My MIL, unaware that I pay $5,600 for rent, told me to leave when my husband's first child is born.

since Michael and Sarah returned for a HomeTown childbirth please leave my mother-in-law stated in a chilly voice her eldest son and his wife are due in 3 days me leave I asked confused and stunned yes we don't need another mother figure anymore you've been redundant for a while now Michael and his family will be living here so make sure you're out by tomorrow she continued I knew I was never truly accepted into the family since the day I got married treated as a wife never did I imagine they would tell me to leave you Barren

failure you were allowed to experience raising a child be grateful we have no obligation to support you anymore it seems like Simon is tired of you too what's Simon to I gulped down my saliva if it's not a conspiracy between my mother-in-law and Michael then I don't need to stand in ceremony with my husband anymore foolish to drive me out but it was my mother-in-law who ignited this what happens to this house now is none of my concern may they face the reality they have ignored squarely personally I'm Anna Thompson 45 years old living with

my husband and mother-in-law in a popular area close to the station the access to the city center is superb when house hunting my picky husband recently promoted to a managerial position insisted on a spacious apartment the r was steep but the space and rooms made it worth the stretch my husband Simon 8 years my senior a divorce I met through a friend's introduction comforted by the enveloping kindness unique to an older man we decided to get married after two years of dating even when I told him about my infertility due to past illness his affection

did not waver likewise my feelings remained unchanged when I learned of the circumstances he carried my husband had a son Nam named Michael from his previous marriage I'm truly sorry to ask you who have never been married to live with my parents and son I won't make you suffer I'll ensure you're happy that was the promise he made to me to prevent me from feeling suffocated my husband suggested moving to a spacious apartment where I could have my own room Michael turning 10 this year won't need much care with my mom around you don't have

to push yourself after his divorce my husband got helped with child care from his parents at their home a few years later Simon's father passed away in an accident and it seems his mother took over as Michael's caretaker from the first meeting Michael wouldn't even make eye contact with me I thought it might be his shy nature approaching a difficult age so I didn't worry as long as they accepted me as a member of the household I was content my mother-in-law was a quiet and refined person when I visited to formally intr roduced myself after

our engagement she treated me with such politeness that I thought we would get along fine living together I'll continue to prepare the meals as I have been Simon comes home late so it's okay if we eat at different times right Anna I'll leave the cleaning and laundry to you all right let's work well together after getting married I switched from a full-time employee at the pharmacy to a part-timer due to the division of household chores I started work a bit later in the morning so I wouldn't get home until nearly 8:00 p.m. dinner was always

ready when I arrived making me feel good about living together my mother-in-law and Michael usually had dinner before I got home so I was always eating alone even after getting married I sometimes felt a sense of is this it but I came to accept that this was our family style from the beginning my mother-in-law never really liked me and didn't consider me part of the family at all Michael the school's activity day is before summer right when is it we're all going to see you sometime after getting married I tried to break the ice with

Michael who still hadn't warmed up to me no I mean as Michael faltered my mother-in-law interjected we'll go there just Simon and me Anna you don't need to worry about it I misunderstood her words thinking she was just being considerate I can get the day off work let's all go together you don't need that you're Simon's wife and mix's family has always been just Simon and me I was lightly no quite shocked when I brought it up with my husband at night he said mom's been clinging to Michael she probably thinks you're trying to take

him away I'll talk to her eventually I began to join as a mother at the activity day but Michael and I rarely spend any time together outside of school events sometimes I could tell Michael wanted to say something but my mother mother-in-law always cut in between us I later found out that she had been badmouthing me to Michael Anna said she could be happy with Simon if Michael weren't around she's a terrible person dad must be deceived by her too if a boy in his formative years hear such things it wouldn't be strange for him

to distrust me it was a sickening story but at that time I hadn't imagined that my mother-in-law could do such a thing after graduating high school Michael IM immediately moved in with his girlfriend and left home as soon as he started college a year after he started working he married her without a ceremony once Michael moved out my mother-in-law surprisingly stopped doing housework altogether instead it seemed that picking on me had become her sole entertainment she stopped cooking which she used to do before and now just sits at the dining table waiting for me to

come home without a moment to sit down I would stand in the kitchen and prepare dinner you're really inefficient at this rate it'll take you all night I was never good at cooking partly because I had always relied on my mother-in-law to prepare the meals whenever I did manage to cook she would taste each dish and invariably complain this tastes awful I'm sorry I'm trying my best you're astonishingly tone deaf when it comes to Flavors Anna it's a good thing Michael never had to eat this how terrible if she thought so she might as well

