“That’s Not Your Daughter – Are You Completely Blind? When My Mother-in-Law’s Doubts Cast a Shadow Over Our Family, Only a DNA Test Could End the Drama”

Author Wanda MirandaReading 5 minViews 2

Thats not your daughter, are you completely blind?

Id only been with my now-husband for just under a year when I was first introduced to his mother. Back then, I had no idea how suspiciousand frankly negativeshed become towards me and our daughter, who was born after we got married. The trouble started because our little girl arrived with classic fair hair and bright blue eyes, which was rather a shock, since my husband and his younger brother have the kind of looks youd expect on the cover of a Spanish holiday brochure.

While I was still on the maternity ward, my mother-in-law called to congratulate me and, presumably, check if her grandchild had horns or hooves. So, we arranged a visit. The moment she laid eyes on our daughter, her expression froze like shed accidentally swallowed a lemon, and in the middle of the hospital corridor she asked, quite openly:

Well, have they swapped your baby?

Everyone within earshot gawked at us, while she stared me down, awaiting an answer. I muttered awkwardly that swapping babies was unlikely, seeing as I had been firmly glued to my tiny human for the entire process.

Mother-in-law clearly still had thoughts left unsaid, but contained herselfat least until we were back home. As my husband and I admired our baby, she blurted out:

Thats not your daughter. Are you entirely blind, or just playing at it?

My husband froze mid-coo, staring at his mother. But she pressed on:

She doesnt look a thing like you, and doesnt look like her mum either. Ever thought about why that might be? Its obviousa different bloke must be involved!

Thankfully, my husband proved gallant, promptly escorting his mum out before she could start burning me at the stake. I was so upsetafter all wed been through, especially a difficult pregnancyonly to have my first moments with a happy, healthy daughter clouded by accusations! I’ll never forget when they first showed me my wailing, pink-cheeked little drama queen, and the doctor joked, What a set of pipes! Youve given birth to a future pop star, you have!

I managed a weak smile, hugged my daughter, and let the fantasy of idyllic family gatherings swirl in my mind. That fantasy crashed down pretty quickly.

After her dramatic exit, my husband tried to reassure me, but the mood had soured. If anything, his mum doubled down. The phone calls started, peppered with unsubtle digs every time shed pop over, always accompanied by little observations about our bundle of joy and the questionable authenticity of her DNA.

Not once did she hold her granddaughter. She seemed desperate to corner my husband alone, always working up to the inevitable request for a paternity test. She could natter for England, and naturally, I heard every word from the next room. My husband kept saying he believed me, that his mother was being ridiculous, but she always scoffed:

Go on, prove it then!

Eventually, Id had enough. I strode into the kitchen and cut her off mid-speech:

Seriously, if youre that bothered, lets do the test. Ill even buy you a lovely frame for the results, so you can hang it above your bed and gaze lovingly at your grandsons certificate!

Her eyes flashed, but my sarcasm was so thick you couldve cut it with a butter knife.

So, we did the test. My husband barely glanced at the results, already knowing exactly what they would say. The mother-in-law went through every page, handed it back, and grunted. I couldnt resist one last jab:

So, which frame shall I go foroak or walnut?

She huffed:

Shes mocking me! Probably got your mate at the lab to do it. My younger sons child is the spitting image of himolive skin, big dark eyes. Thats how its meant to be!

Honestly, the test shed put so much stock in changed nothing. The drama rumbled on. Five years slipped by, with our family gatherings feeling more like boxing matches. Then I fell pregnant again, three months after my brother-in-laws wife. Oddly, we got along brilliantlyevery time my mother-in-law launched another round of Whos the daddy? they just rolled their eyes.

Soon enough, my brother-in-laws wife also had a girl. We all met her as they came out of hospital, and when I peeked under the blanket, I nearly laughed tea out of my nose. There was a tiny clone of my own daughter! Everyone glanced at me; grinning, I quipped:

Oh, come on thenare you sure this one isnt from my secret lover?

Everyone laughed, except the mother-in-law who went beetroot red. For the first time, she said nothing. Something shifted. Not only did she stop the ridiculous comments, I soon saw her playing dolls with my daughter. At that moment, I knew the ice had finally thawed.

Nowadays, my daughters the eldest and somehow the favourite, covered in our little darling!s and my precious blueberry!s, plus enough gifts to open a toy shop. My mother-in-law is now determined to make up for all those frosty years, spoiling her rotten.

