After an argument with my mother-in-law, Marlene Hughes, she climbed up to the rooftop, threatening to jump. When the firefighters managed to get her down, I could barely feel my legs. Before Alex and his sister, Candace, could even find a reason to blame me, I beat them to it: I told Alex I wanted a divorce. It was only a marriage, after all. I wasn’t about to let it turn into a prison sentence. After walking the firefighter out, I took a moment to gather myself. The crowd of neighbors lingering by the building hadn’t dispersed, huddling and muttering to each other. When they saw me, they turned away, avoiding eye contact. But I couldn’t care less about them now. The sight of Marlene, swinging unsteadily on the rooftop railing, was stuck on a loop in my mind. I knew I’d never forget it. The firefighter had tried to comfort me, saying, “It’s tough keeping the peace, but it’s worth it. Just try to be a bit more patient, especially with older folks—they don’t always mean what they say. You know she’d never actually jump, but all this back-and-forth is hard on everyone. Even if they’re just trying to get their way, it’s exhausting.” I thanked him. He reminded me that although Marlene hadn’t actually jumped, the fact that she went up there was enough for me to be blamed as the daughter-in-law who “pushed her to it.” If I didn’t leave now, she’d always hold that over me. And if she figured out that she could keep pulling stunts like this every time things didn’t go her way, what would I do then? It was better to cut my losses now. I couldn’t play her game anymore. Back in the apartment, Candace was sitting with Marlene, comforting her as she cried in the master bedroom. Alex had rushed home from work and was sitting on the sofa, looking dazed and not quite processing it all. Carol, our nanny, was standing on the balcony with Chloe, looking over at me with worried eyes. I silently thanked her—at least I didn’t have to worry about Chloe while everything else was in chaos. I went into the kitchen, poured myself a glass of water, and tried to gather my thoughts. When I felt steady enough, I sat next to Alex on the couch. He looked at me with a frown. “What happened here? I wasn’t gone an hour, and this is what I come back to? Couldn’t you have just let things go with my mom?” “Let it go?” I’d heard that phrase so many times over the past two weeks. I thought I’d “let it go” more times than anyone could ask, but for Alex, it was never enough. How much more did he expect me to give? And still, after everything, Marlene would pull this life-or-death routine. If I kept “letting it go,” there’d be nothing left of me. “Alex, I think we should get a divorce.” I tried to keep my voice calm. Fighting about who had it worse, me or his mom, was pointless. “A divorce? Because I called you out?” he shot back. “You pushed my mom to the point where she tried to jump, and I can’t even say something? Grace Miller, how did I not realize how irrational you could be? Or are you just using divorce to threaten me now?” Two sentences from Alex, and my blood was already boiling. I took a deep breath to suppress my need to argue. “I’m not threatening you.” “Look, by your own account, I pushed your mother to the edge. How would it look if you didn’t leave me over that? You only get one mother, Alex. If you chose me over her, even I’d lose respect for you.” Alex’s eyes were full of fury, and he laughed bitterly, nodding. “So you want a divorce? Fine. I’ll give it to you.” We agreed to meet at Family Court the next day. “Your mom probably doesn’t want to see me right now, so I’ll go stay at my mom’s place with Chloe,” I told him. I packed Chloe’s things, and Carol and I left. When I opened the door at my mom’s, she thought it was Dad and called out from the kitchen, “Hey, grab some cooking oil on your way up. We’re all out.” When she saw me, she looked surprised. “Didn’t know you’d be home for dinner. Where’s Alex?” “Mom, I’m just here for a while,” I said, trying to hold it together. “Well, then, I’ll defrost some ribs and make that sweet-and-sour pork you like.” I managed to smile and nod. But as soon as I was alone in my old room, the tears hit. I buried my head under the covers and let it all out, sobbing until I had no tears left. My life had always been steady and peaceful—except for childbirth, I’d never known anything as terrifying as this. The rooftop crowd had watched as I begged Marlene to come down, paralyzed by fear. Even though I couldn’t stand her, I never wanted her dead. I never wanted anyone dead. 2： Once I’d calmed down, I came out, and Dad was already home. From the look on his face, Carol had probably filled him in. He pointed at the table, suggesting we eat first and talk later. Once we finished, Carol excused herself, taking Chloe downstairs for a walk. “What happened between you and Marlene that she’d pull a stunt like this?” Dad asked. “Alex should be asking his mother that too,” Mom said, sighing. She looked worn out, and so did the ribs, charred