We aren’t buying a flat to live with my mother-in-law: I refuse a three-bedroom just to avoid that nightmare.
My husband and I dream of our own place. We’ve already secured a mortgage and even borrowed money from his mother. She isn’t wicked, but her suffocating attention drives me mad. After her husband died, she made it her mission to smother everyone around her, and it’s poisoning our lives. She owns a spacious flat in central London, but I’ve made up my mind—better a cramped space than one haunted by her presence. I won’t let her shadow loom over our home.
We found a three-bedroom in a new development. One room was tiny—perfect for the walk-in wardrobe I’ve always wanted. But my mother-in-law, Margaret Whitmore, kicked up a fuss. “A wardrobe room? What nonsense!” she huffed, pinning me with her stare. “Where will guests sleep? What if family visits?” I knew instantly—she meant herself. Lately, she lingers at ours until late, as if dreading her empty flat. Her words felt like a sentence—get a three-bedroom, and she’d never leave, would probably move in.
I’m not blind—I see where this is headed. Margaret is lonely, and her care has twisted into control. She calls three times a day to “check in,” drags over useless advice, even tries to dictate how we furnish our future home. I won’t share my space with her! My husband, William, and I are buying a place to build our lives, not cater to her whims, no matter how “kind” she seems.
I laid down the law: no three-bedrooms. “I want your mother visiting only on holidays,” I told William. “If she wants a guest room, she can build one in her own flat.” He argued she just wants to be close, that she’s getting older, struggling alone. But I won’t budge. I won’t sacrifice my peace for her clinging concern. Better no walk-in wardrobe than turning our home into her annex.
If guests come, they’ll sleep on an airbed. And if Margaret tries to stay over, I’ll find a hundred ways to send her home. This is our house, our life—and I won’t let anyone, not even her, steal our right to be its masters.