I dont hold a grudge, but I confess theres still a faint twinge when I remember those early days. Maybe time will heal it. After all, in England, we dont stay cross for longparticularly if theres cake involved.

“Don’t You Dare Touch My Mum’s Things,” My Husband Warned Me — “Those clothes belonged to my mother. Why did you pack them up?” my husband asked, his voice suddenly that of a stranger. “We should throw them out. Why keep them, Steve? They take up half the closet, and I need space for the winter duvets and spare pillows. Everything’s a mess,” I replied, all practicality as I cleared his late mother’s neat blouses, skirts, and summer dresses from their hangers. Valerie Ferguson always hung her clothes with care, a habit she’d instilled in her son. Meanwhile, my own wardrobes were chaos — every morning a dive for something to wear, complaining there was nothing suitable, frantically steaming creased jumpers that looked like they’d been chewed up and spat back out by a cow. Only three weeks had passed since Steve laid his mum to rest. Valerie needed help — palliative care by the end — and peace and quiet at home. Stage 4 cancer took her quickly. Steve had brought her to live with us, and she faded in just a month. Now, coming home from work, he found her things dumped in the hallway like rubbish and stood dumbstruck. Was that it? That’s how things were to be — his mum cast aside and forgotten? “Why are you looking at me like Karl Marx at a factory owner?” I shot back. “Don’t touch those things,” Steve hissed through gritted teeth, the blood pounding in his head. “What do we need with all this old junk?” I snapped, losing my temper. “You want to start a living museum for your mother? She’s gone, Steve. You need to accept it! If only you’d shown this much care when she was alive. Maybe if you’d visited more, you’d have known how ill she’d become.” Steve flinched at my words as if struck. “Go. Just go, before I do something I regret,” he managed. I snorted. “Fine. Psycho.” Anyone who dared disagree with me, in my book, always had to be a bit touched. Still in his shoes, Steve marched to the wardrobe in the hall, climbed on a stool, and took down one of those old tartan bags — we had seven from our last house move. Carefully he folded every item of Valerie’s, stacking them neatly. Her coat and a bag of shoes on top. Our three-year-old son bustled around, ‘helping’, tossing his toy tractor in the bag too. At last, Steve fished out a key from the hallway drawer and slipped it in his pocket. “Where are you going, Daddy?” Steve smiled bitterly, hand on the door. “I’ll be back soon, mate. Go to Mummy.” “Wait!” I called from the lounge. “You’re leaving? Where to? What about dinner?” “No thanks. I’ve had enough of how you’ve treated my mum.” “Oh, come off it. Why the drama? You’re going out at this hour?” He was already gone, firing up the car and pulling away, aimlessly following the dull traffic of the North Circular, his mind crowded with grief, everything else — work, holidays, silly memes — shrinking away. Only a single thought trudged across his mind like a great, heavy tortoise: what mattered most — his children, his wife… and his mum. All his regrets poured down: not visiting enough, always distracted, always busy — and his mum never asking for help, never wanting to trouble him. He put calls off, cut conversations short. And now, it was far too late. He stopped at a roadside café, wolfed down something quick, then drove three more hours to his old village. By nightfall, he parked outside his mum’s house — the home of his childhood. Nothing was visible in the darkness. Fumbling with the gate lock by phone light, he saw five missed calls from me. He switched to silent and left it there. The