My wife Emilys parents gave us a truly generous wedding presentan entire flat! They handed over the keys with great ceremony, saying it would belong to us. Since it was in a brand-new building, they had bought it unfinished. My mother-in-law remarked that, as they had provided the flat, my own parents ought to help us with the renovations. My parents had already given us quite a bit of money as a gift, but still agreed to lend a hand with fixing up the place.
After the wedding, we decided to start the renovations at once. My father, being a builder by trade, sourced all the materials, and I pitched in as his assistant. Sometimes, Emily would join us, wielding a paintbrush or fetching supplies.
Emilys father also lent a hand from time to time. To save money, we chose not to rent the place out before the renovations were finished, and instead stayed with Emilys parents while we worked on our new home.
One day, while searching for a folder, my eyes fell upon some legal documents relating to the flat. Something about them immediately bothered and unsettled methe flat was registered in my mother-in-laws name!
That evening, after dinner, my father and I were meant to head out to buy tiles for the bathroom. I asked if we could postpone until the next day. I explained what I’d found and told him I needed to speak with Emilys family about it.
When everyone was at home, I asked as plainly as I could, “Why is the flat in your name, Mum? Why not Emilys?”
My mother-in-law gave a patronising laugh. “Oh, you are naive, arent you? To protect our Emily, of course.”
“Protect her? So what are you saying?”
“Well, if you divorce her, you might try to take half of our flat!”
“Our flat?” I said. “Do you think its fair that my dad and I are paying for all the renovations, nearly the value of half the flat? And besides, why are you assuming well end up divorcing? Weve only just got married!”
“Mum, I asked you to put the flat in my name,” Emily muttered, almost under her breath.
“So you knew about this trickery?” I asked her.
“No, its not like thatI knew, yes, but I begged Mum to put it in my name!”
“Oh, Emily, what a perfect start to our marriage, built on deceit and mistrust!”
A few days have now passed since I returned to my parents house. Im at a loss as to what I ought to do next. Emily tries to speak with me, but I need time to think it all through. I never expected such treachery from her family, though perhaps this is something all parents do
What should I do in this situation?
