My wife, Chloe, and I were both swamped with work, so my mother-in-law, Brenda, offered to help out. To show our appreciation, I took her out for dinner. During the meal, Brenda turned to me. “Alex, you work way too hard. Why don’t you just quit your job and move back home with me?” I frowned, “Mom, I’m still young. This is my time to build something. And honestly, I really like my job.” “Plus, I’m used to my own place. I don’t want to move.” To my surprise, Brenda got agitated. “That’s your brother-in-law’s apartment! Kyle’s getting married soon, so you can’t hog it anymore.” My mind raced. *What?* This apartment was mine, bought before we even got married. When did it become Kyle’s? … I figured Brenda had some kind of misunderstanding, so I patiently explained. “Mom, I bought this apartment before the wedding. My name is on the deed. How could it be Kyle’s?” Brenda scoffed, “What’s ‘yours’ and ‘mine’ between family? Since you married into our family, everything you have belongs to the Davis family!” Chloe and I had fallen in love and gotten married. When did I “marry into” their family? Besides, what kind of man who “marries into a family” buys his own wedding apartment and pays an engagement gift? I felt speechless and looked at Chloe, who was sitting beside me. Chloe scooped a bowl of chicken soup and gently placed it in front of me. “Alex, Tiffany won’t marry Kyle without an apartment. Mom’s just thinking about Kyle.” “Why don’t we move out and rent for a while? Just to help Kyle out.” My heart sank. I remembered her telling me before how Brenda doted on her youngest son, Kyle. I thought it was just Brenda, but it turned out Chloe was just as obsessed with her brother. Brenda saw my lack of reaction and pressed on. “Don’t forget, we gave you ten thousand as wedding funds back then.” “That money was meant for *your* apartment.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Mom, you think ten thousand can buy my downtown apartment? You’ve got some nerve.” “First off, I gave you twenty thousand as an engagement gift. And that ten thousand you supposedly gave us? Didn’t you have Chloe transfer it back to you the day after we signed the marriage papers, saying you ‘needed money to buy Kyle a car’?” “A total of thirty thousand, and not a single cent stayed with us.” Chloe’s face instantly went pale. She probably never expected me to bring that up in front of her mom. Brenda jumped up as if stung, pointing a finger at my nose. “You ungrateful brat! You eat our food, you listen to our rules!” “Don’t forget, you’re all alone here. If you cross us, things will get ugly for you!” Hearing Brenda say that, Chloe looked uncomfortable. She snapped at her mom, “Mom, don’t talk like that.” But Brenda only got more fired up. “Talk like what? He’s an outsider! Why should he hog Kyle’s apartment? Kyle is our precious jewel of the Davis family!” “Look at him, that broke loser! You marrying Chloe was a miracle, and now you have the gall to make demands?” I instinctively glanced down at my clothes. Before coming here, my sister, Victoria, had told me to keep a low profile, so I usually picked out inexpensive-looking outfits. I guess Brenda had completely underestimated me. “Mom, what are you saying?!” Chloe finally flared up. “Am I wrong?” Brenda said, self-righteously, “If he’s rich enough to buy Kyle another apartment, then maybe I’d consider ‘lending’ him this one to live in.” At this point, Chloe didn’t try to stop her mom. Instead, she quietly pleaded with me, “Alex, don’t take it to heart. Mom just cares about Kyle.” *Cares about Kyle?* *What about me?* For her, I left everything familiar behind, coming alone to this place where I knew no one. To spare her hardship, I bought an apartment outright near her company. Didn’t I deserve some care too? Seeing Chloe’s attitude, Brenda seemed to gain confidence. She stated firmly, “Anyway, this apartment has to be vacated!” “Move out tomorrow! I’ve already told Kyle, he’ll be coming to see the place the day after tomorrow!” I didn’t want to argue with Brenda. I just tossed out, “This is my apartment. No one touches it,” then got up, paid the bill, and left. Completely ignoring Brenda’s shouts and curses behind me. I had just sat down at home when the doorbell rang. I opened the door, and it was Kyle. I didn’t expect him to show up so soon. He leaned against the doorframe, a cocky smirk on his face. “Hey, bro-in-law, don’t be so stingy. I need a place to live when I get married, right?” Before I could say anything, Brenda squeezed in past him and headed straight for my bedroom. “What are you