“Are you saying we built that house in vain?” Sarah exclaimed, visibly irritated. “Then you owe us half the costs!”
“We need to have a serious discussion,” the woman with short-cropped hair said as she sat down opposite Lily. “Before you marry my son, there’s something important you must know.”
The slender blonde stared at her future mother-in-law, having met her only twice before.
“Essentially, if you wish to join our family, you need to understand that the most important people to Peter are his parents!” proudly declared Antonia Brooks. “We don’t need a daughter-in-law who will try to boss around my son.”
“Am I trying to boss him?” Lily interrupted.
“Please let me finish! Have some patience,” the woman snapped back.
Immediately, Lily averted her gaze and her cheeks flushed crimson. She didn’t want to upset Peter’s mother.
Their relationship was still fresh, and Lily wished to make a good impression.
“Now, as I was saying,” Antonia continued, “our family has a plan: as soon as Peter marries, we all move into the house that’s nearly completed. We’ll live there together as one big happy family!”
“That sounds great!” Lily replied with a forced smile.
Antonia raised an eyebrow, surprised that her future daughter-in-law was so willing to compromise.
“I’m so pleased you’re on board! I think we’ll get along swimmingly,” Antonia said with a sly wink at Lily.
She immediately began praising Lily to her son, highlighting how wonderful, intelligent, and caring she was.
Seeing this, and realizing that extra support wouldn’t hurt, Lily became even more accommodating.
She gifted Antonia small tokens of affection, both on special occasions and for no reason at all, emphasizing her concern.
A year later, fearing that Peter and Lily might not marry, Antonia started nudging her son toward the important step.
“When are you going to propose?” she inquired nearly every day. “That girl won’t wait forever and will leave you; then you’ll regret it…”
After some thought, and deciding his mother was right, Peter proposed to Lily, who joyfully accepted.
Peter’s parents covered the wedding expenses, reinforcing Lily’s belief that she had chosen a fortunate partner.
For the first three months, the newlyweds lived in a rented flat, and then Antonia excitedly announced that the house was ready for them to move in.
“Gather your things; we’ll collect ours too!” she cheerfully informed her son and daughter-in-law.
“Why? We’re fine here!” Lily frowned, not at all looking forward to living with her in-laws.
“Why not?” Antonia was taken aback. “We agreed that as soon as the house was built, we’d move in!”
“Move in, who’s stopping you?!” Lily replied haughtily, her attitude toward her mother-in-law shifting dramatically.
Antonia was so shocked by Lily’s assertion that she fell silent for a few moments.
“Wait a minute, you promised me,” she reminded Lily, her tone restrained.
“Who knows what I might have said back then? My mind has changed, and I refuse to live with you!” Lily responded firmly. “We will live separately! By the way, if you’re moving out, Peter and I will move into your flat.”
“What? Curb your enthusiasm!” Antonia snapped, grinding her teeth. “Con artist!” she added in frustration and hung up.
Lily listened to the dial tone in bewilderment for a couple of seconds before placing the receiver down.
Just then, she noticed her husband’s phone ringing from the kitchen.
She strained to hear, realizing that Antonia was calling Peter to complain about her.
Half an hour later, after Peter had finished his conversation, Lily walked into the kitchen.
From his expression, Lily could tell that he was upset and angry. Peter looked at her and asked sharply:
“What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong?” Lily crossed her arms over her chest.
“Mother called. She’s demanding money…”
“What? What money, and for what?!” The news jolted Lily, leaving her slightly stunned.
“For the house. What did you promise her before we married?” Peter frowned. “To live in it together?”
“I promised nothing,” Lily said, deciding to play the fool.
“You approved her house plan, didn’t you?” Peter asked sternly.
“And what’s that to you? I endorsed it then, but I don’t want to now,” she averted her gaze.
“But I didn’t support her proposal because I thought she was being foolish! The house remained empty for three years, but after we married, she finished it. It turns out, because of you!” Peter gritted his teeth.
“Well, she finished it. What’s the problem?!” Lily threw her hands up.
Peter didn’t get a chance to retort as his mother called again. But he made a clever move: he handed his phone to Lily and said,
“Here, you talk to her!”
As soon as Antonia recognized Lily’s voice, she launched her attack.
“Return the money for the house!” she demanded firmly.
“What money? Are you out of your mind?” Lily shot back irritably.
“So we built that house for nothing because of you?!” Antonia fumed. “Then you owe us half the cost!”
“What half?!” Lily snarled in frustration.
“Five million! You owe me five million!” Antonia shouted into the phone. “Or else…”
“What will you do? I didn’t sign anything!” Lily replied maliciously.
“In that case, we’re done talking!” Antonia threatened.
“By all means!” Lily smirked and ended the call.
Antonia began demanding payment from Peter, who was forced to pay her fifty thousand pounds each month.
“At this rate, you’ll pay me back in ten years!” his mother complained. “Either move into the house or increase the payments!”
Since Peter had no way to raise the amounts, he agreed to his mother’s demand.
Lily disapproved of this arrangement, and after six months, the couple ultimately split.
