After giving birth to my first children, I thought my husband would start choosing us more over his mother, but that wasn’t the case. This time, he’d chosen her side over me for the last time, so I exposed her for the bully and liar she was.
You’d think bringing home your newborn twins would be one of the happiest moments of your life. For me, it started like that, but it soon turned into an absolute nightmare!
An upset mother with her newborn babies | Source: Midjourney
After three days in the hospital, recovering from a grueling delivery, I was finally discharged and ready to head home with my beautiful twin daughters, Ella and Sophie. I’d imagined this moment for months: Derek, my husband, picking us up at the hospital with flowers, tears of joy in his eyes as he took one of the girls into his arms.
But instead, at the last minute, I got a hurried phone call that changed everything…
An upset woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
“Hey, baby,” my husband said, his voice clipped. “I am so sorry, but I can’t come pick you guys up as planned.”
“What?” I asked, adjusting the swaddle around Sophie. “Derek, I just had twins. What’s so important that you can’t—”
“It’s my mom,” he interrupted. “She’s in bad shape. Hectic chest pains. I need to pick her up and take her to that hospital close to her.”
His words hit me like a bucket of cold water. “What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Derek, I need you here.”
“I know,” he said, exasperated. “But this happened suddenly, and it’s serious. I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”
An anxious man on a call | Source: Midjourney
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to scream because of how disappointed and frustrated I felt, but I replied, “Fine. I’ll just get a taxi.”
“Thank you,” he mumbled before hanging up.
My husband’s mother lived in a different city, so the chances of him getting back that same day to get me and the babies were unrealistic. Knowing how obsessed Derek was with his mother, he wasn’t going to leave her by herself, hence the taxi.
An upset woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
As the line went dead, my heart sank. I wanted to believe Derek wasn’t being callous, just overwhelmed and a mama’s boy. Still, the disappointment stung. The same mother-in-law (MIL) who insisted we make a separate set of keys to our house so she could help me with the babies was now suddenly unwell.
I tried shaking it off as I bundled the girls into their car seats that their father had dropped off the previous day and got us into a cab.
A woman in a cab with her children | Source: Midjourney
When we pulled into the driveway, I froze. My suitcases, diaper bags, and even the crib mattress were scattered across the front lawn and by the doorstep! A knot formed in my stomach. I paid the driver and stepped out with the twins, glancing around nervously. Something was obviously very wrong…
A messy front yard | Source: Midjourney
I approached the front door, fumbling with my keys while absentmindedly calling out my husband’s name, even though I knew he couldn’t be home yet. The key wouldn’t turn. Confused, I tried again. Nothing. Then I saw it, a folded piece of paper taped to a suitcase.
Get out of here with your little moochers! I know everything. Derek.
My breath caught, and my heart stopped. My hands trembled as I read the note again and again, trying to make sense of it while hoping it was a hallucination. This couldn’t be happening. Not Derek…
A shocked woman reading a note | Source: Midjourney
Not the man who held my hand through every doctor’s appointment, who cried when we heard our daughters’ heartbeats for the first time. Then the worst part of that day began…
Wanting answers, I called him immediately. Straight to voicemail. Again. Voicemail. Panic set in as Sophie’s cries joined Ella’s. I rocked their car seats, forcing myself to think.
A stressed woman holding a phone | Source: Midjourney
“Mom,” I whispered. My hands shook as I dialed her number.
“Jenna?” Mom answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong? Are the twins okay?”
I choked out the words, barely able to hold it together. I hadn’t wanted to involve my mother due to her ailing condition, but I believed this was one of those dire moments.
“Derek… He changed the locks. He threw my stuff outside. Mom, he left this awful note.”
“WHAT?!” Her voice shot up. “Stay there. I’m coming.”
An upset older woman | Source: Midjourney
Minutes felt like hours before she arrived. Mom took one look at the mess and narrowed her eyes, fuming.
“This doesn’t make sense! Derek wouldn’t do this; he loves you and the girls!”
“That’s what I thought,” I said, rocking Ella to calm her cries. “But he’s not answering. And what does ‘I know everything’ even mean?” I asked showing her the offensive note.
“I am so sorry, my darling,” she said while hugging me close. “Let’s go to my place until we can get a hold of your husband, okay?”
An older woman hugging a younger one | Source: Midjourney
She helped me load the bags into her car and whisked us back to her place. After my mother and I dissected what had happened and repeatedly called Derek with no answer, my anxiety spiked. That night, I barely slept.
The next morning, I decided I needed answers. Leaving the twins with Mom, I drove back in her car to the house. The yard was empty, my belongings gone. I knocked on the door. No response. I walked around to the back, peering through the windows, and froze.
A shocked woman peaking through a window | Source: Midjourney
Derek’s mother, Lorraine, sat at the dining table, sipping tea! I banged on the door, and she looked up, startled, almost spilling her tea before she saw me and smirked.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, banging on the door.
