After my son was born, my ‘caring’ mother-in-law seemed like just the help until I found an envelope hidden in her bathroom. But worst of all, inside were emails and legal documents that revealed a betrayal I couldn’t even think of.
I sat in the living room looking at the chaos of baby stuff while my five-month-old son Egor slept in the swing. Hope, my mother-in-law, stood in front of me with perfect posture and a caring smile.
Why don’t you all stay with me for a few days? – She suggested. – I have plenty of room, and you, my dear, clearly need the support.
Before I could reply, Artyom intervened:
‘That’s a great idea, Mum.
He turned to me, giving me a pleading look:
It will do us good. You’ll feel better, and Egor will be in good hands.
I wanted to refuse. Hope had been keeping us on our toes since Egor was born. She kept coming uninvited or offering to take him to her place so that I could ‘rest’.
At first I was grateful. I was incredibly tired due to sleepless nights and new responsibilities. I didn’t even notice how obsessive it had become.
You know, when I was raising Artyom, we did things differently. That’s right,’ she said, rearranging things in my kitchen cupboards without permission. – Babies need routines, dear. They need experienced hands.
Over time, her meddling intensified. She even converted her guest room into a full-fledged nursery: cot, changing table, rocking chair. Bought duplicates of all of Egor’s toys.
When I said it was too much, she just laughed:
Olya, you can’t be too considerate! Egor should feel comfortable at his grandmother’s.
And now she was suggesting that we move in with her. Artyom and Nadezhda looked at me, waiting for an answer.
I couldn’t argue. I was too tired.
‘All right,’ I muttered. – For a couple of days.
We stayed at Hope’s place for the night. At 7:30 in the morning, she was already standing in the doorway of our room.
Oh, good morning! It’s about time to get our sweet baby up. Have you fed him yet? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,’ she chirped.
Holding back a groan, I left the room while she tended to the nursery. But her house only made me feel uncomfortable.
I always felt like a stranger there. The living room looked like a museum: spotlessly clean, as if nothing could be touched. The whole wall was hung with family photos – mostly of Artyom in different years, and always with Nadezhda by his side.
I should have been grateful for the help. Nadezhda was indeed organised and experienced. But something inside of me was holding me back.
And you know what I say? Trust your intuition, especially after having a baby. But it’s always clearer in hindsight, right?
I see now that her constant presence and ‘caring’ remarks were warning signs. I just didn’t realise what was going on.
That day, when Artyom went shopping with his mother, I got a headache. I went to Nadezhda’s bathroom looking for painkillers. I looked in the medicine cabinet, but there were no pills. I opened the first aid kit to see if there were any.
But something else caught my eye. Inside was a stuffed envelope.
Why would it be in the first aid kit? It looked strange. Curiosity took over.
When I opened the envelope and began to read, my heart clenched with horror. It was Nadezhda’s carefully prepared documents and notes. The picture formed at once: she was planning to take Egor away from me.
Among the papers were documents titled ‘Custody Proceedings.’ They were drawn up by a real law firm.
And then there were her notes about me:
‘Olga sleeps while the baby cries – 10 minutes (photo attached).’
‘The house is a mess during a surprise visit.’
‘Mother not following feeding regime.’
The secret photos captured me in moments of weakness: exhausted, in tears, broken.
But the most frightening thing I found was in her correspondence with her lawyer.
‘As we discussed, my son Artyom agrees that his wife Olga is incapable of taking care of Egor,’ Nadezhda wrote. – ‘She is too tired to argue and that is to our advantage. Soon Egor will be where he belongs – with me.’
My husband was in cahoots with her.
I couldn’t think why. I mean, we were coping like any young parents.
I wanted to tear those papers to shreds, but instead I photographed them – I needed proof.
When Artyom and Nadezhda returned, I went out into the living room and threw the envelope on the table with all my might.
What’s this? – I asked icily.
Artyom’s face turned pale.
Where did you find it?
Nadezhda stepped forward:
Olya, let me explain. All this is for Yegor’s sake.
For him? – I laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. – You’ve been planning this from the beginning, haven’t you?
Artyom mumbled confusedly:
‘It was just a precaution… in case you didn’t make it.
Fail? – I stared at him in horror. – We had this baby together, and now you just want to give it to your mum?!
His answer destroyed what was left of our relationship.
Olya, you can see that. We’re too young for this. Egor will be better off with his mum. And we can live for ourselves again.
I froze.
Are you serious now?! Are you ready to betray me and my son because you don’t get enough attention?!
Hope shook her head:
Don’t shout, you’ll wake up the baby. You see? You’re too emotional. Think about your husband. About marriage. Then we’ll talk about dating Egor.
I took a deep breath, holding back tears.
You’re not going to get away with this.
I grabbed Egor, my bag, my purse, and headed for the exit. Nadezhda tried to stop me.
You can’t just take him! We’ll call the police!
Try it! – I looked at Artyom. – Stay away from us.
I left and went to my friend’s house.
Then it was hell of a trial. But I won. Hope got a restraining order. Artyom got supervised visits only.
I filed for divorce.
Now Egor and I live alone. Sometimes it’s hard, but his smile is all I need.Now Egor and I are home again, and I’m turning it into our cosy space.
I’ve repainted the walls, moved furniture around, started to rebuild my life.
Yes, there are moments of fatigue. But what mum doesn’t have them? At least now I don’t have to cope with a useless husband and his conniving mother.
And when the days are particularly hard, I just look at Egor, at his carefree smile, and realise: it is worth going on for that.