air smelled sweet and thick, heavy with the last of the lilacs, moths fluttering in the darkness. He unlocked the door; the porch lit dimly. By the second door: his mum’s battered slippers, ones he’d gifted years ago — navy blue, with two red bunnies on the toes. He stood still for a moment, staring. Hello, Mum, are you waiting for me? No, she wasn’t. The house smelled of old furniture and damp. The lounge gleamed with a newer sofa he’d bought her, a television, the fridge left open. Nobody lived here now. Her bedroom, small, neat, her bed made with a pyramid of pillows, a white throw. Steve sat on the edge, remembering this was once his room, then his brother’s. His mum had moved her things in after they left. He sat in silence, staring at the wardrobe as if expecting his mother to step out. His vision blurred with tears. He doubled over, face pressed to his knees, and sobbed. All that was left were unsaid words from her last day, memories and a thousand thank-yous that stuck in his throat, too late to utter. “Don’t look at me like that, Steve,” she’d whispered. “I was so happy with you.” He’d wanted to thank her — for his childhood, for sacrifices, for love, for the security she’d given. He’d wanted to say, “Thank you for the safe harbour you made. Thank you, for always bringing me back home, no matter how many mistakes I made.” But he’d sat there, too clumsy for the words, feeling everything he might say sounded grandiose and outdated; our modern age has no language for proper gratitude — only for cynicism and empty words. He slept on top of the made bed, wrapped in a woollen blanket from the chair. He woke at seven. Always seven, no matter what. He fetched the bag from the car. The birches lining the garden across the road shimmered in pale-green spring, like young ladies at a garden party. Steve stood and breathed in the birdsong, the freshness, feeling lucky for having grown up here, not in a concrete block. He stretched and started carefully putting his mum’s clothes back in her wardrobe, one by one, folding, hanging, arranging her shoes below. At last, he stepped back and saw her there, in those same outfits, smiling that soft, motherly smile, wordlessly saying “I love you.” He rested his hand on her dresses, hugging them close, breathing her scent. What to do with them now, he still didn’t know. Finally, he returned to the present and called work, then texted me: “Sorry I got angry. I’ll be home tonight. Love you.” The garden paths burst with daffodils and tulips, and he picked a handful plus some lily-of-the-valley from behind the gooseberry bush — a strange bouquet for the graves. There were three waiting: brother, father, mother. Flowers laid, chocolate for each, and a piece of cheese for his mum — the cheese she’d always asked for from the village shop. Their smiles beamed from the gravestones as he remembered childhood mischief, dawn fishing trips with his dad, his mother’s voice calling his name across the fields. He stood and smoothed the dark soil of his mother’s grave. “Mum, I’m sorry… I should have done more. Life’s so empty now you’re gone, no matter how independent we thought we were. Thank you for everything. You and dad were the best parents. How did you do it? Olya and I… we’re selfish. Thank you, for everything, and you too, little brother.” Heading home along the footpath, nibbling on stalks of fresh grass, Steve ran into an old mate, already drinking and looking worse for wear. “Hey, Steve, back again?” “Yeah, just visiting,” Steve replied. “You ought to look after your mum; she’s a diamond — she won’t be here forever,” he said, brushing past. “Alright, fair enough. Take care, Steve,” the drunk mumbled after him. “Goodbye, mate,” Steve called, not looking back.

