After the birth of my twin daughters, I had hoped that my husband Derek would finally put us first, rather than let his overbearing mother Lorraine come between us. But he let me down again, and this time I realised it was the tipping point.
Bringing my babies home after a difficult labour was supposed to be a happy moment. I imagined Derek picking us up from the hospital and welcoming us like family. Instead, he called at the last minute and said he couldn’t make it because Lorraine had started having chest pains and he had to take her to the hospital.
I was upset but tried to concentrate on my daughters, Ella and Sophie. I hailed a taxi, put the girls in their car seats and prepared to drive home without him.
When the taxi pulled up to our house, I couldn’t believe what I saw. My belongings were strewn all over the yard – suitcases, baby stuff, even the cot mattress. A note taped to one of the suitcases made my heart ache.
‘Go away with your little freeloaders! I know all about it.’ The note was signed by Derek.
I tried calling him again and again, but his phone was switched off. My heart was torn apart as I stood there, holding my newborn babies in my arms, wondering how the man I loved could do this to me.
Having no other option, I called my mum. She came quickly, angry and confused, and took us to her house. I hardly slept that night, overwhelmed with pain, anger, and unanswered questions.
The next day, I returned to the house. All my belongings were gone, but what shocked me most was that Lorraine was sitting at the dining room table quietly drinking tea as if nothing had happened.
I knocked on the door, demanding an explanation. She opened it just enough to grin and boast. She confessed that she had planned the whole thing: pretended to be sick to get Derek out of the way, locked me out, and wrote a nasty note.
When I asked why she’d done it, her answer stunned me. ‘Because you gave him two useless girls. This family needs boys,’ she said.
Her equanimity was unbearable. She seemed proud of what she had done and was sure that Derek would side with her, as he always did. Furious, I went straight to the hospital to confront him.
When I found Derek, he looked tired and confused. ‘Where have you been? I tried to call you, but I lost my phone,’ he said.
‘Your mother took your phone,’ I snapped back. ‘She pretended to be sick and locked me in the house.’
The shock on his face was quickly replaced by anger. We drove home together, and when we reached the house, Lorraine’s smug mood vanished as soon as Derek started demanding answers.
‘You lied to me, kicked my wife and children out and locked them in their own house?’ shouted Derek. Lorraine tried to defend herself, but he wouldn’t listen to her. ‘What kind of mother does that? I don’t care if my children are girls or boys. They are my daughters and I love them. If you can’t accept them, you’re not a part of our lives.’
For the first time, Lorraine was at a loss for words. That same night, she packed her things and left. Derek apologised repeatedly, promising to make things right. He changed the locks, severed relations with his mother, and even reported the nurse she had bribed.