beyond recognition. “Nothing unusual,” I replied. “Same things as always.” Marlene had come from Richmond two weeks ago, and after a couple of polite days, the conflicts started. Marlene complained that the guest bedroom was too cramped and gave her nightmares. I knew what she meant—she wanted to move into the master bedroom. I refused, so every night she’d start screaming, leaving my heart racing. Worse, Chloe—my little angel who usually slept right through the night after her 4 a.m. bottle—was waking up screaming too. For Chloe’s sake, I gave in, letting Marlene have the master bedroom while Alex and I moved into the guest room. I could have ignored her sloppy eating habits, her habit of leaving the bathroom door open, or her roaming the living room in just her robe after a shower. But she treated Carol, who was hired just to help with Chloe, like a servant. Marlene demanded leg massages and chided her for not doing enough, claiming, “We pay you to work, not to lounge around.” We fought over it, and I tried explaining to Alex. Marlene eventually stopped making demands of Carol but switched to criticizing her, saying she wasn’t good with Chloe, pushing her aside to use outdated, unsanitary parenting techniques. When it came to my daughter, I put my foot down, but Alex just asked me to tolerate his mom’s behavior a little longer. “She’ll go home soon. Just hang in there,” he’d say. I tried to hold on, but last night, I overheard her telling Candace over the phone how comfortable she was, and Candace replied, “Stay as long as you want. It’s your son’s house; it’s your house too.” So today, I finally asked her when she planned on going home. After all, Robert was there by himself. She accused me of wanting her gone, and the argument blew up. I listed all the ways she’d crossed boundaries, reminding her this was my home, not hers. At first, she just sat and wailed. I left to use the bathroom, and when I came out, she was gone. Then I heard the fire department had been called, and I saw her, perched on the rooftop railing. I was numb as I begged her to come down, telling her it was all my fault, mindlessly saying I was wrong. She ignored me, crying that I was an ungrateful daughter-in-law trying to kick her out. She only came down when Candace and Alex arrived. When she tearfully declared herself a burden, saying it’d be better if she was gone, I nearly believed her act. If I wasn’t in the middle of it, I would’ve thought I was a terrible daughter-in-law, with a useless husband. My parents were silent for a while after I explained everything. “Why couldn’t you hold your tongue one more day?” Mom sighed. “What are you going to do now?” Dad asked. “Alex and I are getting a divorce tomorrow,” I said. “I’m not about to carry the burden if she jumps next time.” “Is divorce the only way?” Mom asked, trying to talk me down. “You could live separately and avoid the conflicts.” “Can I avoid her forever?” I replied. “She’s his mother.” I smiled bitterly, thinking about how naive I’d been when I married Alex. My family had warned me about our differences, and my uncle bluntly told me his parents would be a problem. But I thought Alex and I could make our own lives in San Diego, separate from his family back in Richmond. I hadn’t realized how differently men and women see marriage. To women, marriage means forming a new, independent family. But men—especially men like Alex—see marriage as adding another member to the family they already have. If you start with that fundamental difference, how can you grow old together? “Divorce might be the best option,” Dad finally said, supporting me. “No point getting tangled up with people who only wear you down. You can do your best, but in a house like that, it’ll never be enough. Divorce is the right call.” With that “ungrateful daughter-in-law” label, even if I tried my hardest, nothing would ever be enough. Even if I held out, would I want Chloe to live a life filled with silent resentment? I had to leave. That night, I lay beside Chloe, her little body warm and soft as a cloud beside me. I was all she had now. “It’s alright, sweetheart. We’ll be fine. We’ve got Carol with us, and you’re used to things being this way, aren’t you?” 3： When I went to finalize the divorce, Candace was already there, glaring at me with a look of pure disdain. She must have been planning to give me a piece of her mind since yesterday, but maybe she hadn’t expected me to push for divorce so decisively. She wouldn’t have many more chances to accuse me of her mother’s near-death attempt, so while Alex and I were drafting our agreement, she loudly announced to everyone within earshot, “This is the daughter-in-law who pushed her mother-in-law to suicide.” I kept quiet, accepting the blame she wanted to pin on me. We didn’t have many financial ties—our apartment was in his name, with his down payment, and while I’d helped with a few mortgage payments, I wasn’t going to fight for that money. I just wanted the divorce finalized quickly. The