My mother-in-law passed away just two months ago, and my father-in-law moved in with his affair, his second wife, quietly into my marital home.
They sleep in my marriage bed and bathe in my bathtub.
They filled my daughter's room with used garbage.
He even told his second wife that the house is under his name.
When I found out, he blackened his face and ordered me.
"Anyway, you have more houses. Just give this one to your mom and hurry up with the transfer."
Get lost, you disrespectful garbage.
I glared at him without any politeness.
"If you want a house, feel free to pick one from the cemetery."
***
My mother-in-law passed away two months ago, and after we handled her funeral, we went to work out of town.
During the summer vacation, I thought about taking the children back to my hometown to play for a few days.
Who knew, as soon as we returned home, I heard terrible noises coming from the bedroom.
I was terrified and looked closely, thinking I had gone to the wrong place.
But this was clearly my home!
Could it be a burglar?
But a burglar wouldn't sneak into someone else's home for an affair.
I put headphones on my daughter and, after taking a deep breath, kicked the door open.
I was instantly dumbfounded.
On the bed were two naked bodies, one of whom was my father-in-law, Dwayne, my daughter's grandfather.
They were equally shocked by my sudden intrusion. The woman screamed and covered her face with the blanket.
I saw the bedspread, and it made me furious.
It was the one my mother had chosen for my dowry, costing thousands, selected after much deliberation.
I'd always been reluctant to use it, keeping it in pristine condition.
And now it was thrown over Dwayne and another naked woman.
I was so angry I could explode, but I turned and closed the door immediately.
"You have two minutes to get out of my bedroom."
So disgusting.
My mother-in-law had only been gone for two months, and this old man had already found a woman.
This shouldn't concern me, but he absolutely shouldn't have brought her to my house, my bedroom, my bed.
After closing the door, I took several deep breaths to calm myself and swept the living room with my gaze.
I sadly realized they weren't just here for a moment of passion. They seemed to have moved in.
There were their shoes in the shoe cabinet, a bag hanging behind the door that didn't belong to me, and fresh groceries in the kitchen.
There were even sanitary napkins in the bathroom that weren't mine.
I endured my anger and pounded on the bedroom door.
"Get out now!"
Chapter 2They finally came out, but the woman was still wearing my pajamas from the closet.
I was going crazy.
"Who told you to wear my clothes?"
The woman was displeased.
"You must be Ariana, the wife of Scott. How is this your outfit when it was clearly bought by my husband?"
What?
Husband?
I looked at Dwayne, who was making gestures to tell me to calm down.
But I couldn't stay calm. Just as I was about to speak, the woman continued.
"Ariana, we were planning to tell you and Scott in a couple of days, but since you're back, let's just say it now."
She poked Dwayne playfully, pretending to be shy.
"Husband, you say."
I was speechless.
Dwayne's expression lit up when he heard her call him dear.
"Ariana, let me officially introduce you to your new mother-in-law, Yvette. We just got our marriage certificate last month and are planning a wedding soon."
What the heck?
They got the certificate last month, meaning they married just a month after my mother-in-law passed?
And now they were planning a wedding. It was outrageous.
Yvette kept leaning against Dwayne, touching him casually.
How shameless! Did they think I didn't exist?
But I still held back my anger. He was my father-in-law, and if he wanted to remarry, it wasn't my place to intervene.
After thinking for a moment, I swallowed my disgust and said.
"You can get married and hold a wedding. That's your business, and I have no say in it. But now that it's summer break, my daughter Amy and I will be staying here for two months. You two should go back to your own home."
I thought I had been quite diplomatic.
This house was bought with my husband's and my own money. Although it was our marital home, my in-laws contributed nothing, so their names were not on the deed.
Besides, my in-laws used to have a house, albeit an older one, but the neighborhood had complete facilities, so living there wouldn't be inconvenient at all.
But as soon as I said this, Yvette's face darkened.
"Ariana, how can you be so unreasonable? I haven't said to kick you out, yet you want to kick me out? Is there such a malicious daughter-in-law like you?"
Chapter 3What the hell? It was my house, my home, and she wanted to kick me out?
And she was so righteous about it.
I was about to explode when Dwayne quickly pulled me out to the balcony and closed the glass door.
"Ariana, I was planning to tell you and Scott this in a few days, but you came back so quickly."
I ignored him, and he continued.
"I've sold the old house."
"What? You sold the old house?"
What was he doing? Selling a house just like that?
Seeing how angry I was, he quickly added.
"Yvette said she's still young and needs security marrying me, so she asked for 660,000 dollars as a bride price. I didn't have the money, so I sold the house."
"They sold for 800,000 dollars, and I gave her 660,000. The rest I'm planning to use for the wedding and honeymoon."
I was fed up. This wedding and trip had nothing to do with me.
I only I only thought about him selling the house and what that meant for my living situation.
"So, you sold the old house and plan to live with me?"
He looked sincere.
"I'm your father. Living here is only natural. Besides, I haven't bothered you for the bride price, which is considerate enough."
No way, I disagreed.
I immediately called my husband, who was just as shocked. In the end, he could only comfort me.
"What will you do if you kick them out? They have nowhere else to go. Let them stay for now. I'll figure something out when I get back."
After hanging up, I felt like a pile of cotton was stuck in my chest, making it hard to breathe.
Dwayne heard my husband on the phone and laughed, feeling quite pleased.
"My son is thinking about me, too. Ariana, I told your mom this house is mine. It's under my name. If not, she wouldn't have married me."
"So, you should be polite to her and not act like the mistress of the house."
Get lost!
Taking advantage of the situation.
I was already annoyed. Letting them stay temporarily was my biggest concession. Do I still have to consider Yvette's face?
It was absurd. I've been married to Scott for years and have never received any help from Dwayne, neither financially nor materially.
