After giving birth to my first children, I thought my husband would start prioritizing us over his mother. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. He chose her side over mine one too many times, and this last incident pushed me to reveal her for the manipulative and dishonest person she was.

You’d expect bringing home your newborn twins to be one of the happiest moments of your life. For me, it started wonderfully, but it soon turned into a dreadful experience.

After three days in the hospital, recovering from an exhausting delivery, I was finally discharged. I was eager to head home with my beautiful twin daughters, Ella and Sophie. I had envisioned this moment for months, dreaming of Derek, my husband, arriving at the hospital with flowers and tears of joy as he took one of the girls into his arms.

Instead, at the last minute, I received a rushed phone call that changed everything…

“Hey, darling,” my husband said, sounding tense. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t come and pick you and the kids up as planned.”

“What?” I asked, adjusting Sophie’s swaddle. “Derek, I just had twins. What’s so important that you can’t—”

“It’s my mom,” he cut in. “She’s not well. Serious chest pains. I need to take her to the hospital near her place.”

His words were like ice water poured over me. “What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Derek, I really need you here.”

“I know,” he replied, sounding frustrated. “But this happened suddenly, and it’s urgent. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”

I clenched my teeth, trying to suppress the urge to scream in disappointment and frustration, but I managed to say, “Fine. I’ll get a taxi.”

“Thank you,” he murmured before hanging up.

My husband’s mother lived in another city, so the idea that he could return that day to get me and the babies was unrealistic. Knowing how devoted Derek was to his mother, he wouldn’t leave her alone, hence the taxi.

Once the line went dead, my spirits fell. I wanted to believe Derek wasn’t being inconsiderate, just overwhelmed and engrossed by his mother’s needs. Yet the let-down was real. The same mother-in-law (MIL) who had insisted we get her a set of house keys to help with the babies was now apparently ill.

Shaking off the feeling, I carefully placed the girls in their car seats, which Derek had delivered the day before, and we hailed a cab.

As we arrived home, I was hit with disbelief. My suitcases, diaper bags, and even our crib mattress lay scattered across the front lawn and by the doorstep! A knot of unease tightened in my stomach. I paid the driver, nervously stepping out with the twins. Clearly, something was terribly amiss…

Approaching the front door, I fumbled with my keys, calling out my husband’s name on reflex, despite knowing he wouldn’t be home. The key didn’t turn. Puzzled, I tried again, to no avail. Just then, I noticed a folded note taped to a suitcase.

Get out of here with your little moochers! I know everything. Derek.

My heart froze, and my breath caught. Trembling, I reread the note, hoping it was some dreadful joke or hallucination. This couldn’t be real. Not Derek…

This was the man who supported me through every doctor appointment, who wept when we first heard our daughters’ heartbeats. But the nightmare of that day was only beginning…

Craving answers, I called him instantly. Straight to voicemail. Tried again. Voicemail. Panic set in as the twins’ cries grew louder. Desperately rocking their car seats, my mind raced.

“Mom,” I murmured as I dialed her number, my hands shaking.

“Jenna?” My mom answered immediately. “What’s the matter? Are the twins alright?”

Words caught in my throat as I struggled to explain, barely holding myself together. I hated to worry her, given her health, but this situation was dire.

“Derek… He changed the locks. He threw my stuff outside. There was a hateful note, Mom.”

“WHAT?!” Her voice shot up. “Stay there. I’m on my way.”

Minutes dragged into what felt like hours until she arrived. The moment she saw the chaos, her eyes narrowed, filled with indignation.

“This doesn’t add up! Derek wouldn’t do this; he loves you and the girls!”

“That’s what I thought,” I replied, cradling Ella to ease her cries. “But he’s not picking up. And what does ‘I know everything’ even mean?” I questioned, showing her the malicious note.

“I’m so sorry, love,” she said, holding me close. “Let’s go to my place until we can reach Derek, alright?”

With her help, we loaded everything into her car and headed to her house. Once there, she and I picked apart the events, repeatedly trying to get Derek and growing more anxious with each ring’s silence. Sleep was elusive that night.

By morning, I resolved to find out the truth. Leaving the twins with Mom, I drove back to see what could be salvaged. The yard was empty, my belongings gone. I knocked on the door. No reply. Circling to the back, I peeked through the windows and stood in shock.

Derek’s mother, Lorraine, was sitting at the dining table, leisurely sipping tea! I thumped on the door, catching her attention, startled, almost spilling her tea before she saw me and smirked.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, pounding on the door again.

Lorraine stood, opening the door slightly. “Jenna. You saw the note; you’re not welcome here.”