car was mine, a gift from my family when we got married, so I planned to take it with me. “What makes you think you can keep the car?” Candace snapped. “My family paid the wedding dowry and blessing fee, not to mention the wedding costs. Return everything, or don’t even think of leaving with the car!” “Well, the appliances are all mine—about ten grand’s worth,” I replied calmly, looking at Alex. “That should offset the blessing fee and the dowry, don’t you think?” Alex and I had married for love, so I hadn’t made any issues over the dowry. But I never expected they’d throw that money back in my face during the divorce. “And as for the wedding costs,” I continued, “most of the gifts from friends and coworkers went to your mom. You know how generous they were, and I’ll be the one paying those favors back when the time comes. I think that means the money doesn’t belong to you, right?” “No, it doesn’t,” Alex interjected. “For the furniture, I’ll give you $5,000 to offset it.” He wasn’t a terrible person, and for that, I felt a bit better. At least I hadn’t completely failed in this marriage. Candace glared at Alex, muttering, “She said she didn’t need it, and you’re still giving it to her? You’re a fool! After what she did to Mom, she doesn’t deserve anything.” “As for child support, whatever you think is right,” I told Alex, “but if you don’t, I can take care of her alone.” I already suspected Marlene didn’t care much for Chloe since she wasn’t a boy, but I had decided long ago I would only have one child. Now, I wanted Chloe to take my last name. If Alex chose not to pay child support, that would only make it easier for me. “I’ll pay child support,” Alex said with a weary expression. He looked as though he hadn’t slept at all. Maybe he hadn’t expected things to end this way. I had brought up the divorce first, and with everything that had happened, he couldn’t really argue against it. After all, he was the dutiful son. We agreed on a monthly child support amount of $3,000. Alex made a six-figure salary, so it was just about the minimum, though Candace was still grumbling about “overpaying for a little girl.” It never occurred to her that she was also “a little girl” once. Finally, at the courthouse, the clerk followed standard protocol and tried to counsel us one last time. Candace, meanwhile, announced to the entire room, “This woman forced her mother-in-law to suicide. No one would want a daughter-in-law like her!” “Do us a favor and just stamp the papers. Our family can’t afford this kind of burden. Any longer and we’d be ruined.” Red paper exchanged for red paper—marriage to divorce. Relationships are so fragile. Just a new, shiny cover and there’s nothing left. For a brief moment, Alex and I shared a feeling of sadness. After all, neither of us got married thinking we’d end up here. Alex looked at me, close to tears. “Grace…” Just the night before, we’d been laughing and planning a weekend with Chloe at a resort. How did we get here? “I’ll come by tomorrow to pack up my things. Make sure your family isn’t there,” I said, turning away so he wouldn’t see my resolve wavering. “I think it’s better if your mother and I don’t see each other again.” Hesitation only prolongs the pain. Better to get the divorce done and endure Candace’s shouting in court, rather than sit at home listening to it, knowing it would never end. The next day, I went to get my belongings. Marlene and Candace were gone; only Alex was there. After a few days, it seemed he had come to terms with everything. “Grace, I know it’s not all your fault that my mom tried to jump. I know you wouldn’t have said something that hurtful.” “So you knew she wasn’t being kind,” I replied. He looked away, and for the first time, I felt relieved. I began packing. When I’d given Marlene the master bedroom, I hadn’t brought over much, just a few essentials. Now, as I looked through my closet, I noticed that my designer bags were gone. Anything without a designer label had its straps slashed or fabric ripped. My favorite clothes were thrown in a heap, some with visible tears. Alex looked like he wanted to say something. “It’s alright. She was angry. This is how she needed to let it out,” I said, forcing a smile. No point in arguing now. I could only be grateful that I was out of this situation for good. When I opened my jewelry box, all my gold pieces were missing, with only a few silver and cubic zirconia items left—the kind Marlene probably didn’t care about. Alex tried calling her, saying it was too much. “Don’t,” I told him. “I don’t even wear gold jewelry much. Besides, most of it was your family’s Bridal Keepsakes anyway. It makes sense to give them back after the divorce.” “That was mine, though,” Alex said softly. When we got married, his mom had gifted me three pieces of old jewelry as the keepsakes, but Alex wasn’t happy with that. At the time, he had just bought this apartment, so he had little left, but he’d saved up to buy me a new set himself, saying I deserved what everyone else had. But he’d also said, “If other wives can tolerate their mothers-in-law, why can’t you?” I shook my head. What’s the point? The marriage was over. In the end, I didn’t take much with me. As I left, I set the keys on the entryway table, removed the door code from my memory, and asked Cypress Property Management to update my contact details. I was done with that house. After all that commotion a few days ago, returning today for the divorce would surely make me the talk of Maplewood Court Apartments for a while. But I was past caring. 