Marrying a Disabled Man: A Story Thank you for your support, your likes, your interest and your feedback on my stories, for subscribing, and a HUGE thank you from me and my five cats for all your donations. Please share any stories you’ve enjoyed on social media—authors appreciate it! My daughter came home late from her shift at the trauma clinic where she works as a nurse. She took a long shower and then, wearing her dressing gown, came into the kitchen. “There are some pork chops and pasta in the pan,” I suggested, peering at her face to see what was wrong. “Tired, Lucy? Why the glum mood?” “I’m not eating, I look awful enough as it is—if I gain weight, no one will even glance at me,” Lucy replied gloomily, pouring herself some tea. “Nonsense,” I exclaimed. “You’re perfectly fine—your eyes are clever, your nose and lips quite normal—don’t be so hard on yourself, Lucy.” “It’s just that all my friends have long been married, except me! Only the oddest blokes seem to like me. The ones I fall for don’t even notice me. What’s wrong with me, Mum?” she asked, waiting for an answer. “You just haven’t met your fate yet, that’s all—the time will come,” I tried to reassure her, but Lucy only grew more upset. “Right, well, ‘clever eyes’ because they’re tiny, thin lips and just look at my nose! If we had the money, I’d get plastic surgery, but we’re poor! So I’ve decided I’ll marry someone disabled—there are men at the clinic who got dumped by girlfriends after an accident or injury. What else am I supposed to do? I’m thirty-three, I can’t wait any longer!” “Oh, Lucy, don’t say that—your dad’s never been steady on his feet. I’d hoped my son-in-law would help at the allotment—such a big help for us, or how will we manage?” I blurted out, then rushed to backtrack. “Not that you should marry anyone just for that, Lucy, but not everyone is well-off. Why go for someone disabled? Our neighbour Alex is a decent chap, interested in you for ages—strong and healthy, your children would be too, and…” “Mum, please! Alex can’t keep a job, drinks too much, and we have nothing to talk about!” Lucy protested. “You don’t have to talk with him, I’ll send him to dig up the garden with the cultivator, then we can eat, or send him to the shop. He’s a good lad, diligent—maybe something would work out?” I suggested hopefully. But Lucy just pushed away her tea and stood up. “I’m going to bed, Mum. Seriously, I thought you at least thought of me as a real person, but you, like everyone else, think I’m a freak…” “Lucy, darling, how could you think that?” I called after her, but she just waved me off and closed her bedroom door in my face. She lay awake for ages, thinking of the lad who’d recently arrived at the clinic—he lost his leg below the knee. A piece of masonry had crushed it in a derelict house set for demolition—he’d gone in there for some reason and was trapped until they finally got him out, but his leg was beyond saving. No visitors came for him, and he wasn’t yet thirty. At first, he used to hold Lucy’s hand and look at her with wide, pleading eyes straight after surgery. Then, adjusting to his new reality, he’d just gaze silently at the ceiling. She felt more sorry for him than others—maybe because no one came for him. “You think I’ll ever walk again?” he asked her recently, not looking her way. “Of course you will—everything will heal, you’re young!” she replied firmly. “People always say that. Try living with just one leg—what kind of life is that?” he snapped, turning away from her as though it was her fault. “Why did you go in there anyway?” Lucy shot back, angry now. “It’s your own fault!” “Thought I saw something,” he grumbled. Now, whenever she entered, he kept turned away. Lucy studied him—pale, cold blue eyes, but a lovely face. She was sorry for him. “Pity me, don’t you?” he caught her looking one day. “It’s obvious. People like me are only pitied, never loved.” “Nobody loves people like me, either—even though I have arms and legs. I’m just not right—no one even pities me. Maybe it’d be better off if I’d lost a limb too, then at least I’d get sympathy,” Lucy snapped, tears prickling. That made Misha smile at her—really smile—for the first time. “Are you mad? You’re not ugly at all. Honestly, I look at you and can only envy the man you choose, believe it.” Lucy looked at him, and to her surprise, she believed him. She blurted out what had been on her mind: “If I chose you, would you marry me?” He was silent, so she pouted, “Silent means no—you’re just pretending! Got it!” She stood up to leave, annoyed. Misha hauled himself upright with his elbows as if to chase after her, remembered he couldn’t, and called after her: “Marry me, Lucy, I promise you soon no one will even notice my leg. I’ll recover fast—don’t go, Lucy!” Lucy and Misha She stopped in the corridor, on the verge of tears, but at the same time suddenly felt—he’s the one. It didn’t matter if her nose or eyes weren’t “right”, or if he was missing a leg. They’d found each other—that’s all. Her time had come, just like Mum said… Misha threw himself into rehab with passion. He had a new purpose now—to marry his wonderful girl and walk for their future together. He wanted Lucy to smile, to never feel unwanted again. He needed her, badly—he only wanted to share his life with her. “Have you fallen in love at last, darling?” Mum asked slyly soon after. “Look at you—you’re glowing, after telling me you were ugly.” Lucy didn’t even deny it; she floated everywhere on air. Her greatest wish now was for Misha to walk comfortably and get used to his prosthesis. They spent longer and longer out together, first in the clinic yard, then along snow-swept, New Year-lit streets. “They’ve demolished the old house now—right there, that’s where it happened,” Misha showed her once. “So why’d you go in—what did you see? You never told me,” Lucy remembered. “You’ll laugh—I saw a stray puppy in there, skinny, black with white patches, thought I’d take him home. Didn’t want to live alone,” Misha explained. “There’s a dog over there, all ribs and big, scared eyes,” Lucy pointed. “That’s probably him!” Misha grinned, and sure enough, the dog followed them all the way home, keeping his distance. “At least Lucy’s found herself a handsome young husband, and he’s got his own flat and no mother-in-law attached!” friends joked at her wedding. Lucy’s mum even shed a tear when Misha started calling her “Mum”. He was an orphan, no family at all. But a truly warm soul—and above all, they loved each other. May they be happy. Never mind the allotment—life is bigger than vegetables, and Misha does everything anyway and it all works out! Lucy and Misha live together with their dog, Kuzma—soon to be joined by another little one: they’re expecting a daughter. Never lose hope—or you might miss out and never know your chance at happiness. Life truly is wonderful in its unpredictability.