The day passed in tense anticipation. Alex didn’t go to work, claiming he felt unwell. He wandered silently around the apartment, avoiding eye contact with Lily. Gloria had left but promised to return in the evening for a serious conversation.
Lily tried to focus on work. She took a project home but her thoughts kept returning to the information she had gathered during the night.
What if she was wrong? What if her investigation led to the destruction of a family?
But on the other hand, was this even a real family—one that uses her, takes her money, where her husband raises his hand at her? Is this the kind of life she wanted for her daughter?
Around three in the afternoon, when Cheryl was asleep and Alex had gone to the store, Lily pulled out her laptop again. She opened the letters she had drafted during the night and reread them. Everything was laid out clearly and precisely with facts and dates specified. She attached all the evidence she had gathered: screenshots of alcohol sale ads, photos of her mother-in-law at expensive restaurants, bank statements.
Her finger hovered over the send button.
One click and the machine would be set in motion.
A process that could end in court and real jail time for both her mother-in-law and husband.
Lily took a deep breath and closed the laptop without sending the letters.
At least not yet.
First, she wanted to talk to Alex—to give him one last chance. Maybe he would see reason. Maybe once he realized that his mother was breaking the law, he would side with his wife and child.
But hope was slim. Gloria’s control over her son was too strong. She had been manipulating him for too many years, raising him to believe that his mother came before anyone else.
Lily began gathering the most essential items just in case. She packed documents, baby clothes, and necessities into a small bag. If the situation escalated, she needed to be ready to leave at any moment.
In the evening, as promised, Gloria returned. She was not alone. Two of her friends came with her—older women with dyed hair and predatory looks.
“We came to talk,” her mother-in-law announced as she entered the living room. “This needs to be resolved in a family way.”
Lily gave a skeptical look to the support team.
“And how are your friends supposed to help us?”
“They are witnesses,” Gloria said importantly. “They will confirm that I have always cared for your family, that I looked after Cheryl while you were gone at work.”
“And why do we need witnesses?” Lily asked, feeling anxiety rise inside her.
“Because you’re blackmailing us,” Alex interjected, coming out of the bedroom. “Mom told me everything. You threatened to take the child and sue for child support.”
Lily blinked in confusion.
“What? I never said anything like that.”
“You did,” Alex insisted. “Yesterday, when we argued about the card, you said you would leave and take Cheryl.”
“I said I would leave if you ever raised your hand against me again,” Lily clarified calmly. “That’s not blackmail, Alex. That’s self-protection.”
“Exactly,” one of Gloria’s friends chimed in. “Did you hear that? She admits she threatened to take the child.”
“And who are you anyway?” Lily turned to the stranger.
“I’m Ashley,” the woman replied proudly, “a friend of your mother-in-law, and I came to protect the child’s interests. A careerist mother shouldn’t tear a child away from a loving father and grandmother.”
Lily felt the situation was becoming absurd.
“Listen,” she addressed everyone present. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but if you think you can pressure me through witnesses, you’re mistaken. I haven’t done anything illegal.”
“I just want to manage my own money.”
“Your money?” Gloria exclaimed. “In a family there is no your money. Everything is shared.”
“Then why does Alex never report how he spends his salary?” Lily countered. “Why should only my money be shared?”
The question made everyone fall silent for a moment.
Then Gloria took the initiative again.
“Alex is a man. He needs pocket money to feel confident.”
“And I don’t need to feel confident?” Lily crossed her arms. “Why do I never get pocket money?”
“Because you’re the mother,” the second friend of her mother-in-law, who had been silent until now, intervened. “You should think about the child, not about trinkets and toys.”
Lily shook her head.
“You have no idea how ridiculous that sounds. I work full-time, take care of the child, manage the household, and yet I don’t have the right to manage the money I earn.”
“Enough,” Alex barked. “We’re not talking about your rights. You hid your promotion from the family, opened a secret card. That’s deceit.”
“And you hide your income from computer repairs,” Lily said calmly.
“And you don’t pay taxes on it. That’s deceit too—not only to the family but to the state as well.”
Alex turned pale.
“What are you talking about?”
“What I know,” Lily replied calmly.
She looked at her mother-in-law.
“Just as I know that Gloria collects a survivor’s pension even though her husband is alive and that she sells alcohol without a license or official income.”
A dead silence fell over the room.
Gloria’s friends exchanged glances. Gloria froze, mouth open.
“You… you were spying on me,” she finally managed to choke out.
“No.” Lily shook her head. “I just did a little investigation. After you and Alex made a scene yesterday over my salary, I got curious about how you spend your money, and I found a lot of interesting things.”
