Building your own home is a very significant event in life. Right after reaching the peak of this joy, my relationship with my husband fell apart.
My name is Angela, and I am currently 30 years old. We are a family of three: my husband, Matt, who is 35, and our three-year-old daughter, Tracy.
We decided to build a house, a dream of ours for a long time. When I talk about this, people might think I am filled with happiness and that everything is going well. They might even be envious.
But that is not the case for me.
Recently, I have been preoccupied with our home construction and issues with my in-laws. The beginning of the collapse was when we left our daughter at my in-law’s house.
Both my husband and I work, and we are always busy on weekdays, leaving no time for other things. Therefore, we used to spend our weekends looking for real estate and discussing house plans.
We usually left our daughter with my parents, who live nearby, because she would get bored and cranky if we took her to the real estate agent.
However, one morning, my father fell ill and had to go to the hospital, so he couldn’t take care of Tracy. I thought about canceling our plans for the day.
Then my husband suggested, “Why don’t we have my parents look after her?”
To be honest, I don’t have a good relationship with my in-laws. They don’t hold back with me. They see me as their son’s wife, and they say whatever they like. I think it’s an old-fashioned attitude.
Moreover, I was hesitant to suddenly ask them to take care of a three-year-old child. But postponing our plans for the day would delay the completion of our house.
After some thought, I decided to leave Tracy with my in-laws just for that day.
After finishing our errands, I bought some fancy sweets as a gift and headed to my in-law’s house. We arrived there in the evening, and perhaps because of the sweets, my in-laws welcomed us warmly.
After thanking my in-laws and leaving their house, Tracy asked me on the way home, “Are there rooms for Grandpa and Grandma in the new house?”
“Tracy, why? Oh, did Grandpa and Grandma say that? What did you answer?”
“I said I didn’t understand.”
She then quickly started playing and talking with her penguin stuffed toy.
Tracy calls my parents Papa and Nana. Grandpa and Grandma refer to my in-laws.
Yeah, you wouldn’t understand. Maybe they were curious about where they would stay when they came to our house.
At that time, I thought they were probably asking about their room in our new house.
From that day on, my in-laws started visiting us more frequently on weekday nights and holidays when my husband and I were home.
We were then living in a small, somewhat old rented apartment while saving money to build our house. My in-laws visited regularly, sat on the dining room sofa, and demanded to see the plans for the house we were building.
Before I could stop them, my husband happily started showing them the plans and explaining it to them.
I didn’t like them visiting, so why did they always pry into the details of our new house?
Then my mother-in-law started bombarding me with questions. It was like a public hearing in Parliament, and the target of these questions was not my husband but me.
It was as if the chairperson was giving her the floor.
“Mother, please go ahead.”
“Looking at this blueprint, the kitchen’s location seems impractical. You should change it. Also, increase the number of bedrooms. As we age, we need more space to relax. Moreover, with only one child’s room, what will you do if you have more children?”
Then came my turn to answer.
“Angela, please.”
“Well, my husband and I have discussed this, followed the appropriate procedures, and the foundation work has already started. It’s no longer possible to change the layout.”
I answered a bit angrily.
Then the questions about furniture and appliances continued. My mother-in-law, though just saying it herself, claimed to be an expert on homes.
“I have many friends, so I’ve been to various houses and seen many rooms. I have an eye for this. I can immediately tell which rooms are comfortable and which furniture is superior. This room in your house doesn’t look comfortable, and I bet your daily lives won’t go well either. It’s just no good.”
She really thought highly of her self-proclaimed expertise. She was stinging like a mosquito.
When I was about to jokingly suggest making it a multi-generational home and sharing the costs, my in-laws got furious.
“What a terrible daughter-in-law, asking parents to pay. I hate multi-generational homes. They’re such a complicated mess.”
That day, my in-laws left promptly.
Ah, that was refreshing. They’re not my parents, so I don’t feel obliged to take care of them more than what I’m comfortable doing.
That night, after putting Tracy to bed, my husband spoke to me with an irritated look.
“Don’t be cold to Dad and Mom. They’re just trying to give us advice because they care about us.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t intend to be rude, but they are much ruder than me. They always interfere in our house matters and speak down to us. It’s like they’re looking down on me.”
