Arthur and Alice had been married for two years. They were deeply in love, but tension often arose because of Alice’s relationship with her mother-in-law.
Alice was always kind-hearted and considerate, especially trying to win over her new family.
Despite her efforts, Alice felt a sense of coldness and detachment from Margaret.
Margaret never said anything negative to Alice’s face, but her expressions, tone, and subtle hints made Alice feel unwelcome.
Every time Alice returned from visiting Margaret, she was deeply troubled.
“Arthur, I feel like your mother doesn’t like me,” Alice said anxiously to her husband.
Arthur would sigh, put his book aside, and grumble, “What are you imagining now? Mum respects you; she’s just reserved. You know how tough it was for her raising us alone after Dad passed.”
“I understand she had a hard time, but I feel like she constantly criticizes me behind my back.”
“That’s your imagination, Alice…”
“No! I told you how I overheard her talking to your grandmother, saying I’m useless and not to her liking,” Alice reminded him.
“You don’t know for sure who she was talking about. Let’s talk about something nice instead. How about going to see the latest film tomorrow?” Arthur suggested, trying to change the subject.
Yet Alice couldn’t easily shake off her doubts. She knew her mother-in-law didn’t like her family, though it was never openly said.
After another visit to Margaret’s, Alice decided to put her doubts to rest.
Next time visiting, Alice planned to take a small recorder with her.
Quietly, she sneaked into the kitchen and hid the recorder among the kitchen towels—a device she’d bought months ago to record lectures at university.
Then she behaved as usual, helping Margaret prepare dinner.
When they got home, Alice went to bed without mentioning her plan to Arthur.
The next day, she made an excuse to go back to Margaret’s, pretending to help with chores, but her real aim was to recover the recorder.
Finding it in the same spot, she returned home, trembling with nerves.
That evening, when Arthur came back from work, Alice approached him mysteriously.
“Arthur, let’s listen to something,” she said, tightly gripping the recorder.
“What’s this?” her husband asked, surprised, taking off his coat. “A recorder? What’s on it?”
“Just listen, please,” Alice insisted, and she turned it on.
At first, there were normal kitchen noises: clattering dishes, conversations about the weather.
Then Margaret’s irritated voice followed. It was clear she was making a call.
As soon as someone answered, Margaret’s voice grew louder and sharper.
“I can’t calm down. What on earth was my son thinking when he married her? She has no clue how to cook!” she said indignantly. “And where did she come from? Her family can’t even make a proper cup of tea! It’s obvious her mother is just like her. They’re all the same…”
What followed were even harsher remarks about Alice’s appearance, manners, and family.
After Margaret cheerfully ended the call and turned on the TV, Alice stopped the recording. She looked at Arthur with a mix of hope and fear.
“Do you see now that I was right?” she asked, struggling to hold back tears.
Arthur remained silent, looking down in embarrassment. He felt awkward and confused.
On one hand, he realized his mother’s behavior was unacceptable, but on the other, it was tough to accept Alice had eavesdropped on her conversations.
“Mum’s always been straightforward,” he finally said, meeting his wife’s eyes. “Maybe she spoke in the heat of the moment…”
“The heat of the moment?” Alice exclaimed, feeling betrayed. “She insults my family and me? That’s quite the excuse you’ve found for her!”
“Maybe she’s just stressed… Let’s try talking to her calmly, explain how she makes you feel…”
“No, Arthur! I won’t endure these humiliations any longer! If you can’t defend me, then maybe we need to reconsider our relationship!” With these words, Alice ran out of the room, leaving him alone with his heavy thoughts.
He understood that the situation required immediate resolution but didn’t know the right course of action.
Later, when tempers had cooled, Arthur decided to call his mother.
He explained the situation, asking Margaret to apologize to Alice for her hurtful words.
“Mum, this isn’t right… This has gone too far…”
“She listened in on me? Recorded my conversation? Who gave her permission?! How dare she? I’ll call the police and have her charged for invading my privacy!” Margaret cried. “And you want me to apologize to her? She should be begging at my feet for forgiveness!”
“Mum, stop!” Arthur cut in sharply. “Do you hear yourself?!”
“I hear you perfectly well! I don’t want her in my house ever again! Do you hear me? I’ll even check if she’s planted recorders all over my house next time. Nothing’s private anymore!” Margaret sobbed. “And you, instead of defending your mother, you’re siding with her! I’ll go to her university tomorrow and demand they expel her!”
“Don’t you dare!” Arthur shouted into the phone, realizing his mother had crossed a line.
“I wasn’t asking you!” Margaret sneered and hung up.
Arthur tried calling back several times, but to no avail.
Worried about what his mother might do, he went to see her in person to convince her not to do anything rash and to spare Alice any embarrassment.
However, Margaret didn’t even open the door, having already guessed what the conversation would be about.
When Margaret finally calmed down, she decided not to take any drastic action but resolved to keep Alice out of her home and to turn Arthur against her.
Arthur quickly realized what his mother was planning and began visiting his parents less frequently.