Lorraine rose leisurely and opened it just a crack. “Jenna. You’re not welcome here, didn’t you see the note?”
“Where’s Derek?” I snapped. “Why did he—”
“He’s at the hospital in my city,” she said smoothly. “Taking care of his sick mother.”
A nonchalant older woman standing by a door | Source: Midjourney
I stared at her, disbelief washing over me. “Sick? You’re standing right here!”
She shrugged, her lips curling into a malicious smile. “Maybe I’m feeling better. Miracles happen.”
“You lied to him, didn’t you? You faked being sick!”
Her smile widened. “And?”
My hands balled into fists. “Why? Why would you do this?”
She crossed her arms, her smugness growing.
A smug older woman | Source: Midjourney
“I told Derek from the start that our family needs a boy to carry on the name. But you? You gave us two girls. Useless,” she confessed unapologetically, finally speaking her truth after all these years I’ve been with her son.
Her words knocked the air out of me. I was too stunned to speak, and she took my silence as permission to keep going.
“I knew you’d ruin my son’s life, so I took matters into my own hands. The note was a bit much, but I needed you to believe he wanted you gone. I even ensured he couldn’t call you by taking his phone right out of his pocket when he wasn’t looking. You were supposed to take your things and get out of our lives, but here you are…”
An angry older woman | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t breathe. This woman had orchestrated everything, lied to her son, and got him to take her to the hospital under false pretenses before sneaking away, locked me out of my home, and stole his phone all because she disapproved of my daughters!
“You threw us out over that?”
“Of course,” she said, unbothered. “I even bribed a nurse at the hospital to keep him there. And it worked, didn’t it?”
I felt sick. “You’re deranged!”
“Call me what you want,” she sneered. “I call it protecting my family. Besides, my Derek always takes my side and will see things my way as usual.”
An arrogant older woman | Source: Midjourney
Her words echoed in my mind as I drove to the hospital where my husband was still waiting. With every mile, my anger grew. How could she justify such cruelty? My hands gripped the wheel tightly, knuckles white with fury.
I knew my MIL was mean, but I didn’t think she was evil! She never approved of my relationship or marriage to her son, always believing Derek deserved someone wealthier and fancier, unlike me.
An upset woman driving | Source: Midjourney
When I reached the hospital, I found my husband pacing in the waiting room, his eyes shadowed with worry.
“Jenna!” he said, rushing toward me. “Where have you been? I don’t have my phone or know your number by heart, so I couldn’t call you!”
“Your mother took your phone,” I cut him off. “She faked her illness and locked me out of the house!”
He froze, confusion and anger flashing across his face. “What? That doesn’t make any sense.”
A man at a hospital | Source: Midjourney
“She set me up, wrote a fake note from you sending me away, and bribed a nurse to lie to you,” I said, my voice trembling. “Lorraine’s at our house, sipping tea like she’s the queen of the world!”
“Wait. What? Why would she…”
“Because our daughters aren’t boys,” I said bitterly.
The shock turned to rage on his face. Without saying a word, he grabbed his keys and stormed out, with me following close behind. When we got home, Lorraine was exactly where I’d left her, looking utterly unbothered.
An older woman having tea | Source: Midjourney
But her smugness vanished when she saw the determined look on Derek’s face.
“Mom,” he said, his voice cold and sharp. “What did you do? I thought you were in the hospital?”
She opened her mouth, likely to lie, but Derek cut her off. “Save it. I know everything.”
“Derek, I was just trying to—”
“You’ve done enough,” he snapped. “You made me abandon my wife and children for a fake emergency! Then you locked my wife, who just gave birth, and our newborn babies out of our home! On top of that, you cut our ability to communicate during such a crucial time by stealing my phone!”
An angry man shouting | Source: Midjourney
“Derek, darling… I just wanted to keep you safe. This isn’t how this was supposed to go,” my MIL replied pleadingly.
“Keep me safe from my wife and children? Who told you I wanted boys? What makes you think my girls aren’t good enough for me just because of their gender? That’s a problem you have, not me, and if you want sons, I suggest you go make them yourself!”
I stood with my mouth agape, having never seen Derek this angry! I won’t lie, a part of me was proud that he was proving himself worthy of me by defending my and the children’s honor. At that moment, I loved him more than ever before!
A happy woman | Source: Midjourney
“Pack your things and leave,” he demanded.
She gaped at him, tears forming. “You can’t mean that. I’m your mother!”
“And Jenna is my WIFE! Those are my daughters! If you can’t respect them, you’re not part of our lives!”
For once, Lorraine was speechless. She stormed upstairs to pack, slamming doors as she went. Derek turned to me, his eyes full of remorse.