“It’s only natural for parents. They’re worried and giving us advice, and you’re being disrespectful. You’re a woman who can understand others’ feelings. You should really reflect on yourself.”
After that, my husband turned his back to me and stopped talking.
Of course he’s their son, but we are a separate family. Moreover, we haven’t received any financial support from my in-laws. It’s extremely rude to interfere without contributing financially.
Although my husband told me to reflect, my anger didn’t subside. Instead, I was infuriated by the injustice and had trouble sleeping that night.
Despite everything, our house was finally completed. Our family was excited to move, but we soon faced a problem in our new home.
“From now on, my parents will live with us, so the larger room on the second floor will be for my dad, and the smaller one for my mom.”
“Wait. I can’t just accept this all of a sudden. We had agreed that one of the second-floor rooms would be for Tracy, and we never discussed living together. Besides, your father and mother might say they don’t like the rooms, as they always do.”
“There’s no way they’d say that. They’ve already seen the rooms, so don’t worry.”
“What do you mean they’ve seen the rooms? When did this happen?”
“It was the day before our viewing.”
“What? You mean your parents came to see this house the day before our viewing?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. They wanted to see it, so I lent them the keys. There’s no problem with them seeing it. They are my parents, after all.”
My husband said this in an annoyed tone, as if the conversation was over, and continued working on the TV wiring.
What does “they are my parents, after all” mean?
Tell me. They are strangers.
Not wanting to see my husband’s face, I left the kitchen where I was organizing and went upstairs. I closed the door, locked it, and calmed down my raging thoughts.
I was grateful that Tracy was at daycare because of the moving, giving me time to think alone.
The sudden announcement of living together made me feel disgusted with my husband and in-laws. I didn’t want to be in the same space as them, even for a moment.
But we had just bought a new house together.
Calmly, carefully, I thought hard about what was okay to say and what wasn’t, for the bright future of Tracy and I. I stayed in the room, engraving these thoughts in my mind, waiting for the arrival of my in-laws.
As my husband had warned, my in-laws and a moving truck loaded with their belongings arrived in the afternoon.
Not even coming to greet us.
“Parents should be cherished.”
“What’s this? You haven’t finished unpacking yet. Get it together.”
After they grumbled a lot, my in-laws entered our new house as if it was natural.
I heard this conversation from the second floor, left my room, and headed to the entrance.
“Father, Mother, I was not informed about living together with you two.”
I was surprised at how calm my first sentence came out.
My father-in-law, not liking my tone, immediately criticized me.
“I already told Matt, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
“There is a problem. I only heard about living with you this morning, and I have no intention of living with you two, who lack basic manners.”
“What are you saying? Matt said it’s fine. Do you think it’s okay to defy your husband as his wife?”
“Yeah, such a noisy daughter-in-law. You might as well leave.”
This is hopeless. I’ve always felt it, but our way of thinking is too different. I can’t have a conversation with my in-laws.
As I was thinking about how to respond, my husband hurried over in a panic.
“What are you doing, Angela? Complaining about my parents like that?”
“Complaining? That’s not it at all. I was being unilaterally criticized simply because I’m a daughter-in-law.”
And at that time, I was being criticized by my husband. I realized again that this father and son shared the same way of thinking.
“I cannot live with your parents.”
“Can’t live with them? Don’t make me suffer like this. You should listen to me, your husband, right? You are my wife, after all. Besides, this house was originally built for my parents.”
“Parents? The house was built for your parents?”
Surprised by his sudden nonsensical statement, I couldn’t help but laugh inside.
“Do you intend to force me to obey just because you are my husband? I am a person before I am your wife.”
Then my father-in-law, who had been listening to our conversation, raised his voice and said, “We don’t need a daughter-in-law like this.”
My husband agreed with him.
“That’s right. It might be better to get divorced if you’re going to treat my parents like this.”
That was the word I had been waiting for.
“Then let’s get a divorce.”
I responded nonchalantly.
A husband who suggested a divorce. A wife who agreed on it.
I hoped that the smartphone in my pocket was recording this exchange.
I continued the conversation.
“Since we will be living as strangers from now on, please repay the $350,000 I loaned for the construction of this house immediately, and do the same for the monthly mortgage payments.”
“What?”
