I was out meeting clients when my husband, William Sanders, called me. His voice, laced with barely concealed anger, came through as soon as I accepted the call.
He said, “Haven’t I told you to stop getting Mom to buy things for you? Why do you keep making her do things for you when she’s already so old?
“It’s the same this time. Go buy it yourself if you really want bread. Are you that hungry? Will you die if you don’t have it now?”
He continued, “My mom worked hard to raise me, not so you could treat her like the household staff! We should just get a divorce if things aren’t working between us, Lucia! You better pick Mom up right now!”
William was practically yelling by the end of his call, already at his breaking point with me.
When we first got married, he treated me well. Not only would he give me his entire salary for safekeeping, he would also take care of everything and even surprise me with little gestures to make me happy.
However, everything changed after my mother-in-law, Karen Thompson, moved in with us. She claimed she was lonely living in the countryside, but in reality, she only wanted to be closer to her lover, Wilbur York.
Karen was indignant when she saw how William handed all of his salary to me.
“How could you give all your salary to your wife when I’m still alive and well? You’ve really forgotten about your mom after you got married. I’ve wasted all these years raising you!”
And so, she took over the control of the entire household’s finances just like that.
When Karen saw the little gestures William surprised me with, she became increasingly envious and started making passive-aggressive remarks.
“Why are you still doing all these silly things when you’re already married? If you’re that free, you should work on giving me a grandchild to dote on!”
