I always knew my mother-in-law disliked me, but I never imagined how far she would go.
When I got pregnant, she lost all reason. She interfered in everythingfrom choosing the cot to deciding what we ate for dinner. She constantly screamed that I wasnt good enough for her son.
And when the ultrasound revealed we were having a girl, she made such a scene that the nurses nearly called the police.
*You cant even give him a son. Youre worthless!* she shrieked across the room.
I was mortified and terrified all at once.
When labour began, I hoped things would change. But in vain.
She barged into the delivery room despite the doctors orders. The moment the midwife handed me my daughter, my mother-in-law snatched her from my arms, cradling her as if she were her own child. I nearly fainted from fear.
A week passed. I tried adjusting to life with a newborn while my husband worked. One evening, my mother-in-law walked in holding a thick envelope. She handed it silently to my husband.
He opened it. His face darkened, his hands trembled.
*What is it?* I asked, already filled with dread.
He looked at me like I was a stranger.
*Pack your things,* he said, his voice icy. *You and the baby are leaving. Im giving you one hour.*
The envelope contained a fake paternity test.
I was shattered. I begged him to listen, to reason with me.
*Have you lost your mind? Shes your daughter! Ive never cheated!*
*Stop lying! The DNA results dont lie!* he shouted, clenching his fists.
My mother-in-law stood in the corner, smirking.
That night, I was thrown out. I stood in the pouring rain with my baby, lost and alone.
Weeks later, I found shelter with a friend. Exhausted and heartbroken, I clung to one small hopeI had to uncover the truth.
I tracked down the lab where the test was supposedly done and demanded a new DNA analysis.
And the truth came out.
My mother-in-law had faked the documentsshe had manipulated the results. The real test confirmed my husband was the father.
I sent him the proof. For the first time in weeks, he called, his voice shaking.
*Im sorry I I didnt know*
*You trusted a piece of paper over me,* I said. *You let your mother destroy our family.*
He begged me to come back, but I couldnt.
I chose myselfand my daughter.