My in-laws exclaimed in surprise. My husband looked at me, his face pale.
I had to explain clearly to my confused in-laws.
“It seems there is a misunderstanding. Matt hasn’t paid anything towards the purchase of this house. Not a single penny. This house was built with my money. He has no sense of planning and no savings at all. We both worked and contributed equal amounts for living expenses from our incomes. The rest was supposed to be saved in our respective accounts, but he is a spendthrift and saved nothing.”
“Just a minute, Angela.”
“That’s all true, isn’t it? Yet when it came to buying the house, you stubbornly wanted it in your name, so I ended up lending you the money. There’s a loan agreement, so you can’t lie about it.”
“You’re lying, Angela.”
While my husband and his parents were shocked, I packed Tracy’s belongings and mine into suitcases and a duffel bag: valuables, clothes, Tracy’s favorite toys, and clothes.
Holding Tracy’s cherished penguin stuffed animal in my arms, I loaded them into my car and left the newly built house where we had lived for only a short time.
Then I went to pick up Tracy from daycare and headed to my parents’ house.
Seeing me suddenly return home in a tracksuit with lots of luggage, my parents were surprised.
“Sorry for showing up like this. I can look for a hotel if you want.”
My parents, seeing my hesitation, stopped me and welcomed me kindly.
I later learned that my parents were worried that I might do something drastic with Tracy, but I had never thought of such a thing. I had sworn to protect my daughter no matter what.
For the time being, I explained the situation to my parents. I told them about my decision to divorce my husband and my intention to definitely take Tracy with me.
My parents said they would support us in every way. They also suggested that I stay at their home for a while.
This was a great relief to me.
Since I had work obligations, that night I documented everything that had happened between my husband, his parents, and me. I transferred the audio data of the conversations I had recorded on my smartphone with Matt and his parents to my computer and other media.
I visited several law offices with these documents, fully utilizing my paid leave and weekends. I had no regrets about it.
Eventually, I found a trustworthy lawyer and formally hired him.
A week after leaving the new house, I was leading a busy life. One day, after finishing work, my husband was waiting for me as I left the office.
Legally, he was still my husband, as the divorce proceedings hadn’t been finalized yet. Though I could call him my ex-husband, I didn’t think there was anything to talk about with him.
But fearing his rage, I decided I wanted to talk in a public place and went to a cafe with him. Just in case, I turned on the recording function on my smartphone.
I asked him calmly, “Do you have something to discuss?”
“Yeah. Actually, I want to transfer the house to you. I’ll change the ownership, so can we forget about the money issue?”
“I don’t want to live in that house. Your parents were in it before us, weren’t they?”
“That’s in the past. There’s no need to worry about it now.”
“I do worry. That’s why I don’t want that house.”
I said this and took a sip of my coffee, staring intently at my soon-to-be ex-husband.
His hairstyle was disheveled, and his hair had grown in places. He had a stubble beard, and his complexion was not good. He was wearing a suit, but his shirt was wrinkled, unironed, and it seemed like it hadn’t been cleaned.
I couldn’t tell what kind of life he was leading, but he looked very tired.
“Please, Angela. I can’t pay back such a large sum immediately.”
“You knew it was a large sum when you borrowed it, right? And you remember that I suggested we share the ownership of the house. You insisted it should be in your name.”
“I thought I should be the head of the household. And I wasn’t serious about the divorce. I just said it to scare you. Why did you take it so seriously?”
“I am serious. There’s no love left, and divorce is the only option. I could have tolerated your lack of responsibility, but having such rude parents as part of the package is out of the question.”
“Angela, please reconsider.”
“I have to pick up Tracy now, so this conversation is over. I’m going.”
“Wait. I’ll take care of Tracy.”
His words gave me an uneasy feeling.
After returning to my parents’ house, I asked them to be cautious so that Tracy would not be forcefully taken away by Matt or his parents.
A few days after my ex-husband appeared, I received a call from the daycare saying that people resembling his parents had come.
I immediately left work and went to the daycare.
Thankfully, the daycare had been informed about the situation and had kept my in-laws in a separate room to avoid them meeting Tracy.
When I entered the room where my in-laws were waiting, they started yelling at me.
“Thief. Give us our granddaughter back.”
