My MIL Gifted Us a House for Our Wedding – A Week After Moving In, I Demanded We Return It or End Our Marriage

A cheerful woman | Source: Midjourney

I didn’t trust myself to speak. My throat tightened as Janice leaned back in her chair, clearly relishing the tension she’d created. She continued, her tone as casual as if she were listing groceries.

“See, you don’t actually own the house, I do, and there are certain terms you need to accept so you can stay. For instance, no painting of the walls. You’ll also need to work close by, so you stay within 15 miles of me. After all, it’s important to have family nearby.”

My pulse quickened. “What happens if we don’t follow these ‘guidelines’?”

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A concerned man | Source: Midjourney

Janice gave an airy wave of her hand, as though the question itself was absurd. “Well, I could always revoke your right to live there. But that won’t happen as long as we’re all on the same page.”

Her eyes sparkled with something darker. “The agreement also gives me co-parenting rights over my grandchildren. Oh! And I want my first grandchild within the next two years.”

She might as well have slapped me. My stomach churned as her words sunk in. The “generosity” I’d admired was nothing more than a mask for manipulation.

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An angry man | Source: Midjourney

I stared at Sarah, silently begging for some kind of reaction, denial, anger, anything to show me this was as outrageous to her as it was to me. But she wouldn’t meet my eyes. Her silence was the loudest answer of all.

When we got home, I couldn’t hold back.

“What the hell was that?” My voice cracked with disbelief.

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