“That’s slander,” her mother-in-law shrieked. “You can’t prove anything.”
“I can,” Lily replied simply. “I have all the necessary evidence, and if you continue to pressure me, threaten me, or God forbid, use physical force, I will submit this evidence to the proper authorities.”
Gloria turned pale as chalk. Her friends visibly tensed.
“Well, we should go,” Ashley fussed. “Business, you know.”
They quickly said their goodbyes and left, leaving Gloria alone with her daughter-in-law and son.
“What have you done?” her mother-in-law hissed once the door closed behind the friends. “Do you realize I could go to prison because of your accusations?”
“I understand,” Lily nodded. “Just as I understand that Alex could face a heavy fine for tax evasion, but I don’t want it to come to that.”
“What do you want then?” Alex asked quietly, looking at his wife as if she were a stranger.
“I want money in our family to be distributed fairly for the needs of all family members, not just your mother,” Lily replied.
“I want you to never raise your hand against me again,” she added simply. “I want my salary to remain mine.”
“And if I don’t agree?” Gloria asked defiantly.
“Then I will send all the collected materials to the appropriate authorities,” Lily shrugged, “and let whatever happens happen.”
Her mother-in-law stared at her with a hateful glare.
“You’ll regret this,” she ground through her teeth. “I swear you’ll regret it bitterly.”
She grabbed her bag and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door loudly.
Alex and Lily were left alone.
“What now?” he asked after a long silence.
“I don’t know,” Lily answered honestly. “It depends on you, Alex—on whether you can finally grow up and be a husband and father, not just mommy’s little boy.”
He flinched as if struck.
“I love my mother. She devoted her whole life to me.”
“I know,” Lily said softly. “And I’m not asking you to choose between me and her. I’m only asking for respect and equality. Is that too much?”
Alex stayed silent, staring at the floor.
Suddenly, Lily’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen. It was her brother, Anton from the pension fund.
“Yes, Anton,” she answered, stepping aside.
“Lily, I checked what you asked about.” Her brother’s voice sounded anxious. “Your mother-in-law really is receiving a survivor’s pension.”
“And you know what? There is a death certificate for her husband, James Smith, in the database dated fifteen years ago.”
“But that’s impossible,” Lily whispered. “I saw him a year ago. He’s alive.”
“Then the certificate is forged,” Anton said seriously. “And that’s a criminal offense, Lily. Forging documents and large-scale fraud, considering how many years she has been receiving these payments.”
Lily glanced at Alex, who was listening intently to the conversation.
“Thanks, Anton. I’ll call you back.”
She hung up and met her husband’s eyes.
“Your mother forged your father’s death certificate,” she said quietly. “Fifteen years ago. She has been illegally collecting the pension all this time.”
Alex went pale.
“That can’t be, can it?”
Lily shook her head.
“And now I understand why she’s so nervous. This isn’t just an administrative violation, Alex. This is a criminal offense.”
Her husband sank onto the sofa, clutching his head in his hands.
“What happens now?”
“That depends on you,” Lily repeated, “and on your mother.”
At that moment, there was a loud knock at the door. Lily flinched and Alex lifted his head as if awakening from a stupor.
“Who could that be?” he murmured.
Lily approached the door and peered through the peephole. On the stair landing stood two men in formal suits and a middle-aged woman holding a folder of documents.
“Who’s there?” she asked without opening the door.
“Tax office and a representative from the pension fund,” one of the men replied in an official tone. “We need to speak with Miss Gloria Smith and Mr. Alex Smith.”
Lily turned to her husband, confused.
“It’s the tax authorities and the pension fund asking about you and your mother.”
Alex turned even paler.
“You actually sent them information.”
“No.” Lily shook her head. “I didn’t have time to send anything.”
She turned back to the door.
“Gloria isn’t here. She just left. And what is the matter you want to discuss with my husband?”
“Verification of income and tax payments,” came the dry reply. “Also information regarding the illegal receipt of a survivor’s pension by Ms. Smith.”
In a panic, Alex darted toward Lily.
“Don’t open it. Tell them I’m not home.”
“We know Mr. Smith is home,” came the voice from behind the door. “We have a warrant for inspection. If you don’t open voluntarily, we will be forced to call the police.”
Lily took a deep breath and looked at her husband.
“It’s better to open it, Alex. This will only make things worse.”
With trembling hands, she unlatched the chain and opened the door. The inspectors entered the apartment immediately, creating an atmosphere of formality and tension.
“Mr. Smith,” one of the men addressed Alex, “Senior Tax Inspector Richard Cooper.”
“We have received information that you are conducting business activities without registration and evading taxes.”
“What business activities?” Alex tried to protest, but his voice betrayed his fear.