Inside the box were the keys to a new apartment.
— This is your new home. You deserve to start your life on your own, — my mom said softly. — We sold our three-room apartment and bought two smaller ones. One for us, one for you.
— You had no right! — my mother-in-law screamed again at my parents. — They… they were supposed to live with us! This is wrong! How dare you interfere like this?!
The room fell silent. Everyone was staring at her. My mom replied calmly:
— We just want the children to live happily and independently. The rest is none of your business.
And that was it. In that moment, my mother-in-law’s mask fell completely. Her plan to turn me into an obedient helper collapsed in a single second. She stood there holding the box, trembling with rage, while I, for the first time in my life, felt relief.
After the wedding, we moved straight into our new apartment. I invited my mother-in-law to visit, but she only said:
— I’m not going to come to you as if you were my bosses.
We still don’t speak. And honestly — I don’t regret it.
