When Lucas\u2019 mother-in-law, Catherine, resurfaces after ten years, he and Emily are perplexed. However, Emily wants to seize the moment and allow her mother to get to know Allison, their daughter. But things quickly go downhill when the couple realizes that Catherine is doing more harm than good. I knew that when I married Emily, her family would cut her off. I wasn\u2019t what they expected. I didn\u2019t come from a prominent family, nor did I have a big bank balance. \u201cI don\u2019t care, Lucas,\u201d Emily said.\u201cThey always think they know best, but this time, they\u2019re wrong.\u201d After our wedding, Emily\u2019s parents vanished from her life \u2014 only resurfacing to wish her a happy birthday via text or to send a Christmas card with a series of photographs of themselves.I always wondered if it bothered Emily, they were her parents after all. \u201cNo,\u201d she said when I asked her about it one day. \u201cThey chose to leave me, not the other way around.\u201d It\u2019s been ten years, and Emily and I have blossomed. Our careers have taken off, so we\u2019re constantly padding our finances. And we have a daughter, nine-year-old Allison. As my parentAs my parents live in a different country,<\/p>\n
and Emily\u2019s parents have disappeared on us, Allison has only had her parents and our closest friends to rely on. Until recently. Catherine, Emily\u2019s mother, randomly appeared on our doorstep. She held a fruit basket and a bottle of wine. \u201cEmily,\u201d she said after I let her in. \u201cI\u2019m back!\u201d My wife\u2019s confusion was written all over her face. She continued to chop vegetables for our dinner and listened as her mother spoke. \u201cI\u2019ve left your father,\u201d Catherine said. \u201cI realized that he was the one who kept me away from you. I shouldn\u2019t have listened.\u201d I took over the cooking and let Emily deal with her mother. I knew that despite everything Emily had said over the years, she wouldn\u2019t turn her mother away. She missed her more than she could say. Hours later, Emily and her mother were getting on like a house on fire. Catherine\u2019s excitement at seeing Allison did seem wholesome, but I couldn\u2019t shake a nagging feeling in my gut. \u201cMom,\u201d Emily told Catherine. \u201cAli has really taken to you. Maybe you could spend more time with her. Take her for ice cream, and maybe even babysit sometimes?\u201d Catherine\u2019s response was unexpected. \u201cOf course, but you know, my time is valuable,\u201d she said smugly. A few days later, Catherine was ready to babysit. \u201cYou two can go out for a date night or something,\u201d she said, settling herself in our living room. We left home with Emily feeling content that her mother was with Allison.it happened a few times over the following weeks. And I noticed that my daughter had become more reserved. When we asked her about her time with grandma, she always shook her head and refused to reply. It was very unlike Allison \u2014 who was an animated child and got excited easily. Then, Emily was going through Allison\u2019s room, gathering dirty laundry together, when she found a crumpled piece of paper. We had just gotten home from a hike with our friends, and Catherine had been watching Allison. \u201cLucas!\u201d Emily shouted. I immediately rushed upstairs and found Emily looking at the drawing while going through Allison\u2019s box \u2014 the little box where our daughter kept her spending money. \u201cThere\u2019s no way,\u201d Emily said, showing me the drawing. According to Allison\u2019s artwork \u2014 which depicted Catherine taking our daughter\u2019s pocket money \u2014 the box was almost empty now, a few dollars folded into the corner. \u201cDo you think she would do that?\u201d Emily asked, her eyes wide. \u201cWhat else would Ali spend all her money on?\u201d \u201cOnly one way to find out,\u201d I said. rushed downstairs, Emily right behind me, and found Catherine ready to leave, her handbag on her shoulder. \u201cOpen your purse,\u201d I demanded. \u201cHow dare you?\u201d Catherine exclaimed, looking to Emily for help. \u201cDo it, Catherine,\u201d I said. Reluctantly, Catherine opened her purse, and there was Allison\u2019s pocket money. \u201cI can explain,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019d better,\u201d Emily said, her voice icy. \u201cI needed to be compensated. I told you that on the first night, and you didn\u2019t listen. So, I took money from Allison, thinking that you left it with her for me,\u201d Catherine said. Emily\u2019s mouth dropped. \u201cYou willingly took money from a child? From your own grandchild?\u201d Emily spat. \u201cDid you know that Allison refuses to talk about you? She never speaks about whatever the two of you get up to. Did you tell her not to say anything?\u201d Emily said. Catherine sighed and looked at the ceiling. \u201cYes. I told her not to say anything,\u201d she confessed. \u201cGet out,\u201d I declared. \u201cLeave this house and never come back.\u201d Catherine desperately looked to Emily, who refused to make eye contact with her. \u201cYou heard Lucas,\u201d Emily said. After that, we sat with Allison and reassured her that she could tell us the truth. She told us about how Catherine found her box when she put Allison to bed on their first babysitting evening. She told me not to say anything,\u201d Allison mumbled. Emily and I decided to take our daughter to therapy, just to make sure that she was okay, mentally. We didn\u2019t know what damage this ordeal could have done to her.It\u2019s been a few weeks and Allison is back to her cheerful self. And we\u2019ve promised her that she will never see Catherine again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Lucas\u2019 mother-in-law, Catherine, resurfaces after ten years, he and Emily are perplexed. 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