One evening, her husband returned from his mothers house, sighed deeply, and suggested a paternity test for their two-year-old daughter. *”Not for me,”* he muttered. *”For Mum.”*
Months earlier, he had come home with the same weary request: *”Its not about meits for her.”*
*”Half a year before our wedding, she never stopped telling him, Dont marry hershes not good enough for you!”* recalls Emily, her voice trembling with hurt. *”She said I was too pretty, that Id run around behind his back. Back then, we laughed. James joked he shouldve picked a mermaidno confusion there. But now? Theres nothing funny about this.”*
Emily doesnt consider herself a stunning beautyjust an ordinary woman from Manchester, well-groomed, modestly dressed, and firm in her boundaries. Why her mother-in-law, Margaret, branded her as reckless and unfaithful remains a mystery. But that woman turned Emilys life into a nightmare.
Married four years, with a daughter, Emily spends her maternity leave in an endless cycle of cooking, cleaning, and nappies. Her only company? Other mums at the playground. But Margaret wont rest. Convinced Emily is cheating, she watches her like a detective from a cheap telly drama.
*”Shes always spied on me,”* Emily whispers, tears welling. *”Phoning, checking, dropping by unannouncedcontrolling every move. At first, I brushed it off. James and I even laughed. But its exhausting. Ive lost my temper, weve rowed. Shed quiet down briefly, then return worse than ever.”*
The first scandal struck months after the wedding. Margaret stormed into Emilys workplace uninvitedno warning, no reason. Just suspicion. Did her daughter-in-law *actually* work there? Or was she lying to James, sneaking off with lovers instead?
*”I dont even know how she got past security!”* Emily recalls, voice shaking. *”Visitors need appointments! My assistant led her inYouve got a guest. I nearly fainted. Margaret, what are you doing here? She just said, Wanted to see where you work, scanning the room like a bloody inspector. Open-plan office, everyone at their desksnothing to hide. God knows what shed have done if I had my own office.”*
Later, her assistant, Sarah, admitted Margaret had grilled her. How long had Emily worked there? Was she ever late? Who did she talk to? *”She kept saying, Shes married, you know!”* Sarah added, baffled. Emily was livid. That night, she confronted James: *”Your mother crossed a line. Talk to herthis isnt normal! Short of checking under my desk for a lover, shes done it all!”*
James seemed to have a stern word. A ceasefire followed. Margaret only called in the evenings, asking about their day, sending homemade cakes. Emily dared to hope the storm had passed. She was wrong.
The next incident came when Emily was pregnant but still working. Home with flu, phone off, she was asleep when violent pounding shook the front doorthe bell ringing nonstop. *”I thought it was an emergency!”* she remembers. *”Peeked through the peepholeMargaret. Face like thunder, kicking the door, jamming the bell. Terrified, I called James: Get home nowI dont know whats happening! He took twenty minutes. She waited the whole time, glaring at the door.”*
They scolded Margaret. Emily threatened police and a psychiatrist if it happened again. *”Keep her away from me!”* she demanded. Another fragile peace settled.
Their daughter was born, but Margaret barely glanced at her granddaughter. The reason? She didnt believe the baby was Jamess. *”Of course,”* Emily scoffs bitterly. *”Im the town harlothow could the child be his?”* The logic? Jamess family only had boys. A girl, to Margaret, was proof of betrayal. *”I ignored the madness,”* Emily says. *”I dont speak to her. James visits monthlyjust him. Id never trust her with our daughter.”*
Then came the worst. One evening, James returned from his mothers, hesitated, and again proposed a paternity test. *”Not for me, EmilyI swear!”* he insisted, hands raised. *”Its for Mum. Shes lost it. Im sick of hearing this rubbish!”*
Emily laugheda sharp, hollow sound. *”For your mother?”* she repeated, voice quivering. *”Admit ityou believe her. Shell never stop. We could do three tests at different clinics, and shed say the doctors were paid off! I wont dance to her tuneenough!”*
*”Whats the harm in one test?”* James pressed.
*”Why bother?”* Emily stared at him, tears held back by sheer will. *”I know who her father is. Do you? If you need that test, fine. But firstwe file for divorce. I wont live with a man who doesnt trust me.”*
Her words hung like a verdict. Trust had shattered, all because of a mother-in-law whose poison seeped into their lives. Emily stands on the edge, unsure how to pull her family back from the abyss.