It was the late mother-in-law who helped me take care of the child for a few years, and I was grateful for that.
Thinking about my mother-in-law made me suspicious. Their rapid marriage must have not been a coincidence.
Could it be that while I was away taking care of my child, it gave them the opportunity?
Chapter 4Seeing that we had been talking for a while, Yvette was dissatisfied and pulled open the glass door.
"What are you whispering about? Isn't it awkward for a father-in-law and daughter-in-law to be alone together for so long? Ariana, you need to know your place and have some boundaries at home."
I nearly threw up. Her husband was nearly 60, with a face full of wrinkles and a bad odor. Did she think I wanted to stand alone with him?
Funny.
I bypassed her and went straight to the bedroom to bring in my luggage.
Seeing the bedding my mom bought for me now crumpled and dirty on the bed made me furious.
I'd toss it all out. It pained me, but I couldn't use something so filthy.
I threw everything onto the floor and opened the closet to get new bedding.
But to my surprise, the closet was full of Yvette's and Dwayne's clothes, while mine and Scott's were shoved to the very bottom, all in disarray.
I lost it and grabbed their clothes, tossing them onto the floor.
Yvette followed me in, screaming.
"What are you doing? Why are you throwing my things? This is my room, the master bedroom. Don't you understand boundaries? Get out, just get out!"
How dare she tell me to get out! I said nothing and continued tossing the items.
Yvette panicked and quickly called Dwayne in.
"Dear, can't you do something about this Ariana? Look at what she's doing!"
Dwayne, seeing his wife distressed, grabbed my arm.
"Ariana, have you no decency? She's your mother, your mother-in-law. Why are you throwing her things?"
This was insane. I stomped down hard on their clothes.
"This is my room. Why should I give it to you?"
Yvette was smug.
"I say you young people don't work hard and just want to rely on your in-laws. Now you even want to steal your in-laws' room; it's disgusting."
I glared at Dwayne; Yvette didn't know the house was mine, but he certainly did.
"I'm giving you a choice: either move to the guest room or leave. You choose."
Before Dwayne could respond, Yvette yelled.
"Bullshit! The guest room is for my daughter. If you want to stay here, you can only sleep in the study. No other room is available!"
Chapter 5This was outrageous! She even brought her daughter over and was staying in the guest room, which I had designed for Amy.
I angrily opened the guest room door and nearly lost it.
The pink bunk bed I had designed for my daughter was now piled with smelly dirty clothes and socks.
The creamy-white walls were plastered with nearly nude male portraits.
The desk was cluttered with snack wrappers and leftover instant noodle boxes.
I even spotted a bloody sanitary pad by the bed.
The mixed odors made me almost throw up; it was disgusting.
What kind of filthy person could mess up a room like this?
I couldn't hold back any longer and glared at Dwayne.
"Get out! All of you, get out of my house with your wife and daughter!"
Dwayne quickly covered my mouth, afraid Yvette would hear.
"Ariana, Chelsea is also your sister-in-law; be a bit more understanding and don't shout like that."
Get away from me! Who the hell is my sister-in-law? I wouldn't acknowledge it.
I pushed him away hard.
"Move out! Get out now!"
Just then, the door was opened from the outside, and a girl in a tank top and shorts walked in.
No need to say, this must be Yvette's daughter, Chelsea.
She paused upon seeing me at the door and quickly turned to ask Yvette.
"Mom, who is she?"
Yvette looked at me with disdain.
"A freeloader."
Chelsea's face broke into a mocking smile.
"Oh, I get it, you're that daughter-in-law of Uncle Dwayne's, the one who does nothing but rely on others."
What the hell! I rely on others? I've been working every day except for my maternity leave!
She looked to be in her twenties but spoke so harshly.
"I see you have a kid here; are you planning to have my mom take care of your child during summer break? Let me tell you, get lost! Don't think you can take advantage of my mom."
"Since you're back today, I'll make it clear: my mom marrying Uncle Dwayne was a huge sacrifice, so you all must take responsibility for her future care."
"My mom doesn't have high expenses; 10,000 dollars a month is enough. Uncle Dwayne also said this house will eventually be left to me and my mom, so don't even think about it."
Chapter 6The more I heard, the more outrageous it became.
The house I worked so hard to buy is to be left to her and her mother, and I was supposed to give her mom 10,000 dollars a month for living expenses?
What a pipe dream!
I couldn't take it anymore and went into the bedroom to grab the property deed.
But after searching the bedside cabinet for a while, I found nothing; my property deed was missing.
There was no doubt, it must have been Dwayne's doing; there was no one else.
I glared at him in anger.
"Give it back to me?"
His face twitched a few times.
"What do you mean by giving it back to you? I don't know what you're talking about."
I originally wanted to give him some face, but now it seems unnecessary.
"Property certificate, bring me my property certificate."
His eyes narrowed, with a hint of threat.
"Ariana, I'm your father-in-law. How can you talk to me like that?"
How dare he even call himself a father-in-law?
I continued to demand.
"Return my property certificate."
Yvette walked over, rummaging through the drawer under the closet and then threw a booklet at me.
"Is this what you're looking for? Here, let's see if you can take it with you."
It was the property deed! So, she had just hidden it in a different place. I held the document, ready to kick them out; I couldn't let them live in my home.
"This is my house! I never agreed to you living here; pack up and move out today!"
Yvette and Chelsea exchanged looks, unable to keep straight faces.
After a while, Chelsea finally said.
"Ariana, where do you get the nerve? Open it and see whose house this really is."
I sensed something wrong from their confident tone.
I quickly opened the property certificate, and my heart skipped a beat. I could hardly believe it.
Impossible, this was clearly my house. I personally paid the money and handled the documents.
But now it clearly stated Dwayne as the homeowner.