make it herself but it seemed she just wanted to complain to me not just about the meals but she started nitpicking everything from the cleaning I never used to do to the laundry why are there so many wrinkles on the laundry you have to vacuum every nook and cranny you really can't do anything right didn't your family teach you anything with that my mother-in-law side while looking at me being belittled even about my family I clenched my fists in frustration I don't know how you won over Simon but I can't see much charm in you

as a woman and she always concluded with the same line if you hadn't come Michael would have never left I understood that there was a gaping hole in her heart since Michael had left maybe it was what they call empty Ness syndrome if taking it out on KNE made her feel better that's what I told myself to endure it but her bullying took on new energy after a certain event that event was the pregnancy announcement for Michael's wife Sarah The Joy my mother-in-law exhibited was unlike anything I had seen before it's Michael's baby it's bound

to be adorable yeah he'll be my first grandchild watching the two of them Rejoice I was happy too but my mother-in-law's excitement was beyond normal probably because Michael asked her grandma can Sarah have our baby of your place Sarah's family home is an hour away by playing and since they have no one else to rely on here they turned to us for help of course my mother-in-law wouldn't dream of turning down Michael's request the phone calls from Michael started to become frequent and her excitement went through the roof the next day after getting the news

she started preparing enthusiastically from cleaning out Michael's room to Preparing the bedding and making a list of baby items it was like she had great grandchild fever naturally I had to get involved too when I returned from work Anna I vacuumed Michael's room so you need to wipe the floors and the windows and please wax them too this weekend we're going to the department store to look at baby cribs cleaning and waxing at night was tough especially after a long day at work if I even thought about cutting Corners I'd be told to do it

over again moreover my mother-in-law started asking for money and before I knew it the house house was overflowing with baby stuff Anna I need you to withdraw some money tomorrow there are things I want to get ready for the baby again isn't it wasteful to prepare so much when Sarah and Michael haven't even arrived shouldn't we wait and choose together with them I had wanted to meet my mother-in-law's requests but I was troubled by the Relentless spending how can you be so cold it's Simon's grandchild oh that's right you're not related to Michael by Blood

you don't care do you that's not true please don't say that I just thought Sarah might want to pick things out of herself when do you want to choose things for your own child perhaps because I was making a valid point my mother-in-law glared at me sharply I immediately thought I had gone too far but it was too late without a word my mother-in-law went back to her room looking upset I did reflect on it but I was also shocked to be spoken about in such a way regarding Mya the next morning my mother-in-law didn't

come out of her room perhaps still angry Simon had a 3-day business trip starting that day so he just called out I'm leaving through her door please don't throw cold water on Mom's great grandchild fever she hasn't been the same since Michael left you were worried too right I was but if we spend all our money like this we'll have nothing left when Michael and Sarah arrive right Simon's face immediately turned sour are you saying my earnings are too low that's not what I'm saying at all Simon just said fine and left with a look

of dissatisfaction discussions about money always end up like this since I'm the one managing our finances I can't help but think ahead of course there's a reason for that we've been married for 13 years Simon has provided me with a very comfortable life your part-time income is for you to enjoy Joy Simon had always told me so I saved everything beyond what I needed for myself even though it's in my name I consider it our shared property but then Simon's company's performance declined and over the last 5 years his salary has dropped to 2/3 of

what it was when we first got married while there's uncertainty whether his company will last until his retirement he doesn't seem to consider changing jobs for appearances in front of my mother-in-law my husband couldn't give up his title as a department head now I'm the one paying the rent and he covers the living expenses we've kept this from my mother-in-law to save my husband's face that day I left work a bit early to apologize to my mother-in-law when I got home she was already sitting at the dining table waiting for me I'm sorry about yesterday