“Where’s Derek?” I pressed. “Why did he—”

“He’s at the hospital in my city,” she said smoothly. “He’s taking care of his sick mother.”

My disbelief grew. “Sick? You’re right here!”

She shrugged, a malicious smile forming. “Perhaps I recovered quickly. Miracles do happen.”

“You lied to him, didn’t you? You pretended to be ill!”

Her smile widened further. “And?”

My fists clenched. “Why? Why do this to us?”

She crossed her arms, enjoying the moment.

“I warned Derek our family needed a boy to carry on the family name. But you? You gave us two girls. Worthless,” she finally admitted, revealing her longstanding grievances toward my existence in her son’s life.

Her words were a blow to my senses. Too stunned to speak, I let her continue.

“I foresaw you’d wreck my son’s life, so I took charge. The note was a drastic measure, but I needed you to think he wanted you gone. I even swiped his phone when he wasn’t looking, ensuring no communication between you two. You were meant to pack up and vanish from our lives, yet here you are…”

This revelation left me gasping for breath. This woman had manipulated everything, deceived her son into taking her to the hospital under false pretenses, and locked me out, all because she disliked my daughters!

“You threw us out for that?”

“Naturally,” she replied, unfazed. “I even bribed a hospital nurse to keep him there. And it worked, didn’t it?”

I felt my stomach churn with disbelief. “You’re insane!”

“Label me as you wish,” she sneered. “I see it as safeguarding my family. Derek always backs me up and he’ll come around to my way of thinking, invariably.”

Her words echoed in my mind as I drove to the hospital. Each mile fueled my anger. How could she justify such malevolence? My grip on the steering wheel tightened, fury surging through me.

I had always known Lorraine was difficult, but I never imagined her to be truly wicked. She never approved of my marriage to her son, believing Derek deserved someone more affluent.

Reaching the hospital, I found Derek pacing the waiting room, shadows of worry in his eyes.

“Jenna!” he exclaimed, rushing toward me. “Where have you been? I don’t have my phone, and I didn’t memorize your number!”

“Your mother took your phone,” I interrupted. “She faked illness and locked me out!”

His face shifted from confusion to anger. “What? That’s…that can’t be right.”

“She wrote a fake note sending me away and bribed a nurse to lie to you,” I explained, my voice quivering. “Lorraine is at our house, sipping tea like she owns it!”

“Wait, what? Why would she…”

“Because our daughters aren’t boys,” I said, bitterness edging my voice.

His shock morphed into fury. Without another word, he grabbed his keys, heading out with me close behind. Back home, Lorraine sat undisturbed as before.

Her confidence faltered seeing Derek’s resolute expression.

“Mom,” he said firmly. “What have you done? I thought you were hospitalized!”

She opened her mouth, likely to spill more lies, but Derek silenced her. “Enough. I know everything now.”

“Derek, I was only trying to—”

“You’ve done quite enough,” he snapped. “You’ve forced me to desert my wife and children for a false crisis! You locked my wife and twins out, leaving us unable to communicate!”

“Derek, dear… I just wanted to keep you safe…it wasn’t supposed to end this way,” my MIL pleaded weakly.

“You thought to keep me safe from my wife and kids? Who said I wanted sons? My daughters not good enough for you? If sons are what you seek, find them yourself!”

I watched in shock, never having seen Derek so angry before. Pride swelled within me. In that role moment, he was proving his loyalty to us. I loved him deeply, perhaps more than ever!

“Pack up and leave,” he commanded.

She stared, tears starting to pool. “You can’t mean that, Derek. I’m your mother!”

“And Jenna is my WIFE! These are my daughters! If you can’t respect them, you’re not part of our lives!”

Finally, Lorraine fell silent. She stormed upstairs, slamming doors as she packed. Derek turned to me, eyes full of remorse.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I truly didn’t know.”

I released a long-held breath, feeling the tension unwind. “I want us to focus on our future.”

Lorraine left that very night. Derek apologized continuously, committed to setting things right. True to his word, he improved our situation, changing locks, blocking her number, and reporting the bribed nurse!

As challenging as it was, our resolve to rebuild was strong. One evening, as I cradled Ella and Sophie, I reflected on how Lorraine’s cruelty only strengthened our family bond rather than shattering it.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been altered to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any similarities to actual persons or events are purely coincidental.

The author and publisher claim no accuracy in the depictions and are not liable for misinterpretations. This narrative is offered “as is,” with any opinions being those of the characters, not necessarily reflecting the views held by the author or publisher.