doing!” I tried to follow her, but Kyle grabbed me. “What else? Looking for the property deed, of course! This apartment rightfully belongs to our family!” My heart seized. How did Brenda know where I kept the deed? Did Chloe tell her? As I was thinking, I saw her emerge from the bedroom, holding my property deed. I shook off Kyle and rushed forward to snatch it back, but Brenda dropped to the floor, clutching the deed, and began to wail hysterically. “Oh my God! What kind of world is this?! My son-in-law isn’t just disrespectful, he’s bullying his poor mother-in-law!” “He married into our family just to bleed us dry! The Davis family is so unlucky!” Just then, Chloe came home. Seeing the scene, she immediately pulled me aside. “Alex, calm down. Mom’s not feeling well!” I glared at her. “Your mom is rummaging through my stuff in my own home, and you’re stopping *me*?” “Mom’s just stressed. Tiffany’s really pushing for the wedding…” I never expected her to say that. My voice trembled. “Stressed enough to just grab my things?” “Chloe, this is *my* apartment!” Brenda cried even louder. “Hear that?! Hear what he’s saying?! ‘His’ apartment? He married into our family, he’s one of us now!” Kyle chimed in, adding fuel to the fire. “Exactly, bro-in-law, you’ve got the wrong idea. We’re family, there’s no ‘yours’ or ‘mine’.” My blood pressure felt like it was skyrocketing. Waves of nausea washed over me. “I’m telling you, I’m not giving you this apartment!” I pointed at the door. “Give me back the deed right now, and get out of my house!” Brenda didn’t get up; instead, she started rolling on the floor. “Everyone, look! This is our wonderful son-in-law, who married into our family, isn’t just unfilial, he’s trying to kick us out of *our own home*!” Because of the commotion, several neighbors had already gathered in the hallway, watching the show. Hearing Brenda’s words, some uninformed people started whispering, pointing fingers at me. Chloe, seeing this, quickly knelt down to help Brenda up. “Mom, please don’t do this.” “Alex, please don’t say such harsh things.” My heart went completely cold. She was worried about her mom rolling on the floor, but not about me, being unjustly pushed to this point. I sneered, “Fine, Chloe. You go get that property deed back right now. Otherwise, tomorrow, I’m calling building security to kick your entire family out.” I turned, went back into the bedroom, slammed the door shut, and locked it. Immediately, even sharper wails and screams erupted from outside the door. “You’re so shameless! You’ve barely been married and you’re already bullying your wife’s family!” Kyle started kicking the door. “Bro-in-law, open up! Let’s talk this out!” The banging rattled my head. “Alex, come out. Let’s sit down and discuss this.” Chloe was also knocking. I put on my earbuds and curled up on the bed. My head throbbed faintly. I wasn’t sure if it was from anger or something else. After a while, the noise outside stopped. Feeling unwell, I didn’t think much of it and drifted into a deep sleep. The next morning, I was jolted awake by the piercing sound of an electric drill. I heard Brenda’s voice giving orders from outside the door. My heart pounded. What was that old lady up to now? The moment I opened the door, I froze. Brenda had actually called a locksmith, and they were forcibly changing the locks on my front door! “What are you doing! Stop it!” I rushed forward to intervene. Kyle shot forward, blocking me, and shoved me hard. Caught off guard, my head slammed against the wall. “Chloe!” I clutched my head, my voice trembling. “My head really hurts!” Chloe rushed out of the kitchen. Seeing me like this, she yelled at Kyle, “Kyle! How could you push him?!” I felt a slight sense of relief. This time, she was finally on my side. But the next second, she turned to me, her eyes filled with impatience. “Can’t you just give them a break? Do you have to make such a scene?” *Me? Make a scene?