**For the Sake of My Grandson, Despite the Betrayal**
*”I only wanted to help my children, to look after my grandson. I knew they were struggling, so I let my daughter-in-law go back to work,”* sighs Margaret with a heavy heart.
At fifty-five, she’s on disability pension, scraping by on a meagre income. Her eldest son is long grown, and her youngest daughter is at university, juggling part-time jobs to help out.
*”My son’s been married six years. Right after the wedding, he and his wife took out a mortgage. I told them to go for a one-bed—no point biting off more than they could chew—but they insisted on a two-bed. I couldn’t help; I was barely making ends myself. His in-laws weren’t in a position either,”* Margaret shares. She lives in a quiet town called Oakwood.
She’d always known her daughter-in-law, Emily, came from modest means. That never bothered her—but Emily’s family brought nothing but trouble.
*”Emily’s gran never worked a day, yet she raised five kids. Lived off the land, but barely scraped by. Only Emily’s mum, Susan, made something of herself. The rest of her siblings went downhill fast,”* Margaret recalls.
The eldest son drank himself to death, the middle daughter was jailed for theft, and the youngest son vanished without a trace. Then there was Emily’s older sister, Alice—seven years her senior—still mooching off their mother.
*”Alice married some good-for-nothing bloke. No kids. He’s in prison now—three years down, three to go. But she’s young, wants to enjoy life,”* Margaret says bitterly.
While Alice’s husband was free, he racked up debts, now paid off by Susan, Emily’s mother. Alice herself had moved back home, claiming disability benefits for extra cash. She worked, but her wages barely covered food and bills.
Susan begged Alice to divorce him, to pin some debts on him, but she refused—she’d follow him to hell and back. Then came another bombshell:
*”Our kids were doing alright, or so I thought. Then Susan told me she and her husband were divorcing,”* Margaret says, still stunned.
*”I couldn’t believe it. Thirty years together, and just like that—gone. Turned out he’d left her for a younger woman with three kids, leaving them high and dry,”* she says, shaking her head.
Soon after, Emily came to Margaret in tears. Money was tight, and her husband, James, had lost his side job. She’d been offered part-time work and begged Margaret to watch their son, Oliver.
*”Who else would help them? Susan was working, my daughter was studying—the rest only care about themselves. I told Emily I wasn’t sure I could manage. Oliver’s a lively one. But she just burst into tears!”*
In the end, Margaret agreed—but only at her own flat. She lived on the ground floor, with a gated garden, perfect for walks. Emily’s place wasn’t far, so dropping Oliver off was easy. Margaret pushed through the pain, taking her pills, doing her best.
Then one day, Oliver fell ill, and Margaret stayed at their house. Peering into the fridge, she gasped—it was bare as a bone. Just then, James rushed in to change.
*”Emily’ll be back soon, gotta dash!”* he called.
*”Where are you off to?”* Margaret asked.
*”Extra shift.”*
*”And that’s when it hit me,”* she says, voice trembling. *”They’d all lied. Emily wasn’t working to pay the mortgage—she was bailing out Alice! James was killing himself with two jobs, I was wrecking my health, and my daughter-in-law was saving her family!”*
Margaret was furious. She confronted her son, but he defended Emily, insisting she was doing it for *their* family. How could anyone lie so shamelessly?
She knew the fallout would ruin things—maybe she’d even lose Oliver. But she wouldn’t stand for the deceit. Her heart ached, but the truth mattered more.
*Sometimes love means saying no—even when it breaks you.*