“What do you mean, thief? I haven’t stolen anything.”
“If not theft, then it’s fraud. You must have taken the money through some deceitful act. Otherwise, how could someone your age have such a large amount of money?”
“No. The money I lent was all mine. It’s from what I earned, gifts from my parents, and a pre-inheritance from my grandmother. All legitimate sources.”
“Pre-inheritance?”
“Yes. Every year, within the non-taxable limit, they would transfer it to my account. The amount, along with the sale proceeds of stocks in my name and the savings I had accumulated, all of it was my money.”
“Didn’t you give any pre-inheritance to Matt? Why not do it now?”
That’s when my father-in-law fell silent, unable to continue.
My in-laws were fond of luxury and led a flashy life. As ordinary salaried workers without passive income, they wouldn’t have much savings.
The concept of pre-inheritance might have been something they never thought of, or perhaps they didn’t even know about it.
“I am divorcing Matt. Please understand. I will take care of Tracy. Please don’t come to the daycare again. You’re disturbing us.”
With that, I left with Tracy in the car and returned to my parents’ home.
Despite my warnings, Matt and his parents continued to come. Each time, I tried to speak calmly and send them away, but there were instances when they grabbed my arm or hurled insults.
I recorded all these incidents on my smartphone.
About a month after leaving my house, I had my lawyer present my ex-husband with documents regarding the repayment of the loan and the divorce agreement.
My ex-husband agreed to most of it, but not about Tracy’s custody. However, when I mentioned I would claim compensation if it came to a dispute, he turned pale.
I had plenty of evidence, and he couldn’t afford to pay.
It took time, but eventually, I managed to get the repayment of the loan from my ex-husband, win Tracy’s custody, and finalize the divorce.
Repayment of the loan from my ex-husband took longer than expected. He had planned to sell the new house and use that money, but the sale was slow.
Initially, I thought Matt and his parents would live in the new house, but that wasn’t the case. They couldn’t pay the purchase price of $350,000.
My husband had no savings, and even selling his parents’ old house didn’t cover the amount.
The house was listed for less than the purchase price, and after several price reductions, a buyer finally appeared. The difference in price at the time of purchase and the selling fees were borrowed by my husband from a bank.
My husband lost the house and, burdened with debt, had to move into his parents’ old house with them.
Additionally, Matt’s divorced sister returned with her two sons, one in middle school and the other in high school.
It’s rumored among the neighbors that the six adults living together in a cramped old house were constantly shouting at each other.
This family would likely not bother us anymore. Since they couldn’t afford to pay child support, they probably wouldn’t visit.
Four years later, Tracy has become a second grader now. We live in a rental property near my parents’ home.
When I work until late, my daughter stays with my parents. Together, we enjoy our time getting help from them.
Moreover, during school breaks, we spend time at my family’s vacation home in Hawaii.
I thought I’d be fine without marrying again, but I found a new partner. He is a 36-year-old divorcee with a daughter in first grade.
We frequently saw each other at the daycare and started dating after many conversations.
Recently, the girls and us four have been going out together, enjoying our time.
Not long ago, Tracy casually mentioned, “What if we built a new house where all four of us had our rooms, and we could even have a dog?”
That surprised me for a moment.
In fact, just a few days ago, he proposed to me. Though I haven’t responded yet, considering the children, my mind is already made up.
I hugged Tracy and said, “Yes. If we can build a new house, let’s think about making everyone happy together.”
My name is Mandy. I am just an ordinary employee working at an ordinary company.
Until I became an adult, my grandfather and grandmother supported me. This is because I lost my parents in a car accident when I was very young.
Therefore, I don’t remember my parents. I’ve been told that I attended the funeral, but there’s no way I could remember because I was only one year old.
I have a sister and a brother. They are much older than me, so they seem to remember our parents.
Given our situation, my grandparents took us in, and I still live with them now.
My grandparents are very strict, but they raised us with lots of love. I know that they were strict so that we could grow up to be independent.
Despite that, my siblings don’t think well of our grandparents. They left home as soon as they went to college and have not returned since.
They don’t show their faces during Christmas or other holidays, nor do they come back during long vacations. I can’t understand why they avoid our grandparents.
I personally love my grandparents very much.
