Charlotte and Jack had been married for two years, and they loved each other deeply. However, there was often tension between them due to Charlotte’s relationship with her mother-in-law, Elizabeth.
Charlotte was kind and considerate, always trying to please everyone, especially her new family. Despite her efforts, she felt a distinct chill and distance from Elizabeth.
Although Elizabeth never criticized her openly, her looks, tone, and subtle hints made Charlotte feel like an unwelcome guest. Each visit to Elizabeth’s house left Charlotte anxious.
“Jack, I get the feeling your mother doesn’t like me,” she confided worriedly to her husband.
Jack would sigh, putting aside the book he was reading, and say, “You’re imagining things again. Mum respects you; she’s just reserved by nature. You know how difficult it was for her, raising us alone after Dad passed away.”
“I understand she’s had a tough time, but why do I feel she’s constantly criticizing me behind my back?” Charlotte persisted.
“You’re imagining things, Char…”
“No! I told you about the conversation I overheard between Elizabeth and your grandmother. She called me incompetent and said she doesn’t like me,” Charlotte reminded him.
“You can’t be sure who they were talking about. Can we talk about something nice instead? How about going to see a new movie tomorrow?” Jack tried to change the subject.
But Charlotte couldn’t just shake off her doubts. She felt that Elizabeth disapproved of her family, even though she never expressed it openly.
After another visit to her in-laws, Charlotte made up her mind to confirm her suspicions. The next time she visited, she planned to bring a voice recorder with her.
Unseen, Charlotte slipped into the kitchen and hid a small recorder among the kitchen towels, a device she had bought months ago for recording university lectures.
She tried to act normally, helping Elizabeth prepare dinner. Once back home, Charlotte went to bed without mentioning her plan to Jack. The next day, she quietly returned to Elizabeth’s, under the pretense of offering household help, but her real intention was to retrieve the recorder.
Finding it exactly where she left it, Charlotte, full of nerves, returned home. That evening, when Jack came back from work, she approached him with a mysterious look.
“Jack, let’s listen to something,” she said, holding the recorder.
“What is it?” he asked, surprised as he hung up his coat. “Is that a recorder? What’s on it?”
“Just listen, please,” Charlotte insisted and played the recording.
At first, there were ordinary kitchen sounds—water running, clinking dishes, and small talk about the weather. Then came Elizabeth’s irritable voice; it was clear she was speaking on the phone.
Her voice grew louder and sharper. “I can’t calm down. What was my son thinking, marrying her? She can’t cook to save her life! Who is she even? They can’t even boil a kettle in that family! Her mother is just as bad; they’re all the same.”
More unkind remarks about Charlotte’s appearance and manners followed. Elizabeth finished her tirade and turned on the television.
At this, Charlotte turned off the recording. She looked at Jack, her eyes filled with hope and fear.
“Do you see now? I was right,” she said, barely holding back tears.
Jack was silent, his eyes cast down, filled with discomfort and confusion. He understood that his mother had acted improperly, but also found it hard to condone Charlotte’s sneaky behavior in recording the conversation.
“Mum has always been blunt,” he finally said, meeting his wife’s eyes. “Maybe she just said those things in a moment of frustration…”
“Frustration?!” exclaimed Charlotte, feeling betrayed. “Frustration that leads her to insult me and my family? That’s a convenient excuse!”
“Maybe she’s just on edge… Can we try talking to her, calmly explain?”
“No, Jack! I won’t endure this humiliation any longer! If you can’t stand up for me, we need to reconsider our relationship!” With that, Charlotte dashed out of the room, leaving Jack to wrestle with his heavy thoughts.
Realizing he had to address the situation, later that evening, when tensions had simmered down, Jack called his mother.
He explained the situation and asked Elizabeth to apologize to Charlotte for her harsh words.
“You can’t behave like this, Mum… It’s just too much.”
“She recorded me? Without my permission? Who does she think she is?! I’ll go to the police! And you want me to apologize to her after that? She should be begging for my forgiveness!” Elizabeth erupted.
“Stop, Mum!” Jack interrupted sharply. “Do you hear yourself?”
“Oh, I hear you loud and clear! She’s not welcome in my house anymore, you understand? I’ll check my entire home for any more of her recorders. I can’t say a word in my own home! And you, instead of supporting your mother, are taking her side! I’m going to her university tomorrow to demand they expel that snake!”
“Don’t you dare!” Jack shouted into the phone, realizing Elizabeth had overstepped.
“I’ll do what I want! Who do you think you are to tell me differently?” Elizabeth laughed and hung up.
Jack made several attempts to call his mother again, to no avail. Fearing she might cause trouble, he went to her house to dissuade her from embarrassing Charlotte. However, knowing full well the purpose of his visit, Elizabeth refused to let him in.
Upon calming down, Elizabeth decided not to take action, planning instead to simply bar Charlotte from her home and turn Jack against her.
Seeing through Elizabeth’s ploy, Jack started visiting his parents less frequently.