4： About a month after the divorce, I started receiving mysterious packages. Each one contained something familiar—a brand-new version of a bag or outfit I used to own. At first, I didn’t know who was sending them, so I kept them unopened at the office. By the third package, I had a hunch: Alex was behind it. I called him, cutting straight to the point. “What are you trying to do?” “Aren’t these the things you liked?” he replied, his voice casual. “I looked through some old photos and tried to find replacements for the stuff you lost. You never told me your things got ruined. I had no idea they cost so much.” “Alex, do you remember that we’re divorced?” I took a steadying breath. “You don’t need to spend money on me anymore.” “It’s not about spending money—it’s compensation,” he said quickly. “Don’t refuse it; these were your things, and if someone ruined them, they should be replaced.” “What are you thinking, really?” I asked. I couldn’t understand him. He’d barely said anything during the divorce; it didn’t make sense that he’d be having regrets now. “I just… I just want to make it up to you,” he admitted, his words scattered. He’d been doing a lot of thinking, realizing that maybe I hadn’t gained anything from our marriage. He still cared, and he hadn’t wanted to hurt me. “If we hadn’t divorced, you wouldn’t be saying any of this,” I told him bluntly. If we’d stayed married, Marlene would still be in our home, and I’d still be stuck with her stunts, torn between guilt and frustration. I’d have been forced to tolerate her behavior for some time, but eventually, I would’ve broken down. In that case, Alex would be caught in the middle again, struggling to please us both and most likely saying all the wrong things. “Alex, I never asked you to choose between me and your mom. I know how important she is to you. I let you go for a reason, so please, let me go in peace.” “Don’t send me anything else. I’ll just send it back,” I said firmly. Later, I heard from Megan that Marlene was pushing Alex to go on blind dates, and when he resisted, she moved one of the girls right into his apartment, eventually driving Alex to request a longer assignment out of town. Apparently, Marlene was pushing him to marry because she’d discovered that Robert was involved with someone else. That’s why she’d left Richmond and moved into her son’s home. She wouldn’t leave Robert herself but had no problem breaking up her son’s marriage. This only made Robert more comfortable staying out of the house with Becky, his mistress. Megan, a close friend of ours, shared this with me one day over coffee. Her husband grew up near Alex in Richmond, and their families were always in the loop. “I honestly admire how quickly you went through with the divorce,” Megan said. When I’d first told her about it, she’d worried that I was being too hasty, but now she saw it differently. “Some people aren’t happy until everyone around them is just as miserable.” Megan shook her head. “Living with someone like that would make me lose it in a few days. Poor Alex, though. My husband ran into him at the station last week—he looks so thin he’s practically unrecognizable.” “More work means more pay,” I replied, trying to sound indifferent. Whether I still cared or even still loved him didn’t matter. As long as Marlene was around, there would be no happiness for us. No one should stumble over the same stone twice. So I wasn’t expecting Candace to come knocking one day, asking me to take Alex back. She looked drained—stuck dealing with Marlene now that Alex had fled town. That couldn’t have been easy. She tried to appeal to my sympathy, asking about Chloe. “Babies grow so quickly. Every month, it’s like they’re completely different. Alex still has your photo on his phone screen. Maybe you could give him one more chance?” “What could he possibly miss about a daughter-in-law who supposedly ruined his family?” I asked, unamused. She squirmed a little before saying, “He’s in his prime, with a stable job, a car, and a house. He could find anyone he wanted, someone younger, to settle down and give him a son.” I threw her own words back at her. Her expression shifted, realizing her attempts weren’t landing. “It was all just misunderstandings. I was speaking in anger, and when things get heated, you say things you don’t mean. You need to see things from our side too. She was just in a bad place, and none of this was supposed to get so extreme.” Candace had always been