“I’m so sorry, my love. I didn’t know.”
I let out a shaky breath, the tension easing just a little. “I just want us to move forward.”
A happy woman with her man | Source: Midjourney
Lorraine left that night. My husband apologized repeatedly, vowing to make things right. And he did. He changed the locks, blocked his mother’s number, and even reported the nurse who had taken the bribe!
It wasn’t easy, but for months we worked on rebuilding our life. One evening, as I rocked Ella and Sophie to sleep, I realized Lorraine had tried to destroy us but only managed to bring us closer together.
A happy couple with their twins | Source: Midjourney
Sadly, Jenna isn’t the only daughter-in-law who has had to face a difficult MIL. In the following story, Michelle’s MIL surprises her and her husband with a DNA test for their son thinking it would finally break them up. But things didn’t play out in her favor, the way she imagined.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
I Recognized a Beggar as My Fiancé Who Disappeared from Our Wedding 8 Years Ago — His Explanation Shocked Me
I never expected to see Jacob, my ex-fiancé, again, especially not as a beggar in Central Park. Confronting him unveiled a shocking betrayal that left me questioning everything I knew about my past and the people I trusted most.
“Come on, Nina, just one more slice of pizza before you go,” my old friend Eric insisted, flashing his signature grin.
“No way,” I laughed, “I have a flight to catch. And a Central Park stroll to make, remember?”
Eric rolled his eyes but waved me off. “Fine, but you’ll regret missing out on another slice of genuine New York pizza when you’re back in boring old St. Louis,” he jibed.
New York City pictured from above | Source: Pexels
I laughed and hugged him and headed off to Central Park, savoring the last bit of my nostalgic trip. New York always had a way of making me feel so alive, but it also reminded me of Jacob somehow, and I had a strange feeling about him right then.
The weekend had been a whirlwind. I spent hours wandering through boutiques in SoHo, splurging on designer dresses and quirky accessories. The smell of leather from luxury handbags still lingered in my mind. Lunch at a trendy café, where I indulged in an avocado toast that tasted like heaven, was a highlight.
A woman shopping for dresses and shoes | Source: Pexels
Dinner at a swanky rooftop restaurant with Eric, overlooking the city lights, had been the perfect way to end my day. New York was a feast for the senses, a place where I could lose myself in the crowds and flavors.
Eight years had passed since my wedding day disaster. I was at peace with it, or so I thought. That was until I saw him.
There he was, on a bench, looking like a ghost from the past, disheveled and begging. My heart stopped. Could it really be Jacob, my long-lost fiancé? I had to know.
A woman talking to a destitute man in a park | Source: Pexels
“Jacob?” I approached cautiously.
He looked up, eyes widening in recognition. “Nina? Oh wow, it’s really you.”
“Yeah, it’s me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “What happened to you?”
He lowered his gaze, shame evident. “It’s a long story. Can we talk?”
I hesitated but then nodded, my curiosity getting the better of me. “Fine. Let’s get something to eat.”
A destitute man holding a sign | Source: Pexels
We walked to a nearby café, the awkward silence between us growing with each step. I ordered two coffees and a couple of burgers, glancing at Jacob, who seemed lost in thought.
I handed him his cup, our fingers briefly touching, sending a jolt of memories through me. We walked back into the park, found a bench under a large oak tree, and sat down, the city bubbling around us.
“Start from the beginning,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
A man eating food on a park bench | Source: Pexels
Jacob took a deep breath. “Two hours before our wedding, men came to my room. They said your father sent them.”
“My father?” I echoed, shocked.
“Yes,” he continued, “they took me away, beat me until I couldn’t remember anything. I ended up wandering, and now… this.”
I stared at him, disbelief mixing with pity. “Are you saying my father did this?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Jacob replied, eyes pleading for me to believe him.
I shook my head, trying to process it all. “They beat you up and then what?”
A woman eating a sandwich on a park bench | Source: Pexels
“They beat me until I couldn’t remember anything. I woke up in a hospital, bruised and disoriented. The doctors said I had amnesia,” Jacob explained, his voice trembling. “I didn’t even know my own name. They kept me for a while, but once I was physically stable, they discharged me. I had nowhere to go. No memory, no job, no life.”
I could see the pain in his eyes as he continued. “Without a past, I couldn’t move forward. I wandered the streets, trying to piece together fragments of who I was. The confusion and fear turned into depression. I couldn’t find work, couldn’t afford a place to stay. One bad turn led to another, and I ended up here, living day by day.”
A sad-looking man facing the camera | Source: Pexels
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Recently, some memories started coming back, but it’s like trying to grasp smoke. I remember bits of our life together, our plans, but it’s all so fragmented.”
Hearing this, my heart ached. The man I once loved had been reduced to this by forces beyond his control. “I… I don’t know what to say, Jacob. This is all so overwhelming.”
