After our honeymoon, my husband and I returned home with hearts full of joy, eagerly anticipating our sweet life together as newlyweds. To our surprise, my mother-in-law had intentions of clearing out my house to use it as a wedding home for my husband’s younger brother. I was shocked and looked at my husband beside me. He mumbled vaguely about “being one family” and even tried to persuade me to endure it for his brother’s sake. “Charlie, hurry up and open the door! I’m exhausted!” I called out. With a click of the lock, the door swung open. The sight that greeted me was the same decoration from when Charlie and I had our wedding. I quickly kicked off my shoes and dashed towards the bedroom, thinking of taking a nice, long nap. But as soon as I opened the door, I saw my mother-in-law and a strange woman sitting in my bedroom. I froze, wanting to question them but not knowing where to start. My mother-in-law was the quickest to react. She stood up and said to me, “Opal, you and Charlie are back so soon! Let me introduce you – this is Jack’s girlfriend, my future daughter-in-law, and your future sister-in-law, Snow.” The woman called Snow blushed shyly. “So you’re my sister-in-law! I’ve heard so much about you from Jack. He said his sister-in-law is capable and beautiful. Now that I see you, it’s all true,” Snow said with a warm smile. Although I was annoyed by their unexpected presence in my home, sitting on my marital bed, I still maintained a friendly facade, following the principle of not hitting a smiling face.
“What? You want her to live in our house?” I suddenly raised my voice, utterly incredulous! My mother-in-law quickly stood up and covered my mouth, “Opal, keep your voice down. Don’t let Snow hear in the next room.” She glanced towards the doorway several times. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. Trying to keep my expression neutral, I asked my mother-in-law, “Mom, if she lives here, where will Charlie and I stay?” “Opal, Snow came all the way from another state because of her love for Jack. She doesn’t have any friends or family here except us. Whether out of kindness or courtesy, I can’t let her stay in a hotel. It’s my fault for not being capable enough. I haven’t saved much money over the years, I can’t even help my son with his marriage…” Her response only made things worse. She started pouring out her grievances to me. I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Wasn’t I a new bride too? I glanced at my husband beside me, Only to see him looking at his mother with sympathy, completely oblivious to my discomfort. Great! He’s no help either!
Before I could say anything more, Charlie jumped in: “Mom, please don’t be like this. It breaks my heart to see you this way.” Charlie grabbed his mother’s hand, his face full of concern. I didn’t say anything, just sat quietly watching the scene unfold before me. After a while, Charlie finally convinced his mother to go to another room, Leaving just the two of us in the spacious room. Charlie looked at me, his lips quivering a few times, hesitating before finally seeming to make up his mind to speak, “Opal, you know my family’s situation. I’m married now, I’ve got a good wife. My brother has finally found a girlfriend who’s willing to be with him. I can’t just stand by and watch my brother’s marriage fall apart… Opal, can you bear with it for a while?” Charlie was almost pleading with me. I looked at the man before me, nearly six feet tall, now hunched over like a shrimp, bowing and scraping, I couldn’t help but recall how vibrant and energetic he was when we first met.
Charlie and I met during a basketball game in college, Charlie’s team represented our department in the finals, and we girls acted as cheerleaders to support them. He stood out in the crowd, a tall guy over six feet, with a muscular build. Through his loose jersey, I could even clearly see the abs hidden underneath. He was sweating freely on the court, making one cool shot after another. What girl doesn’t have a crush? The youthful Charlie captured my heart in an instant. Perhaps it was fate, but later I was chosen to be a cheerleader. This gave me the opportunity to interact with Charlie, Later, I found out we were from the same hometown, which gave us even more to talk about, so we often chatted and ate together. We were interested in each other, just never expressed it openly. Until that year, when Charlie’s father suddenly passed away. This hit him hard. When Charlie returned after the mourning period, he was depressed all day, surrounded by a gloomy aura. I couldn’t bear to see him like this, so I stuck by him every day. Until one day, I took Charlie out drinking to drown his sorrows, In his drunken state, Charlie poured out his grievances to me. It was then that I learned Charlie’s life wasn’t as good as it seemed, quite different from the sunny and positive image he always portrayed.
Charlie’s family background was very ordinary, even poor, you could say. Charlie lived with his parents and younger brother in a small house less than 500 square feet in a small town, His father did odd jobs, while his mother was a traditional housewife, taking care of the household and doing mending. So when Charlie’s father passed away, it was as if the sky had fallen on the family… Listening to Charlie’s story, I felt both sympathy and admiration for him. I felt sorry for his poor background, but admired him for working hard to get into this prestigious university despite his circumstances. I was moved by Charlie’s resilience, and I also wanted to help him out of his gloom, So, Charlie and I started dating. We were a handsome couple, the envy of many on campus. I was convinced by Charlie’s resilient and hardworking qualities, So even though his family conditions weren’t good, I was willing to stay with him without hesitation. I had feelings for Charlie, Seeing Charlie in this state now, I ultimately couldn’t bear to refuse his request. However, I made it clear that the house was only for her to stay temporarily, Once she and Jack got married, she should move out and live with Jack, as Charlie and I still needed to live in this house.
