When Mo throws a housewarming party to celebrate her new home, her husband and mother-in-law make an unthinkable demand. To give the house to Moe’s daughter-in-law. But what they didn’t know is that Mo’s parents had planned everything in advance. What would follow would be a devastating breakdown of loyalty, power and love, ending in a reckoning no one had foreseen.
They say that the first house you buy in marriage is where you build your future. For Alex and I, it was to be just that – a warm two-bedroom flat on the third floor, with sunlight streaming into the kitchen every morning.
We bought it three months after we got married, and although we both contributed to the mortgage, the truth was simple: this place existed because of my parents.
My mum and dad, Debbie and Mason, had given us most of the down payment as a wedding gift.
‘Don’t ask, don’t refuse, just take it, dear girl,’ my dad said.
So there were no questions asked. There was only love and support. So they have always been with me, giving me their quiet strength and unwavering devotion.
And perhaps it was because I knew: a home is built on love, not on rights or obligations. Then I began to notice how Barbara’s tone changed when she came to visit.
I’d seen her looking around the flat at the bachelorette party, taking in every detail not as a guest but as someone taking inventory. The gleam in her eyes wasn’t admiration. It was calculation! At that moment, my father told me he had rented a flat for the weekend for my fiancée’s celebration. I didn’t know he was going to buy it.
‘I’m sure your mum will give you the place, Mo,’ she said. ‘All for their princess, right?’
She was right. But it wasn’t really any of her business. So when we finally settled in, I told Alex I wanted to throw a housewarming party.
‘Why do you want so many people in our house, Mo?’ – He asked.
‘Because I want to show off our house! I want to be a good hostess, and actually, I’d rather have everyone here at once than those annoying weekend visits.’
It took some persuasion, but Alex finally agreed. I cooked two days in a row. Roast chicken glazed with honey and thyme, salads with candied nuts and goat cheese, and a cake that I’d laboured over for hours but which somehow veered slightly to the right but still tasted heavenly.
I wanted everyone to see that I had built something real. That I was thriving.
On the night of the housewarming party, I spent an hour getting ready. I don’t know what I had to prove, but I just felt like I had to be…perfect.
Katie, my sister-in-law, showed up without her kids. She said a friend had taken them for their birthday.
‘That’s good, Mo,’ she said. ‘The kids were so into the party, I’m sure they forgot all their manners.’
Truth be told, I was relieved. Katie’s three children were the kind of kids who leave behind crumbled crackers like breadcrumbs leading to chaos.
The party went on as usual. Wine poured, laughter rippled through the air, plates clinked, and Alex played music by an indie band he was obsessed with. I was just talking to my aunt about the tiles for the back wall when I heard the clinking of glasses.
Barbara stood at the head of the table and smiled like a benevolent queen.
‘I look at those two,’ she said, gesturing at Alex and me. ‘And I’m just so proud of them! They’re such a wonderful couple. It must be so easy to save up for a house together. You don’t even have to worry about pets. Unlike Katie…who has to raise three kids alone.’
The words were… sweet? But her tone was ridiculously sour.
I felt my stomach clench.
‘Kathy will never be able to afford her own flat, will you, honey?’ Barbara cooed to Kathy, who sighed exaggeratedly and shook her head like she was auditioning for daytime television.
Then Barbara turned to my parents and smiled even wider.
‘This flat…you should give it to Kathy. She needs it more than you do,’ she said.
At first I thought I’d misheard. Surely, surely, she meant something else. But then Alex entered the conversation, also nonchalantly, as if they’d been discussing it over brunch and mimosas.
‘That’s right, Mum,’ he said. ‘Mo, think about it. You and I can just stay with my mum for a while. Your parents already helped us once, right? They can help us again. Mum can have a little break from the kids… and Katie can… Katie can be alone.’
I turned to my husband, still half laughing, like this was some kind of weird joke.
‘You’re kidding, right?’
Alex didn’t even flinch.
‘Come on, baby. We’ll just start over when the time comes. With your parents’ help, it won’t take long. This place is perfect for kids. And Katie needs it. Besides, you decorated this flat. I had nothing to do with it. I want to have something where I can make decisions too.’
I looked at Katie, who was already looking around as if mentally doing a redesign.
‘That’s fair enough,’ Barbara nodded, prouder than ever. She looked at Alex as if he’d hung the sun in the sky.
Mum’s hand froze on her wine glass. Dad set his fork aside with a sharp clink. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. It was as if my brain refused to accept how casually they were trying to gut me. I didn’t realise what was happening….
Then Debbie, my sweet old mum, folded her napkin and placed it on the table with such an eerie calm that the room fell silent.
‘I didn’t raise my daughter to be anyone’s fool,’ she said. Her voice was soft, but each word hit like a hammer.
‘Excuse me?’ Barbara blinked.
‘Do you want her to come home?’ – Mum continued. ‘You want Mo home? Then sue her. But I promise you’ll lose.’
Everyone froze.
‘Honey, give them the papers,’ she said, turning to me.
I nodded and walked over to a cabinet drawer that I had labelled ‘just in case’. I pulled out an envelope and went back and held it out to Alex.
He frowned and opened it. Katie leaned over. Barbara craned her neck. His face changed from an expression of confusion to something darker. Panic.
‘What the hell is this?’ muttered Alex, scanning the pages.
I sat up slowly, folding my hands in my lap.
‘Since my parents paid most of the down payment, they made sure the deed was in my name only. You don’t own a single square foot of this flat.’
