“Are we to assume that building this large house was a waste?” complained the mother-in-law, her tone sharp. “In that case, return half the cost!”
“I need to have a serious talk with you,” the woman with a short hairstyle said as she took a seat across from Charlotte. “Before you marry my son, there’s something you should know.”
The slender blonde gazed at her future relative, whom she had met only twice before, her brow furrowing with curiosity.
“You see, if you want to join our family, you must understand that the most important people to Michael are his parents!” Antonina declared proudly. “We don’t want a daughter-in-law who will attempt to boss my son around.”
“Am I bossy?” Charlotte interrupted.
“Please, let me finish! Have some patience,” the woman snapped.
Immediately, the girl lowered her eyes, her cheeks flushing. She did not wish to upset Michael’s mother.
Having just begun their relationship, Charlotte wanted to maintain a good impression.
“So, as I was saying,” Antonina continued, “our family has a clear plan: as soon as Michael gets married, we are all moving into a house that is nearly finished. We will live together as one big happy family!”
“Fantastic!” the girl replied, forcing a smile.
The woman raised an eyebrow in surprise, clearly not expecting the future daughter-in-law to concede so quickly.
“I’m delighted that you agree with us! I think we’ll become great friends,” Antonina winked slyly at Charlotte.
She immediately began praising the girl to her son, extolling her intelligence and caring nature.
Seeing this and understanding that a little extra support wouldn’t hurt, Charlotte decided to please Antonina even more.
She showered her with both thoughtful and spontaneous gifts, underscoring her affection.
A year later, fearing her son and Charlotte might not marry, Antonina began nudging him towards a significant decision.
“When are you going to propose?” she asked almost daily. “That girl will grow impatient and leave you; then you’ll regret it…”
After a moment’s thought and recognizing the truth in her words, Michael proposed to Charlotte, who happily accepted.
The cost of the wedding was taken on by the man’s parents, confirming in the girl’s mind she had made a wise choice in her partner.
For the first three months, the young couple lived in a rented flat, and then Antonina excitedly informed them that the house was ready for their move.
“Gather your things; we’ll get our belongings too!” the woman cheerfully announced to her son and daughter-in-law.
“Why? We’re comfortable here!” the girl frowned, having no intention of living with her in-laws.
“Why not?” the mother-in-law gasped in disbelief. “We agreed that as soon as the house was finished, we would move in together!”
“Move in if you like! Who’s stopping you?” Charlotte retorted, her attitude towards her relative changing abruptly.
Antonina was so taken aback by the girl’s declaration that she fell silent for a moment.
“Wait, you promised me,” the woman reminded calmly.
“Who knows what I said back then? I’ve changed my mind. I refuse to live with you!” Charlotte replied sternly. “We will live separately! By the way, since you’re moving out, Michael and I will move into your flat.”
“What? Put that idea out of your head!” the mother-in-law snapped. “Scammer!” she added in frustration before abruptly hanging up.
Charlotte listened to the few beeping tones on the line, perplexed, before hanging up.
Just then, she heard the phone ring in the kitchen where Michael was sitting.
She listened intently, realizing Antonina had called her husband to complain about her.
Half an hour later, once Michael had finished the call, Charlotte joined him in the kitchen.
From her husband’s expression, she could tell he was upset and angry. Michael turned to his wife and asked sternly:
“What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong?” Charlotte folded her arms.
“Mother called. She’s demanding money…”
“What? Money for what?!” the news caught Charlotte off guard and left her in shock.
“For the house. What did you promise her before the marriage?” Michael frowned. “To live there together?”
“Nothing,” Charlotte decided to play the fool.
“You approved of her plan for the house, didn’t you?” Michael asked, his tone strict.
“So what? I approved then but not now,” she averted her gaze.
“And I didn’t support her plan because I thought it was foolish! The house stood empty for three years, and after our wedding, my mother finally finished it. Apparently, it was because of you!” Michael gritted his teeth.
“Well, she finished it, didn’t she?” Charlotte shrugged. “What’s the problem?”
Her husband didn’t have the chance to respond before his mother called again. However, he made a clever move: he handed his phone to his wife, saying:
“Here, you talk to her!”
As soon as Antonina heard her daughter-in-law’s voice, she launched into her demands.
“Return the money for the house!” she stated firmly.
“What money? Have you lost your mind?” the woman snapped in irritation.
“Are you saying we built the house for nothing because of you?!” Antonina exclaimed in disbelief. “If that’s the case, you should return half the cost!”
“What half?” Charlotte ground her teeth in anger.
“Five hundred thousand! You owe me five hundred thousand!” Antonina shouted into the phone. “Or else…”
“What will you do to us? I didn’t sign any papers!” Charlotte retorted with a smirk.
“In that case, we will stop our communication!” the mother-in-law threatened.
“By all means!” Charlotte scoffed as she ended the call.
Antonina began demanding money from Michael, who found himself giving her fifty thousand pounds each month.
“You’ll only pay me off in ten years at this rate!” his mother complained. “Either move into the house or increase the payments.”
With no way to raise the amount, Michael conceded to his mother’s conditions.
Charlotte, however, did not approve of this plan, and after six months, the couple finally split.