When Charlie and I got married, his family was poor and couldn’t afford decent gifts or a grand wedding ceremony, I knew Charlie, as the eldest son, had it tough, so I never pressured him about anything. My parents, worried about my well-being and afraid I might suffer, bought a house for me in full. That house was meant to be our marital home. After the wedding, my parents paid for Charlie and me to honeymoon in Bali, We had just returned today. I hadn’t even lived in this marital home for a few days, and now I was being asked to give it to someone else. Although I was displeased, considering Charlie’s feelings, I didn’t want to say much more. Seeing my agreement, Charlie was moved to tears. He hugged me tightly, saying I was suffering and he would make it up to me in the future. That night, Charlie and I went to his mother’s house to stay for the night, As soon as we entered, I could see the cramped space, The old furnishings, and the smell of cooking oil that filled the entire house made me very uncomfortable. But I looked at Charlie beside me and ultimately held back, saying nothing. After Charlie’s father passed away, as the eldest son in the family, Charlie naturally shouldered more responsibilities. I lay on the slightly loose bed board, covered with a quilt that smelled faintly of mildew, I forced myself to close my eyes and sleep, but the result was a sleepless night. The next morning, I faced Charlie with two panda eyes. He looked at me, wanting to say something but hesitating, Without asking, anyone could see that I hadn’t slept well last night.
After breakfast, Charlie and I hurried to a nearby real estate agency to look for a house, We both knew well that I couldn’t adapt to his family’s environment and couldn’t live there. Through the agent’s introduction, Charlie and I chose a fully furnished apartment that we could move into immediately. Soon, we signed a three-month lease. I thought that no matter what, three months should be enough time for Snow and Jack to settle their marriage, right? So that day, Charlie and I moved into this temporary rented apartment with all our belongings. During this time, I also became quite familiar with my future sister-in-law, Snow. Snow was very kind and warm towards me, always sweetly calling me “sister-in-law” whenever she saw me, Eating, drinking, shopping, and taking walks together, for a while, I felt as happy as if I had gained a sister. Through our interactions over these days, I learned that Snow was an orphan who grew up in a foster home, Looking at this girl who was always smiling, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her in my heart. Snow and Jack met online, and she had traveled thousands of miles to pursue her love and marry Jack. She was a very brave and free-spirited girl. Days passed, and before we knew it, more than a month had gone by, On this day, while the whole family was having dinner together, Jack announced his marriage to Snow, The date was set for the beginning of next month. I glanced at Snow sitting across from me, she was like a white jasmine, smiling shyly.
As the wedding date approached, I could feel Snow becoming more nervous. Out of sympathy for Snow, and out of care for someone who would soon be family, I often spent time with her during this period, Helping her with various tasks, hoping to ease her nervousness and help her relax. On this day, while chatting with Snow, I casually mentioned where she and Jack would live after getting married, Snow looked at me with confusion and said, “We’ll live in the house I’m staying in now, why do you ask, sis?” Hearing Snow’s words, I felt my heart tighten, and I repeated, “You and Jack will live in the house you’re staying in now?” Snow looked at me, though confused, she patiently said, “Yes, sis! Jack said the house I’m living in now will be our future marital home, and he had already decorated it before I came. Jack is such a thoughtful man…” I watched Snow’s face grow happier as she spoke, while my heart grew colder. That evening, as soon as Charlie got home, before he could even change his shoes, I ran up to him, “Charlie, your brother wants to use our marital home as his marital home.” Hearing my words, Charlie was visibly stunned. “Honey, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Could it be that Charlie didn’t know about this? Looking at the confused Charlie, I couldn’t help but wonder. “…, That’s how it is. I found out accidentally while chatting with Snow today.” As I explained the situation to Charlie, I observed his reactions, but until I finished, he just frowned and remained silent. My face was cold as frost, “Charlie, whether you knew about this before or not, you should understand the situation now. I don’t care if it was your brother’s or your mother’s idea, you’d better give me a satisfactory answer.” Actually, before Snow finished speaking, I had already guessed that regardless of whose idea it was, the ultimate goal was to give my house to Jack as his future marital home. Charlie seemed unnerved by my stare, “Honey, don’t be angry. Let me go ask Mom and Jack about this.” Without waiting for my response, Charlie grabbed his coat and hurried out the door.
It wasn’t until late at night that Charlie returned, looking exhausted. He turned on the light, only to see me sitting in the darkness, “Honey, why aren’t you sleeping so late? Why are you sitting here?” “Waiting for your solution,” I said, raising my almond eyes to look at Charlie calmly. We stared at each other for who knows how long, Charlie’s mouth opened and closed, not knowing how many times, before he finally seemed to make up his mind and said, “Honey, let’s lend that house to Jack for a while.” “Lend it to him for a while? How long? Ten years or twenty years? Or lend it to him for a lifetime?” My voice carried a coldness that even I hadn’t noticed before. “Honey, I only have one brother, and besides, don’t we have a place to live now? What’s wrong with letting him use it for a while?” Charlie’s tone even carried a hint of taking it for granted. Later, Charlie tried to persuade me for a long time, but I neither agreed nor rushed to refuse. Instead, I told him I would think about it. I don’t know what kind of nonsense Charlie’s mother and brother had fed him, but this Charlie was one I had never seen before. That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep thinking about this matter, Then I heard Charlie’s phone buzzing non-stop. Annoyed and distracted, I picked up the phone intending to switch it to silent mode, but accidentally glimpsed a message from his mother to Charlie, “Charlie, how’s it going?” Out of curiosity, I opened the chat history between Charlie and his mother.
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