pushy, intruding into our lives from the day I married Alex. Although Marlene had caused our biggest problems, Candace wasn’t far behind in setting the standard for how controlling in-laws could be. “Isn’t there still a woman living at Alex’s place? It seems a little inappropriate to be here asking me for a second chance,” I said, smiling. She clearly hadn’t expected me to know this much. Candace let out a heavy sigh, switching to complaints. “Mom has lost it. That woman doesn’t even have a diploma—she’s nothing compared to you. Alex has no interest in her, but Mom dragged her into his place, pays for everything, and even supports her family.” “Whether she’s good enough or not doesn’t matter as long as your mom is happy, right?” I said, seeing right through her. I had no interest in entertaining her requests. If she truly cared about her brother’s happiness, she could start by finding him someone new. I didn’t know if she’d find anyone suitable. Not long after, I heard that Marlene had pulled another rooftop stunt. This time, she’d been berating Candace, calling her ungrateful for trying to drive her beloved mother out. Candace had reportedly been in tears, begging her mother to stop. “If you don’t leave, my marriage is over!” “Well, you’d better make some room up here. I’ll join you. What’s the point in living if my own kids won’t even let me stay with them?” While Alex was away, Marlene had been calling on Candace’s husband for help with errands. Over time, they’d grown close, and now Candace’s husband had been caught having an affair with Marlene’s new “house guest.” Candace was livid when she found out. This woman wasn’t leaving without a fight. And just to ensure her exit would be a grand finale, she claimed she was pregnant with Candace’s husband’s child, demanding a large settlement before she’d go. Megan told me Alex had come back and that he’d ended up paying the woman off himself. “Can you believe it? His mom’s the one who brought her around, his brother-in-law’s the one who slept with her, and somehow the whole mess falls on Alex’s shoulders.” “His sister blames her brother, not her husband, and the minute her mom calls her out, she uses it as a chance to cut ties with her family, saying she won’t be back,” Megan said, shaking her head. “It’s like Alex is the one left holding the bag for everyone.” “That’s how it is for him. He can’t say a bad word about his mom or his sister,” I replied. “In all the time we were together, he never criticized them once. I wouldn’t have been so naive about them if he’d just been honest.” “Not that it matters, but my husband thought about introducing Alex to someone new. Honestly, though, that would be like leading someone straight into a trap,” Megan said with her usual bluntness. “Anyone who ends up with that family would be in for a nightmare.” “What about his dad? Wasn’t he any help?” I asked. Marlene and Robert were still married, after all. It seemed strange that Alex should carry all the responsibility. “Oh, his dad only made things worse,” Megan replied. “You know the money Marlene’s friend walked away with? Well, somehow word got out back home, and Robert’s girlfriend threw a fit and started demanding her own payout.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it. “Does Robert even have any money to give her? He’s lived off everyone else his whole life.” “Exactly,” Megan said. “First, it was his parents, then Marlene, and now it’s Alex’s turn. Robert has no money of his own, so he just called up Alex and demanded fifty grand, like it was nothing.” “Funny how people who don’t make money are the quickest to spend it,” I sighed. “Alex used to send him around two thousand every month, and still it wasn’t enough. Whenever they needed something, they’d just call Alex to cover it. I never complained about him helping his parents. After all, supporting our parents is a responsibility.” I used to send money to my own parents too, though they’d refused to take it. They still worked and knew that I had a family of my own to support. That’s when I realized—not everyone’s parents are willing to make sacrifices for their kids. It’s a roll of the dice. “Think Alex will actually hand over that fifty thousand?” Megan asked, worried. She didn’t want him to keep enabling their demands and ruin his own life in the process. I wasn’t sure. But it made me think about Chloe’s future. What if Alex turned into a sad, needy old man someday? Would she feel obligated to support him? After the divorce, Alex’s attention to Chloe had noticeably improved. He added Carol on social media, checked in on Chloe every day, and even video-called with her when he could. He’d started sending clothes, toys, snacks—everything she could need or want. Mom once said, “Whatever happened between you two, Chloe’s still his daughter. And if he wants to be involved, let him.” And she was right. Chloe deserved to know her dad, and I had no intention of standing in the way of that.
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