The expression on Barbara’s face cracked like glass under pressure.
‘That…that can’t be true.’
My mum took a sip of wine.
‘Oh, but it is. We weren’t born yesterday, Barbara. We saw how you acted even before you got married. That’s why we made sure our daughter was protected.’
‘Maureen was never going to be abused by you,’ my father said. ‘Mo is our child. We want to provide for and protect her. Not your daughter and grandchildren, Barbara.’
‘So what? You’re just going to kick me out?’ Alex’s ears turned crimson.
‘No, Alex…’ I tilted my head.
He was rifling through the paperwork as if he could use magic to find a loophole.
‘You signed a prenup,’ I reminded him. ‘Remember? Any property acquired with my family’s help remains mine.’
Barbara’s voice rose a notch.
‘But you’re married! That must mean something!’
I laughed, once, low and bitter.
‘It should, I agree,’ I said. ‘But so should fidelity. Like the fact that you shouldn’t abandon your wife at her own party and try to give her house to your sister.’
Alex continued to flip through the pages, shaking his head.
‘There must be something in here that…’
‘No,’ his father interrupted, finally speaking. His voice was steady and low, the kind that makes grown men sit up straight. ‘And before you think about challenging this in court, know that our lawyer has it all set up.’
Katie finally spoke, her voice quite small.
‘But where are we supposed to go?’
I looked at her, then shrugged.
‘Stay with Mum? And Alex will come with you too.’
Alex slammed the papers on the table.
‘You… you knew about this from the beginning?’
I set my glass down, leaning in slightly.
‘No, Alex. I didn’t know you’d turn out to be so stupid. But I suspected your mother would try to pull something. Call it intuition, call it… a sixth sense. So I made sure I was protected. And now you’re without a home.’
Barbara looked as if she’d swallowed broken glass. Her mouth was opening and closing. She turned to Kathy, who had tears coming to her eyes.
‘Mum? What are we going to do?’ – She whispered. ‘I don’t want to… I thought it would finally be mine. I told the children…’
Barbara gritted her teeth.
‘We’re leaving. Now.’
Alex still hadn’t moved. He stared at the papers, as if they might catch fire and erase his mistake.
My father took a slow sip of his drink, looking at Alex as if he were peeling away layers of frustration.
‘A man who lets his mother control his marriage isn’t a man at all,’ he said, calm as ever. ‘And a man who tries to steal from his wife? He’s not just a fool…he’s a coward. Take that any way you like, Alex.’
That was it.
Alex blinked slowly. He stood up and put the papers on the table. His mouth opened to say something, maybe to apologise, maybe to defend himself, but no words came out.
Father didn’t even blink.
‘Now,’ he said, more firmly this time. ‘Get out, Alex.’
Barbara grabbed her purse. Katie followed silently behind her. Alex followed behind, his shoulders slumped as if a weight had finally been lifted off them. The door slammed shut behind them with a finality that rang out in the silence.
My mum leaned back in her chair and exhaled.
‘Well, Mo,’ she said, reaching for the wine again. ‘That went well… Now let’s eat cake.’
I looked at my parents, two people who had never once let me down, and smiled for the first time that evening since Barbara had walked through the door.
A week later, he suggested we get together.
The coffee shop smells of burnt espresso and cinnamon. I chose this place out of habit, not mood. It was halfway between my office and my flat. A neutral zone.
When I walked in, Alex was already there, sitting by the window with a coffee he hadn’t touched.
‘Hi,’ I said, dropping into the seat across from him.
‘Thanks for coming, Mo,’ he raised his bloodshot eyes to me.
Before I could respond, the waiter appeared.
‘Can I order a sourdough breakfast sandwich, with extra avocado?’ I said. ‘And an oat milk latte, please.’
He nodded and walked away.
‘I don’t want a divorce, Mo,’ he exhaled slowly.
I blinked. Right to it. Sweet.
‘I made a mistake. A stupid, horrible mistake. But we can fix it. We can go to therapy…we can…’
‘You tried to give away my house, Alex,’ I said softly. ‘At a party. In front of our family.’
He leaned forward, desperate.
‘It wasn’t like that, Mo. Come on.’
‘It was exactly like that.’
He rubbed his hands as if trying to warm them.
‘I was just trying to help Katie. She’s struggling…’
‘Katie’s husband should have helped her, not left. I didn’t. Not you. Not my parents. It’s not your responsibility.’
‘She’s my sister, Mo. What did you expect me to do? Honestly?’
‘And I was your wife, Alex.’
He flinched. The blow came exactly where I’d expected it to.
I looked out the window.
‘You dishonoured me, Alex,’ I said. ‘You betrayed me. And what’s the worst part? You didn’t even ask. You assumed I’d just say yes, like you always did with your mother. We didn’t even talk about it.’
‘I panicked,’ he said. ‘I didn’t think it would go this far.’
‘But it did.’
He reached across the table. I didn’t take his hand.
‘I still love you, Mo.’
My food arrived. I slowly unwrapped my sandwich without meeting his gaze.
‘I believe you,’ I said. ‘But love doesn’t make up for disrespect. And I’ll never forget the way you looked at me when you sided with them. Like I was just a…resource.’
‘Please,’ he whispered.
‘Goodbye, Alex. Don’t worry, I’ll pay.’
I picked up my coffee. And took a sip as Alex stepped out of the booth. The coffee was hot, bitter…and cleansing.
What would you do?