It’s possible that my grandparents thought that I would also leave home, but I have no such intention, and I continue to live happily with them.
Looking concerned, my grandmother asked, “Your brother and sister, I wonder if they are doing well. There’s no phone call, and they don’t visit. Mandy, have you heard anything from them?”
“I’m sorry, Grandma. I haven’t heard anything either.”
“No news might mean that they are doing well without any issues, right?” my grandfather asked.
“Yes, you must be right.”
My grandparents always did care about my brother and sister.
Despite the kindness they received from my grandparents, I wondered how my siblings might be feeling. With a heavy heart, I watched my grandparents worry.
Then one day, it happened.
During work, I suddenly received a phone call, and I was told that my grandmother had collapsed. I rushed to the hospital, but the diagnosis later revealed that my grandmother had cancer.
What’s more, the doctor calmly told us of her limited time left.
According to the hospital, her cancer had already metastasized in several places, and a complete removal was now impossible.
We visited other hospitals, but every doctor came to the same conclusion, and I had no choice but to accept the sad reality.
It was decided that my grandmother would be hospitalized for three weeks. During that time, I had deep discussions with my grandfather about the future.
“Grandpa, I know you might be worried, but are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. We’ve grown old, and the things that we have to accept and live with have grown with us.”
“Hey, so about what happens from here. I want to respect Grandma’s wishes, but what do you think?”
“Yes, I feel the same as you, Mandy. I want to do as Grandma wishes.”
“Okay. So if Grandma says she wants to come home after being discharged from the hospital, how about we take care of her here?”
“Of course. You don’t have to worry, Mandy. I’ll take care of Grandma.”
“Thank you. I also want to help, so let’s take care of her together.”
“Mandy, thank you. Really, this will make Grandma really happy.”
I made plans with my grandfather and asked my grandmother what she wanted to do.
“Grandma, what do you want to do after you are discharged?”
“Well, I am thinking of going to a hospice.”
“Why? Why do you want to do that?”
“Your grandma wants to see the ocean from the hospice.”
“What did you used to say before, Grandma?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You used to say lying is bad, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“You really want to come back home, right? But you’re probably worried about being a burden on us. But that’s not the case. I want to know how you truly feel. Do you want to come back home?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay. Then let’s go home together.”
“Mandy, you are such a kind-hearted person. I am grateful.”
Afterwards, I discussed the details with my grandfather, and we decided to provide care for grandmother jointly, without outside support.
When I told my grandmother of our decision, she gave me a satisfied smile. I felt reassured that we would be bringing grandmother back home.
In addition to having professional support, we received countless support from caregiving experts. As we were bewildered by our first experience with caregiving, I feel like their intervention has lightened our load.
Since grandmother returned home, grandfather has been enjoying cheerful conversations with her. Watching the two of them warms my heart.
“Mandy, have you heard from your sister and brother?”
“Hm. We haven’t really been keeping in touch.”
Suddenly, grandmother brought up the topic of my brother and sister.
“Is that so? I want to see them one more time before I leave this world.”
To fulfill her wish, I first called my sister.
“What?”
“It’s Mandy.”
“I know that. What is it?”
I hadn’t heard my sister’s voice in a long time, and it was very cold.
“Grandma wants to see you. Can you come and visit?”
“I can’t. I’m busy. Don’t be annoying. If I can’t do it, I can’t do it.”
“But Grandma doesn’t have much time left.”
“What do you mean?”
I told my sister the details of grandmother’s situation. Hearing this, her attitude changed completely.
“If that’s the case, I’ll come to visit.”
“Thank you. I have to tell our brother too.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll contact him.”
“But the contact—”
“It’s okay. I’ll make sure to contact him. Don’t worry.”
“Really? Then can I leave it to you?”
“I got it.”
A few days later, the two of them returned home for the first time in 13 years.
“Grandma, are you okay?”
My sister rushed to our grandmother. My brother was also looking at our grandmother intently.
“It’s really good that you came back. I’m so happy. I’m glad that I could see you before I die.”
Grandmother was clearly pleased, but the two of them soon left grandmother’s side and invited me to a nearby cafe, saying they had something to talk about.
Despite their long absence, they hardly spoke with our grandparents, especially with grandfather. It was just a brief greeting.
