelle tell from the start but then again what can I say when I wasn't there Daniel sighed despondently sipping his hot coffee we were in our favorite Cafe a place we had liked since our
younger days Daniel ordered a coffee and I chose a soft drink which I hadn't had in a very long time as I finished hearing about my mother-in-law's disgraceful Behavior I smiled softly don't be too hard on yourself you were away because of your job right it's an important job there are many people who rely on you I understand that my words of encouragement weren't false Daniel's job is admirable being a sailor supporting people's lives by working in Maritime shipping sometimes away for years at a time I think that's incredible that's why I've been putting up
with it but I'm sorry for this time I still like and respect you but I just couldn't bear being family with your parents anymore I finally managed to say the words that had been stuck in my chest for so long Daniel looked a bit sad but nodded in understanding he didn't blindly side with his parents just because they were his family he understood the situation fairly which made me incredibly happy I couldn't help but smile broadly and Daniel looked at me as if dazzled I only heard about what Daniel was feeling at that moment much
later he said he thought oh she's beautiful your smile was more radiant than ever before to me at that moment Daniel also seemed sweeter than ever before now back to the story the day after I met Daniel at the cafe I met with his father with Daniel's cooperation it was time for the Final Act of my revenge when Daniel's father arrived at the cafe he was dressed a bit more stylishly than usual since he was going out after some small talk about the weather I quickly brought up the main topic I heard from Daniel that
you're considering separating from your wife it's fine while you're still healthy but it'll be tough on your own later right especially after all the commotion if you really do decide to separate I'm willing to help with caring for you in your later years his father clearly looked pleased by this Daniel's sister lived far away and his son Daniel could be away for long periods at Sea he had never been one to do much around the house like cooking cleaning or laundry he would surely appreciate my help having taken care of his mother until the end
of course I'll separate from her no wait maybe it's better to divorce he said furrowing his brow and Crossing his arms I was hoping that my almost certainly ousted mother-in-law would go from almost to definitely ousted but it seemed the situation was developing even more unfavorably for her if I suddenly drop dead she'd probably make a big fuss wouldn't she better to divorce her properly before that that's definitely better he continued Daniel looked as if he wanted to say here we go again as his father began speaking more decisively his father has a tendency to
act swiftly once he's made up his mind sometimes he even goes a bit too far but that's just his nature knowing this I felt a sense of satisfaction as the situation unfolded I nodded in agreement with a grin you really do think things through I'm impressed by your foresight I said knowing how to handle him after living with him for so many years pushing him a little like this would likely lead him to actually do it Daniel chuckled sensing my intentions but chose not to stop me he was probably more angered by my mother-in-law's Behavior
than I was his father energized stood up to go get the divorce divorce papers right then out of kindness I decided to introduce the lawyer Daniel and I consulted for our divorce to help my father-in-law from that day on my father-in-law began actively pursuing the divorce it was clear that my mother-in-law was destined for a lonely life 2 weeks later I returned to what was once my familiar home now just my former in-laws house to collect the belongings I hadn't been able to take with me before I had taken all the valuables but it was
impossible to take everything clothes books photos filled with memories drawings by my son when he was little and bedding and Furniture I bought with my own salary over the years I had accumulated many personal items in that house this visit turned out to be the last time I would see my mother-in-law by then her divorce had been decided and she was visibly panicking as I went to collect my belongings she began to kneel before me her face pale as she started apologizing Michelle please forgive me I beg you it was all just a joke please
come back and convince your husband I completely ignored her and continued packing after continuing to grovel my mother-in-law stood up abruptly it seemed she was upset at being ignored she began to hurl vile insults at me again reverting to her old ways this woman how dare you when I'm being so humble you've been nothing but trouble since you married into this family just leave and die alone miserably she shouted adding more simpler yet unrepeatable insults I continued to ignore her and packed the items into a cardboard box suddenly she screamed and lunged at the Box
taken a back I dodged and she ended up overturning the box that contained neatly folded clothes the clothes were scattered all over the floor she then began stomping on and kicking the clothes like throwing a tantrum enough already Daniel shouted and glared at Her Standing Tall his mother usually hearing only compliance from her obedient son froze as if it were the end of the world I held back Daniel with one hand and turned an emotionless face towards my mother-in-law I am no longer your daughter-in-law you are no longer my mother-in-law our relationship is completely over
thank you for nothing I was helped by your mother and father-in-law and your husband I swiftly stepped around the scattered clothes without bothering to fold them again I just stuffed them into the box and lifted it up don't touch my things stranger goodbye I tossed those final words at the disheveled mother-in-law and quickly left the room I had no desire to share space with that woman any longer I called Daniel to take care of the rest of the belongings I got into the car driven by my brother and waited as he prepared to leave I
could still hear my mother-in-law shrieking from inside the house but listening to her was a waste of time after we left I heard she continued to beat her own head and wailed terribly as far as I was concerned there was never a chance for reconciliation but it seemed she deeply regretted cutting off her last hope but her regrets were too late to matter to anyone about a month later my mother-in-law was finally evicted from the house and began living alone in a modest Place Daniel occasionally visits his mother to check on her well-being as does
his sister I've heard that my mother-in-law now lives in her old clothes substituting them for pajamas and doesn't even bothered to take a shower regularly apart from shopping she hardly goes outside spending her days eating fast food and budget snacks while lamenting her impoverished life apparently she did split some assets with my father-in-law during the divorce but sadly it wasn't a significant amount and she's living with financial insecurity in her old age I don't know about my sister but I'm not giving her any support that's obvious right Daniel told me this with a shrug as
a well-paid sailor Daniel was always a source of Pride for for his mother she never expected to be completely cut off by her own son all this was because she constantly disregarded me the wife her son chose and yet the irony is that she herself had said never come back and just get a divorce and leave now she's the one who can't ever come back it's exactly like the saying curses return upon the heads of those that curse she should have been prepared to face her own misfortunes if she wished on others 5 years after
the divorce I'm enjoying a peaceful life alone with my cat in an apartment about a 25-minute drive from what used to be my in-law's home I found this place after looking for somewhere convenient for commuting to work the rental is pet friendly and welcomes animals it's a lovely place with good sunlight I still visit my former father-in-law's home once a week to cook him various dishes our relationship has improved approved since the divorce my sister-in-law who lives far away can hardly look me in the eye given how much I still help out Daniel and I
still keep in touch in fact when he returns from his long sea voyages we make sure to go on dates it's almost like we're courting each other a new we go to movies visit museums and despite being somewhat new at this our relationship feels fresh and exciting we spend hours on on the phone and exchange messages finding it surprisingly enjoyable Adam who visits us on his days off jokes about our fake divorce saying you two just went back to being lovers didn't you but the truth is Daniel and I never were lovers before our marriage
was arranged and we never really had a period of romance so now it's like I'm building a romantic relationship with him for the first time we even have a secret PCT if we ever find ourselves completely free from having to deal with his mother whether she passes away moves in with his sister or goes into a facility then we Remar Daniel suggests that this would be when no more welfare checks on his mother are necessary discussions about whether his sister and her husband will start living with her or place her in a facility have already
begun our reunion might not be so far off after all after more than 31 years together and now nearing our 55s it feels somewhat embarrassing to talk about this but I'm thrilled at the prospect of experiencing true love with Daniel whom I've always cared for deeply