I may have gone too far I admitted but my mother-in-law remained silent instead she blindsided me with unexpected news Michael and Sarah are returning for a HomeTown childbirth please vacate my mother-in-law declared in a chilly tone the eldest son and his wife were set to arrive in 3 days perplexed and stunned I asked I have to leave she affirmed yes we don't need another mother figure anymore you've been redundant for a while Michael and his family will be living here make sure you're out by tomorrow the real ization Hit me hard I had never truly

been accepted into the family since the day I got married I had always been treated as an outsider the news of Michael's return for the birth made it clear you baren failure my mother-in-law continued you were allowed to experience raising a child be grateful we have no obligation to support you anymore it seems like Simon is tired of you too maybe he's getting alone well with a new girlfriend by now shocked I guled down my saliva contemplating the possibility of my relationship with my husband growing distant could this be a trap I fell into thinking

my husband would never I remembered that up until a year ago he never had overnight business trips all right I'll eat up tonight I said grabbing my bag and leaving the house to walk aimlessly I needed to calm my severely shaken heart worried about my husband I tried calling his cell phone despite my mother-in-law's words I still wanted to talk to him but he didn't answer no matter how many times I rang I dialed his office only to learn that he had taken a couple of days off my mother-in-laws words began to ring more true

could he really be on a trip with another woman dark thoughts crowded my mind and I found myself overwhelmed with emotion tears streaming down my face staggering along I noticed the tavern behind the station a place we used to frequent when we first moved here it's still here I thought as I entered welcome The Tavern owner's expression clouded briefly upon seeing me then he nodded in recognition hey long time no see it's been about 8 years I used to come here a lot with my husband I said yes it's been a while I remember you

he replied I couldn't help but smile feeling a sense of relief can I get a beer and a Mixed Plate of grilled chicken please I asked the owner a man a few words as always nodded as I sipped the cold beer and savored the grilled chicken I took out my cell phone and the screen saver lit up with a photo of us when Michael turned 18 looking sharp in the slim suit we have picked up together I wished for us to be closer as a family the beer washed down my throat taking the days the

te with it could I really move out tomorrow contemplating the next steps I searched for moving companies finding one for the job the next day I also looked up junk buyers and saved two companies in my favorites changing the screen saver on my phone seemed to clear my head completely the beer and Grilled Chicken tasted exceptional I decided to think about everything once I got home walking away from the tavern I was called from behind a young waitress from The Tavern was running towards me excuse me are you Mrs Thompson I noticed the screen saor

on your phone she said confirming my identity she dropped a bombshell my husband was having an affair with one of their employees we exchanged contact information and she promised to keep me informed my mother-in-law's words appeared to be true instead of sadness a fierce anger welled up within me it was time to confront this head-on looking an appointment with a moving company I resolved to move out that day if it wasn't a conspiracy and my mother-in-law and Michael were truly involved then I no longer needed to honor my husband returning home I packed my belongings

until midnight without hesitation the moving company arrived on time and I made it clear that I was leaving as requested they took everything I had bought erasing every trace of my presentence my mother-in-law panicked but I was Resolute I'm taking everything I bought you can start a completely new life tomorrow I declared suppressing a laugh ignoring her protests I proceeded to have everything taken out my mother-in-law complained loudly to the movers but there was nothing she could do the only items left in the house were piles of baby gear and her old dresser from before

the marriage well then I bit you farewell there should be no trace of me left so enjoy your life with Simon Michael and his family I declared leaving her sitting there stunned placing the keys on the table I exited the room the movers held onto my things for a while and I decided to stay with a single colleague for some time feeling a sense of completion I slept soundly that night a week later I finally heard from my husband I wondered if he was scheming with that other woman while my husband was dragging his feet

I received a call from the young woman at the tavern got a B shot so I'll send it to you in the photo my husband was chatting up a not so young woman at the tavern maybe out of a sense of justice the young woman must have followed them after they closed there was also a photo attached of the two entering a hotel even in such times the cheating continues I thought and any last bit of affection I had for my husband dissipated I asked for the woman's name and had her address looked up the

next day armed with all the evidence of the affair my husband called Anna where are you Michael and his family are here too aren't you going to come home soon no I'm not coming back your mom told me to leave I'm done here Michael and his family are going to live with you now right I knew it Michael and his family were out of money and looking to crash at our place I heard that after graduating from a vocational school they've been hopping from job to job and now they're working part-time no I W you

back Anna I went to the pharmacy and they said you're off for a bit God played to crash yeah I'm fine so don't worry about me your mom and Michael didn't like me right I reckon they're happy to have the place to themselves without me around my snide comment left my husband speechless he knew his mother and Michael never accepted me as family but pretended not to see it well all right I have something to say so I'll come back there once my husband replied with a relieved please in his voice days later I returned

to the house for the first time in a long while some new pieces of furniture and appliances were inside when Michael and Sarah saw me they just nodded from their seats on the sofa without getting up as I took a seat my mother-in-law glared at me with a scary look on her face the atmosphere was tense and just as I thought to get things done and leave quickly Michael spoke up what are you doing here you took everything from the house what kind of monster does that dad's been supporting you and you've had it easy

