An ordinary evening turned into a real storm when her husband burst into the house with a furious look on his face.
“Mom, I can’t cash your withdrawal. Why isn’t your card working?”
He was screaming and waving his arms. It turned out his mother had been trying to cash his daughter-in-law’s money without her knowledge.
This audacity was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the young woman, who had long planned to put an end to her mother-in-law’s financial power.
The Media Stream office was quiet after a long day of work. Only the faint hum of computers and the steady clicking of keyboards disturbed the silence. Lily Price was hunched over her monitor, checking the data on her quarterly report. The clock read ten o’clock—late again.
Henry Price, the head of marketing, approached her desk.
“Your family is probably waiting for you.”
Lily rubbed her eyes tiredly.
“I want to finish the report tonight. My presentation to the president is tomorrow.”
Henry nodded in understanding.
“Your dedication is commendable. Incidentally, we’ll be making a decision on the key account manager position soon.”
He gave her a pointed look, and Lily felt her heart leap. This was the position she’d dreamed of for the past six months, ever since Serena went on maternity leave.
“I’m almost finished with that art project you gave me too,” Lily said quickly. “It’ll be ready by Monday.”
“You’ll be spending the weekend at work again.” The boss shook his head. “Don’t overreact, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.”
When Henry left, Lily leaned back in her chair and smiled grimly. The management position was not only prestigious, but also came with a significant salary increase: a whopping thirty percent.
Thanks to this money, she could finally feel free.
Lily returned home around eleven. The lights in the apartment were still on, meaning Alex was still awake. The sound of the television drifted from the living room.
“Where have you been wandering around so late?”
Her mother-in-law’s voice was so abrupt that Lily flinched. Gloria stood in the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed.
“Alex has been eating for an hour. And you? Where have you been?”
“Good evening, Gloria.” Lily tried to remain polite. “I was stuck at work. I have an important presentation tomorrow.”
“Presentation. Presentation,” my mother-in-law sneered. “All you think about is work, and your husband is starving.”
“I put his lunch in the fridge,” Lily replied quietly, entering the kitchen. A pile of unwashed dishes lay on the table. Leftover fried potatoes were floating in the sink.
“Should I reheat the braised cabbage?” my mother-in-law asked with an exaggerated sigh. “I cooked it today.”
“Thank you. I’m not hungry,” Lily said quickly, clearing the table, washing the dishes, and peeking into her daughter’s room.
Six-month-old Cheryl slept, her tiny fist tucked sweetly under her cheek. Lily’s heart tightened with tenderness. She carefully adjusted the blanket and stepped out.
In the living room, Alex was watching a football match.
“Hi,” Lily said quietly, sitting down next to him.
Her husband couldn’t take his eyes off the screen for a moment.
“Mom says you’re late again.”
“Yes, tomorrow is important.”
“I know, I know,” Alex interrupted. “Important presentation.”
“Listen,” Mom said. “Tomorrow is Friday.”
Lily tensed. On Friday, Gloria went to the bank and withdrew almost her entire salary for “family needs,” as she called them.
“So what?” Lily asked cautiously.
“What do you mean, ‘so what’?” Alex looked surprised. “Mom’s planning to go to the beauty salon.”
“She needs a facial and new hand cream. Her skin is rough from being at the summer house.”
Lily gritted her teeth. Her salary—money earned from endless overtime—would go back to her capricious mother-in-law. Last time, it had been dinner with friends. Before that, it had been new shoes.
Meanwhile, Lily had to wear old clothes because for some reason she always had very few leftovers.
“We still have unpaid bills,” she noted cautiously. “And Cheryl needs new sleeping bags.”
Alex frowned.
“Come on. Mom deserves some fun.”
“She had a really hard life.”
Lily bit her lip. What a hard life. And what about her, Lily? She hadn’t even had three months of maternity leave after giving birth, working from home, rocking her baby with one hand and writing reports with the other.
Apparently it was an easy life.
“I’m going to bed,” she said quietly. “I have to get up early tomorrow.”
Next weeks
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