“Paul,” I said, turning to my husband. “I’ve been thinking about getting a divorce. What do you think?”
He stuttered, “Divorce?”
My mother-in-law jumped in immediately.
“Paul, you should divorce this foolish woman right now.”
I expected her to say that.
But I wanted to see if my husband could make his own decision in such an important moment.
“Mom,” he mumbled, unsure of what to say.
But by then, my mind was made up.
“Fine. Divorce is the only choice,” my mother-in-law said angrily.
My father-in-law spoke next. “Paul, your mother insists on it, so you have no choice.”
Then my husband finally said, “Well, you seem to want a divorce too, so maybe it’s for the best.”
Even now, my husband and father-in-law just followed whatever my mother-in-law wanted.
And my husband acted like he was agreeing with me, as if it was my idea.
“All right then,” I said. “Let’s go through with a divorce.”
I packed only a few things and left that night.
I stayed in a cheap hotel.
The next morning, I took half a day off work and went straight to the courthouse.
A few days later, my mother-in-law called me, shouting, “You! What is going on? I just found out the house is becoming yours. Why?”
I replied calmly, “Oh, so you found out through the estate paperwork?”
“Yes! That house belongs to you. You lied and tricked us.”
I sighed. “Why would I fake legal documents? Those papers are real.”
“Then why is the house still yours? You said you were giving it up.”
I explained, “Right after I showed you those papers, I took back my application. Giving up an inheritance isn’t final right away. It takes about a month to be approved. Until then, you can change your mind anytime. The documents I showed you were just part of the process, not the final approval.”
I had tricked them into thinking I had given up the house.
I wanted to see their real reactions and decide what to do next.
I never expected my mother-in-law to change, but I hoped, at the very least, that my husband would stop and tell me he didn’t want a divorce.
I had planned to take my time and explain everything about the house later.
But my mother-in-law wasn’t giving up.
“So the house is really yours now? Since you got it before the divorce, doesn’t that mean it should be divided as property? In that case, shouldn’t you and Paul split the money from selling it?”
She was determined to take whatever she could, knowing she couldn’t have the house itself.
But I had already thought about this.
“If we had bought the house together, then yes, it would be divided. But this house was inherited, not purchased, so it’s not included in the property division.”
She didn’t stop.
“What about the money Paul should get from the divorce?”
I stayed calm.
“We were only married a few years. There’s not much to split. Maybe just the car, but it still has a loan on it.”
She called me selfish and heartless.
I replied, “I’m protecting this house because it holds precious memories of my parents. I don’t want people like you living in it. If you have any more complaints, talk to a lawyer.”
After that, the divorce moved quickly.
My mother-in-law probably pressured Paul to speed it up.
Either way, it was finalized, and I was finally free from them.
I felt relieved, as if I had saved my father’s home from being taken over.
After I moved out, my ex-in-laws stayed in the same small apartment where I used to live with my ex-husband. Even with one less person, it was still cramped.
My former mother-in-law started looking for a new place, but since they were older, they had trouble getting approved for rentals.
In the end, my ex-husband rented a small house for them.
It’s smaller than the apartment, but because it’s a house, the rent is probably higher.
He also has to take care of them financially.
Life won’t be easy for him.
At first, his mother was excited about moving into the big house my father left behind, but now she has to settle for something much smaller.
I’m sure she’s disappointed.
As for me, I’ve started a new chapter in the home my parents left me.
The house feels warm, as if they’re still here with me.
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