I sighed I took everything because I paid for it I wanted to remove all traces of me just as you wanted right that's crazy right there's no way you could afford all that just working part-time at the pharmacy my husband said when I glanced at him he started talking as if he'd resigned himself we've been getting by on what Anna and I both make for a little while now then the stuff you took should be both yours instead of my speechless husband I decided to speak up Simon's company has been doing poorly and his salary

plummeted that's why for the past 5 years I've been covering what's missing but that wasn't enough and now I'm the one paying our rent my mother-in-law looked at my husband with surprise I'm not just a part-timer I'm a part-time pharmacist and to pay is quite good I'm making more than Simon now at my words my husband awkwardly looked away my mother-in-law's eyes were frantically shifting between my husband and me from now on Michael you'll be paying the rent you're going to live here right after all the help your grand was given it's time for you

to take care of her Michael looked at me with a shocked expression when I dropped the news suddenly rent how much is it he asked it's 5,00 ,600 good luck since it seems my role as a mother is over I don't have an obligation to take care of you anymore pull yourself together you're going to be a father Soon Michael murmured with a shake of his head that's impossible it was Sarah who raised her voice upon hearing this wait $5,600 wen't we supposed to live here for free covering rent and living expenses I almost burst

out laughing don't worry Sarah you can move to a cheaper place Simon still makes a decent salary hearing this Sarah's face relaxed a bit oh since I'll be leaving you Simon life might still get tough with your mistress huh at that Sarah finally broke down in tears it was my husband who panicked what what are you talking about Sarah replied oh your mother told me about the new woman I guess it's time to end my role as a wife too my husband must think there's no evidence indeed it hasn't even been 10 days since I

left the house wouldn't that hurt Mary if she heard you well I'll get in touch about that later At The Mention Of Mary's name my husband jolted realizing that I knew everything he held his head inside this is not the atmosphere to write a divorce paper well then I'll be going now please talk to me further through a lawyer neither my husband Simon nor Michael said anything more staying silent as I grabbed my back and stood up my mother-in-law stood up simultaneously slamming her hands on the table she yelled with a voice too strong for

an elderly woman what the hell it's all your fault our home is in shambles I was instantly irritated it was you who told me to leave it was you who said Simon had another woman and you interfered with my relationship with Michael everything was you I felt a surge of heat in my chest I regretted not being more assertive with my relationship with Michael not holding back because of my mother-in-law Michael has nothing to do with this it's time for you to step up Simon he's going through a hard time you should support him as

his wife take responsibility as a family member what is she even talking about if she hadn't called Michael back home if she hadn't hinted at Simon's Affair I would still happily support Simon and this home at all always believed in and supported Simon where are you Michael why are you still up here it's all her fault my mother-in-laws lips tightened into a line and she was trembling I slipped past the silent mother-in-law and quickly left the room afterward Simon agreed to the divorce rather easily it seems my determination was strong and he couldn't counter the

evidence of the affair shortly after it seemed like they started the process of moving out out of the apartment in the end Michael and Sarah went back to their apartment and never lived with the Mother-in-law Simon seems to be considering remarriage but Mary was Furious over the alimony and his request for her to live with his mother I've heard they considering whether to place my mother-in-law in a care facility after all the love she poured into her son and Grandson it's somewhat sad to think they're ready to abandon her now perhaps she served her purpose

too if my mother-in-law had said nothing back then and it had just been a simple trip home for childbirth maybe we would still be living together after the divorce Michael sent me an apology letter he wrote about how as a child he really wanted to be more spoiled howy couldn't talk to me because his grandmother disliked it and how happy he was when I attended school events maybe I should have reached out more perhaps then we could have built a different relationship even though our relationship has ended I quietly pray for Michael's happiness in life

I've returned to work as a pharmacist and quickly rented an apartment close to my workplace I don't feel good about keeping the furniture and appliances I took with me so I had them all picked up and disposed of by a junk removal service life without my mother-in-law's harassment is peaceful and comfortable for a while I want to live for my own happiness not someone else's