I couldn’t accept their attitude, and I decided to confront them directly.
“Listen. You should talk more with Grandpa. Why are you ignoring him? Didn’t Grandpa write to talk to you?”
“I don’t care about Grandpa. More importantly, how much time does—”
My name is Mandy. I am just an ordinary employee working at an ordinary company.
Until I became an adult, my grandfather and grandmother supported me. This is because I lost my parents in a car accident when I was very young.
Therefore, I don’t remember my parents. I’ve been told that I attended the funeral, but there’s no way I could remember because I was only one year old.
I have a sister and a brother. They are much older than me, so they seem to remember our parents.
Given our situation, my grandparents took us in, and I still live with them now.
My grandparents are very strict, but they raised us with lots of love. I know that they were strict so that we could grow up to be independent.
Despite that, my siblings don’t think well of our grandparents. They left home as soon as they went to college and have not returned since.
They don’t show their faces during Christmas or other holidays, nor do they come back during long vacations. I can’t understand why they avoid our grandparents.
I personally love my grandparents very much.
It’s possible that my grandparents thought that I would also leave home, but I have no such intention, and I continue to live happily with them.
Looking concerned, my grandmother asked, “Your brother and sister, I wonder if they are doing well. There’s no phone call, and they don’t visit. Mandy, have you heard anything from them?”
“I’m sorry, Grandma. I haven’t heard anything either.”
“No news might mean that they are doing well without any issues, right?” my grandfather asked.
“Yes, you must be right.”
My grandparents always did care about my brother and sister.
Despite the kindness they received from my grandparents, I wondered how my siblings might be feeling. With a heavy heart, I watched my grandparents worry.
Then one day, it happened.
During work, I suddenly received a phone call, and I was told that my grandmother had collapsed. I rushed to the hospital, but the diagnosis later revealed that my grandmother had cancer.
What’s more, the doctor calmly told us of her limited time left.
According to the hospital, her cancer had already metastasized in several places, and a complete removal was now impossible.
We visited other hospitals, but every doctor came to the same conclusion, and I had no choice but to accept this sad reality.
It was decided that my grandmother would be hospitalized for three weeks. During that time, I had deep discussions with my grandfather about the future.
“Grandpa, I know you might be worried, but are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay. We’ve grown old, and the things that we have to accept and live with have grown with us.”
“Hey, so about what happens from here. I want to respect Grandma’s wishes, but what do you think?”
“Yes, I feel the same as you, Mandy. I want to do as Grandma wishes.”
“Okay. So if Grandma says she wants to come home after being discharged from the hospital, how about we take care of her here?”
“Of course. You don’t have to worry, Mandy. I’ll take care of Grandma.”
“Thank you. I also want to help, so let’s take care of her together.”
“Mandy, thank you. Really, this will make Grandma really happy.”
I made plans with my grandfather and asked my grandmother what she wanted to do.
“Grandma, what do you want to do after you are discharged?”
“Well, I am thinking of going to a hospice.”
“Why? Why do you want to do that?”
“Your grandma wants to see the ocean from the hospice.”
“What did you used to say before, Grandma?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You used to say lying is bad, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“You really want to come back home, right? But you’re probably worried about being a burden on us. But that’s not the case. I want to know how you truly feel. Do you want to come back home?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay. Then let’s go home together.”
“Mandy, you are such a kind-hearted person. I am grateful.”
Afterwards, I discussed the details with my grandfather, and we decided to provide care for grandmother jointly, without outside support.
When I told my grandmother of our decision, she gave me a satisfied smile. I felt reassured that we would be bringing grandmother back home.
In addition to having professional support, we received countless support from caregiving experts. As we were bewildered by our first experience with caregiving, I feel like their intervention has lightened our load.
Since grandmother returned home, grandfather has been enjoying cheerful conversations with her. Watching the two of them warms my heart.
“Mandy, have you heard from your sister and brother?”
“Hm. We haven’t really been keeping in touch.”
Suddenly, grandmother brought up the topic of my brother and sister.
“Is that so? I want to see them one more time before I leave this world.”
To fulfill her wish, I first called my sister.
“What?”
“It’s Mandy.”
“I know that. What is it?”
I hadn’t heard my sister’s voice in a long time, and it was very cold.
