Claire decided that only we must spoil her children. My husbands sister had made up her mind that we were the ones obliged to pamper her kidsand no one else.
I married Edward nearly eight years ago. A kind man, always ready to help, with a generous heart. But he had one problema sister. Melanie. A woman with boundless imagination and a stunning ability to twist any innocent remark into a veiled request for an expensive gift.
She never spoke directly. Her words always sounded like harmless musings:
*”The children have been dreaming of the new animated film, but the tickets are so pricey these days,”* shed sigh wistfully. And Edward, the moment he heard, would buy the tickets, take the nephews to the cinema, and treat them to popcorn and sweets.
*”Lovely weather today,”* Melanie would continue, *”but youre just sitting at home. Why not take them to the funfair?”* And guess who ended up going with her kids? Us, of course. All paid for by us.
I dont do subtlety. Nor do I want to. I prefer honesty. If you need somethingsay it. Ask. Explain. Dont dance around pretending you want nothing.
But Edward always reacted instantly to her *”hints.”* He adored his nephews beyond measure. Yet the way he spoiled them crossed every line. Bikes, gadgets, outingsit all became routine. One look from Melanie, and my husband would jump.
Recently, it was little Olivers birthdayMelanies son. Wed already gifted him a luxury bicycle, which cost us a pretty penny. I thought it was more than enough. But clearly, for Melanie, a *”bicycle”* was trivial. In her eyes, the boy *had* to go abroadto Europe, no less. And not alone, of coursewith her. A little boy couldnt possibly travel alone!
In Melanies language, it sounded like this:
*”Oliver dreams of seeing Paris. His eyes light up whenever its mentioned”*
Edward showed up that day with a cake and a decorative cushion embroidered with Olivers initials instead of plane tickets. I was at work, so he went alone. And as youd expect, it was a bucket of cold water for his sister.
But Melanie didnt give up. Her demands grew year after year. My husband, it seemed, didnt mind. We had no children of our own, so he poured all his paternal energy into his nephews. Maybe because he had nowhere else to direct it.
Thenthe long-awaited news: I was pregnant. When I told Edward, he cried with joy, kissed my belly, and couldnt believe it. Hed dreamed of this for years. But then came Melanie
Another request. This time, a spring break trip to Prague. With her kids, naturally. Edward refusedfor the first time ever. He said he was about to be a father now, and all resources would go to his own family. Thats when his sister exploded.
The next day, she called me. Screamed. Accused.
*”How dare you?! Youve done this on purposeto rob my children of the only man who ever cared for them!”*
I hung up without a word.
Thenanother act. The nephews waited for Edward outside his office. They handed him handmade cards.
*”Uncle, please dont abandon us”*
*”Why do you need your own child when you already have us?”*
It was obvious someone had helped them write it. And that *”someone”* was predictable.
Edward came home, sank onto the sofa, stared at the cards and something inside him snapped.
*”Ive been such a fool,”* he muttered. *”How many years have I put up with this? The boilers broken, no money for coats, Dad leftUncle, help us. Shes always used the kids to manipulate me. And I fell for it. Like an idiot.”*
Then, suddenly, he pulled out a notebook. He began listing everything: bikes, phones, summer camps, trips, gear, coats, theatre tickets. The totala staggering sum.
And thenthe finale. A finale in true Melanie fashion.
She showed up at our house. Stood in the hallway like she owned the place and said:
*”Since youre having your own child now, how about one last good deed? Give us the car. Not for meIm not that shameless. Just so I can take the kids”*
Edward handed her the notebook without a word.
*”Thats the total. For everything youve taken. Pay it back. Youve got six months. After thatcourt.”*
She stormed out, slamming the door so hard the coat rack collapsed.
After that, the floodgates opened. Melanies friends bombarded me on social media. They wrote that Id destroyed the sacred bond between uncle and nephews, that now the kids were *”abandoned, starving, and their mother in despair.”*
But I didnt flinch.
Melanie owns two flatsone left by her ex-husband, the other from Edward, who gave up his inheritance for her. She gets child support. She doesnt live in poverty. Shes just grown used to entitlement. And nowits over.
Were having a child. And now my husband has a real family. No manipulation, no drama, no theatrics. And you know what? I think this is just the beginning