He nodded, understanding my struggle. “I get it, Nina. It’s a lot to take in. But I’m glad I got to tell you this now, so you can understand what happened to me.”
A woman on a bench with a concerned expression | Source: Pexels
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in. I looked at the man who once promised me a life together forever, now a shadow of his former self.
“I don’t know what to believe,” I finally said.
“I understand,” Jacob said quietly. “But I needed you to know.”
We finished our food in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. I got up to leave, looking at Jacob, still sitting on the bench.
“Take care, Jacob,” I said softly.
“You too, Nina,” he replied, not meeting my eyes.
A woman walking away in a park | Source: Pexels
I walked away, heart heavy with unresolved emotions. As I replayed our conversation in my mind, I suddenly realized I had left my bag on the bench next to Jacob.
Panicking, I rushed back and found it right where I had left it. My weekend in New York had taken a turn I never expected, and I wasn’t sure what to do next.
***
I spent the rest of the evening wandering the city, trying to shake off the encounter. The lights of Times Square, the crowds, and the noise all felt distant. I couldn’t get Jacob’s story out of my head.
A depiction of New York’s Times Square at night | Source: Pexels
“Hey, Nina, you alright?” Eric’s voice brought me back to reality as I found myself back at his apartment.
“Yeah, just… a lot on my mind,” I replied, forcing a smile. “I decided not to take that flight home yet.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he said, concerned.
“In a way, I did,” I admitted. “I ran into Jacob.”
Eric’s eyes widened. “Jacob? Your Jacob?”
“Yeah, he’s… a mess. He told me some crazy story about my dad having him kidnapped.”
Eric shook his head. “That sounds nuts. You believe him?”
A woman and man conversing on a sofa in an apartment | Source: Pexels
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “It’s too much to take in.”
“Look, why don’t you stay another day? Clear your head before you fly back,” Eric suggested.
“I can’t,” I said, though the offer was tempting. “I need to go home and sort this out.”
“Alright,” Eric said, giving me a hug. “But tell me if you need anything.”
The next morning, instead of heading straight to the airport, I found myself back at Central Park. The conversation with Jacob replayed in my mind. I had to understand more before leaving the city. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe, it was a need for closure.
A woman making a call on a cell phone outdoors | Source: Pexels
I wandered through the park, hoping to find Jacob again. As I passed by the bench where we had sat, a wave of emotion hit me. I sat down, trying to piece everything together.
I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease as I sat on the bench. Jacob’s story gnawed at me. It was too wild to be true, yet too detailed to be a lie. I needed answers.
“Hello, Dad?” I called my father, hoping for some clarity.
“Nina, what’s wrong? You sound upset,” he responded.
An older man talking on a cell phone | Source: Pexels
“I ran into Jacob,” I said, hearing the sharp intake of breath on the other end.
“That man has the nerve to show his face?” Dad’s voice was cold.
“He told me you had him kidnapped on our wedding day,” I blurted out.
“That’s absurd,” he replied, but there was hesitation in his voice.
“Is it? He said you hired men to beat him up and it left him with amnesia. He’s now homeless and lost in New York City.”
An woman sitting on a park bench with a cell phone in her hands | Source: Pexels
“Ridiculous. I paid him to leave you, Nina. He took the money and ran,” my father’s tone was harsh and defensive.
“So, you did interfere,” I said, anger rising.
“Yes, but for your own good. He wasn’t right for you,” he insisted.
“I can’t believe you,” I said, tears welling up. “You ruined everything.”
“Nina, please, I did it to protect you,” he pleaded, but I had already hung up and dropped my phone into my bag.
I sat for a long time, pondering what to do. Then it occurred to me to call Eric and ask him if I could stay longer in the city with him. As I rummaged in my bag for my phone, my pulse quickened.
A woman looks into in her handbag | Source: Pexels
My purse, which I had carefully placed inside, was missing. Then it hit me: yesterday, the bag had been on the bench between Jacob and me when we talked. The realization was like a punch to the gut. Had he taken my purse then? My trust, fragile already, shattered completely.
“Damn it,” I muttered, feeling panic and anger. I rifled through my bag, hoping I had just misplaced it, but it was nowhere to be found. A cold realization came over me. Jacob must have taken it when I had walked away and left it on the bench.
How could he do this? Was everything he said a lie? I felt betrayed all over again, by both Jacob and my father.
A woman contemplatives on a park bench | Source: Pexels
“Excuse me, miss, is everything alright?” a passerby asked, concern in his eyes.
“Not really,” I sighed, “but I’ll manage.”
I stood up, ready to face whatever came next. The past had reared its ugly head, but I wouldn’t let it define my future. It was time to move forward, one step at a time.
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you about a father who hid a letter addressed to his daughter from her boyfriend, only for her to find it years later.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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