“Grandma wants to see you. Can you come and visit?”
“I can’t. I’m busy. Don’t be annoying. If I can’t do it, I can’t do it.”
“But Grandma doesn’t have much time left.”
“What do you mean?”
I told my sister the details of grandmother’s situation. Hearing this, her attitude changed completely.
“If that’s the case, I’ll come to visit.”
“Thank you. I have to tell our brother too.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll contact him.”
“But the contact—”
“It’s okay. I’ll make sure to contact him. Don’t worry.”
“Really? Then can I leave it to you?”
“I got it.”
A few days later, the two of them returned home for the first time in 13 years.
“Grandma, are you okay?”
My sister rushed to our grandmother. My brother was also looking at our grandmother intently.
“It’s really good that you came back. I’m so happy. I’m glad that I could see you before I die.”
Grandmother was clearly pleased, but the two of them soon left grandmother’s side and invited me to a nearby cafe, saying they had something to talk about.
Despite their long absence, they hardly spoke with our grandparents, especially with grandfather. It was just a brief greeting.
I couldn’t accept their attitude, and I decided to confront them directly.
“Listen. You should talk more with Grandpa. Why are you ignoring him? Didn’t Grandpa write to talk to you?”
“I don’t care about Grandpa. More importantly, how much time does Grandma have left?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, how much longer can Grandma live? There’s a considerable inheritance, right?”
At that moment, I understood everything.
I see. They came back because they were after the money.
Our grandparents had run a business and amassed wealth. That business was in my grandmother’s name. Even a simple calculation revealed that the estate would be enormous. They were eyeing up that inheritance.
“Why are you zoning out? Tell us how much the inheritance is.”
“I don’t know.”
“What, really? You’ve always been useless. We shouldn’t have called you here.”
My brother said irritably, expressing his frustration.
I felt angry about their scheme, but the truth is, I had no way of knowing how much the inheritance would be. Only Grandpa had that information.
Once they realized that they couldn’t get the information from me, they left me at the cafe and went off.
After that, they began to visit grandmother frequently, but their intent was clear.
However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell our grandmother the truth. Seeing her filled with joy, I couldn’t reveal the harsh reality of the situation to her.
I thought I should at least inform Grandpa, but he probably genuinely welcomed their visits.
As I was torn with these thoughts, my grandmother passed away peacefully. Only Grandpa and I were with her in her last moments.
I had informed my brother and sister that Grandma had gone into critical condition, but they never showed up.
Despite the flood of emotions, those of us who were left had no choice but to move forward.
I started to arrange the funeral with Grandpa.
Many people attended my grandmother’s funeral, a testament to the deep relationships that she had forged.
My siblings also attended the funeral, but they acted like strangers and offered no help.
I could conceal my disgust for them no longer. Although just looking at them made my heart drop, we somehow managed to get through the funeral.
After I made my last farewell to grandmother, I thought that things would finally calm down.
But the next day, my brother and sister paid us a visit. Their faces were bright and seemed to swell with cheerfulness.
As soon as they stepped into the living room, without even a glance at grandmother’s photo in the picture frame, my sister bluntly stated, “We need to talk about the inheritance.”
“Grandma can’t rest in peace if you talk about such things,” Grandpa said.
“What? She’s not in this world anymore, so it doesn’t matter,” my sister retorted.
“That may be true, but Grandma surely wants peace in heaven too.”
My sister interrupted, “Like I said, that’s not important. Actually, Grandma entrusted me with her will.”
My sister handed the will to me.
The handwriting was unmistakably my grandmother’s. I couldn’t comprehend how this could be. My eyes involuntarily turned to Grandpa, but he remained surprisingly calm.
“Grandma has written that she’s leaving all the company shares and the assets to me and your brother. So we’ll inherit the entire $4 million of inheritance.”
“I can’t believe Grandma would decide something like that.”
“If you can’t believe it, look at this. It’s in Grandma’s handwriting, isn’t it?”
My sister waved the will at me confidently.
Indeed, it was grandmother’s handwriting. However, it was inconceivable that grandmother would leave such a one-sided will.
Would grandmother really hand over her precious company to these two, who knew nothing about managing it, especially when Grandpa was still active and playing a significant role in normal circumstances?
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