* I was just protecting my own apartment. Is that “making a scene”? While we were talking, the locksmith had already finished changing the lock. Brenda took the new key, tossing it in her hand triumphantly. “See? This apartment is my son’s now.” “Either you don’t leave the house from today on and just stay here and reflect.” “Or you get out now, and only come back when you’ve seen reason!” Kyle stood beside her, his grin even more arrogant. “Bro-in-law, if you hadn’t made such a fuss, we wouldn’t have wasted money on this.” I leaned against the wall, feeling the throbbing pain in my head. I looked at the three people in front of me and suddenly smiled. I said each word slowly, “Fine, I’ll go.” Brenda’s eyes flickered. She hadn’t expected me to agree so readily. Chloe’s face changed. “Alex, don’t be impulsive…” “Impulsive?” I cut her off. “I’m just trying to get my own apartment back. You call that impulsive?” “Well, let me tell you, the *real* impulse is yet to come.” With that, I turned and went back to the bedroom to pack my things. Brenda yelled from the doorway, “Don’t bother with the act! If you’ve got the guts, don’t come back!” Kyle echoed, “Good riddance. I’ll bring Tiffany to see the apartment tomorrow.” Only Chloe stood there, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. I didn’t take much, just my phone and a bag. Walking to the door, I glanced back at her. “Chloe, remember today.” “Remember how you stood by and watched your mother and brother kick me out of my own home, all for an apartment.” She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing. I finally understood. In this family, there was never any place for me. Just as I was about to leave, Chloe suddenly grabbed my arm, a look of fake concern on her face. “Alex, why don’t you go stay at a hotel for a few days? I’ll try to talk to Mom…” Before I could shake her hand off, Brenda snatched my bag, roughly unzipped it, and dumped everything inside onto the floor. She picked up my bank card, saying viciously, “Think you can just walk away? All of this was given to you by the Davis family!” “You’re not taking a single cent with you!” Kyle kicked at my scattered belongings, stomping on my fallen phone. *Crunch.* The screen shattered. “Bro-in-law trying to call for help, huh?” I turned to look at Chloe. She said nothing, turning her head away, afraid to meet my eyes. In that moment, the last bit of warmth in my heart completely vanished. The three of them shoved me out the door and slammed it shut. I stood in the hallway, dressed in thin loungewear. From inside, I heard their celebratory noises. Kyle laughed loudly, “Finally, some peace and quiet!” Brenda also yelled from inside, “Let’s see if he dares to fight us now!” Only Chloe’s voice sounded a bit hesitant: “Isn’t this a little too…” “Too what?!” Brenda cut her off. “He deserves a lesson!” I leaned against the wall, my head still throbbing. The elevator door opened, and I walked in, my steps unsteady. Downstairs, the night wind was biting. I shivered, pulling my neck into my collar. Suddenly, I remembered that my sister had said she was coming here for a business trip two days ago. I hurried towards the convenience store near the apartment complex entrance. The owner, a man in his fifties, looked at my disheveled state, a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. I asked in a hoarse voice, “Excuse me, could I borrow your phone to make a call?” He nodded, pushing the phone towards me. I shakily dialed the most familiar number. The moment the call connected, all the accumulated grievance overwhelmed me. My voice was choked with emotion. “Sis…” “Someone’s trying to take my apartment.” My sister’s low voice immediately came through the phone. “Tell me the address.” “I’ll be right there.” Half an hour later, five black Rolls-Royces lined up in front of the apartment complex. My sister, Victoria Miller, stepped out of the lead car, followed by two bodyguards in black suits and a man carrying a briefcase. She strode towards me, taking off her tailored suit jacket and draping it over my shoulders. Seeing my lips turning blue from the cold, the chill in her eyes was enough to freeze. “Who did this?” I pointed upstairs, “They’re up there.” Victoria turned to the man behind her. “Mr. Hayes, you know what to do.” “Five minutes. I want them and their belongings out of my sight.” Mr. Hayes, with the two bodyguards, headed straight upstairs. Less than three minutes later, the Davis family, who had been smugly discussing renovation plans, were interrupted by urgent knocking. The moment the door opened, before Brenda could even react, Mr. Hayes presented the property deed. “This is Mr. Alex Miller’s private residence. You are to vacate immediately.” “Who are you? This is my home!” Brenda tried to throw a tantrum. Without a word, the two bodyguards grabbed her and dragged her out. “Let go of me! How dare you! Help!” Brenda struggled, her screams shrill and piercing. The bodyguards ignored her, tossing her out the door like a piece of trash. Kyle tried to lunge at them, but one bodyguard used a quick hold, lifting him into the air like a chicken. “Ow, ow, ow! Let go of me! Do you know who I am?!”
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