I was lying in bed with a fever of 40 degrees when my mother-in-law drenched me in cold water and ordered me to get up and entertain gueststhats when I snapped.
My whole body ached, my throat felt like sandpaper, and my head pounded as if someone were hammering inside. All I wanted was a moments rest, wrapped tightly in my duvet, to escape the agony. Sleep seemed like the only mercy left.
I was asleep with a fever of 40 degrees when my mother-in-law poured cold water over me and demanded I get upthats when I snapped.
At first, I dreamed of dark, suffocating nightmaressinking into thick mud while unseen hands dragged me deeper. Then, a shock of icy water hit my face. I gasped, jerking awake, and squinted up at the figure looming over me.
“Still sleeping?!” Her voice, sharp as glass, cut through the fog in my head.
It was my mother-in-law, Margaret. Her face was rigid, lips pressed into a thin line, fists clenched. She stood there as if Id committed some unforgivable sin.
“Get up!” she barked. “The guests will be here in an hour! The house must be spotless! Set the table! Stop lazing about!”
I tried to speak, but my voice was a whisper. Weakly, I pushed myself up, wiping the freezing water from my face as shivers wracked my body.
I was asleep with a fever of 40 degrees when she drenched methats when I snapped.
“Mum Ive got a fever I can barely lift my head”
She waved me off.
“Oh, stop being dramatic! Everyone gets ill. I carried on when I was sickyou wont embarrass me in front of our guests!”
Something inside me broke. Her words werent just cruelthey were indifferent, cold as the water shed thrown.
And thats when I did it. The thing that made her beg for forgiveness later while I couldnt care less.
Slowly, I stood. My legs trembled, the room spun, but I walked past her without a word. My phone lay on the nightstandI grabbed it and dialled 999 right in front of her.
“Hello, ambulance? Im seriously unwell fever of 40, no strength, throat and head agony yes, the address is 24 Willow Lane.”
Margaret stiffened.
“What are you doing? We have guests coming!”
“*You* have guests. *I* have an infection and a fever. And this is *my* house.” For the first time, I said it plainly, without excuses.
As I packed my bag, she muttered in the kitchen about “ungrateful daughters-in-law.” But when the ambulance arrived twenty minutes later, I was ready. The paramedic checked my temperature, examined my throat, and frowned.
“Hospital. Now.”
I grabbed my coat and, before leaving, turned to Margaret.
“When I come back, you and your guests wont be here. And you wont step foot in this house again without my say. *Ever.*”
She opened her mouthbut I shut the door behind me.
