After I Gifted My Daughter a House, My Daughter-in-Law Revealed Her True Colors

The day my daughter, Amber Gilbert, passed her civil service exam, I bought her a downtown apartment outright and wired her three hundred thousand dollars to go treat herself.

When my daughter-in-law found out, she flipped the table on the spot.

I gave the Gilbert family a son, and all I got was a two-hundred-thousand-dollar bonus! She's a money pit, and she gets a whole apartment just for passing some government exam? How is that fair?

"Who buys a house for their daughter? Every penny the Gilberts have is going to belong to my son!"

"You miserable old hag, you've got your priorities completely backwards! When you're bedridden someday, don't come crying to me to wipe your ass!"

I slapped her across the face.

"Your own mother might think you're a money pit, but my daughter is not."

My money. I'll give it to whoever I damn well please.

She thought pushing out a son made her empress dowager? In her dreams.

...

Amber had spent a full year studying for the exam, and she'd finally made it.

To celebrate, I bought her a small apartment downtown, paid in full. It was a ten-minute walk from her office. With renovations, the whole thing came to about two million dollars.

Then I wired her another three hundred thousand and told her to go have fun, let loose a little.

She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheeks over and over. "Mom, you are literally the best mom in the entire world!"

The day she got the deed, she snapped a photo and posted it online:

"Finally have my own little place! Thank you to the most generous mom on the planet. Love you!"

I hit the like button, grinning from ear to ear.

The apartment was close to her office. My girl could sleep an extra half hour every morning.

But that one post kicked a hornet's nest.

That evening, I'd just gotten out of a meeting, and my phone was blowing up. Ninety-nine unread messages. Seventeen missed calls.

I blinked, fumbling to open the notifications.

The family group chat had erupted into a full-blown war.

I scrolled up. Someone had screenshotted Amber's post.

Above that was a link to an Instagram post by my daughter-in-law, Melissa Lawrence.

The title read: "Can someone please explain this?? My sister-in-law passes a government exam and my mother-in-law rewards her with an apartment. I gave this family a SON and got $200K. The favoritism is unreal!"

Over two thousand comments underneath.

Melissa was in the replies going off on everyone:

"I married into a wealthy family, okay? Two hundred thousand is nothing. My mother-in-law's handbag alone costs more than that!"

"I gave them a SON. The only heir to the Gilbert name! She's a money pit who passed one little exam and gets a whole apartment? How is that fair?"

"My mother-in-law is a delusional old bat who can't tell family from outsiders. Everything the Gilberts own will belong to my son someday. Buying her daughter a house? She's spending MY SON'S money!"

The algorithm pushed the post straight to Amber.

She recognized Melissa immediately and went after her in the group chat:

"Melissa, have you no shame? My mom buying me a house is none of your business!"

"It's my mom's money. She can spend it on whoever she wants!"

"Two hundred thousand wasn't enough for you? What about the hundred-plus thousand in gold jewelry they gave you when you were pregnant? Did you feed that to the dogs?"

The two of them tore into each other for hundreds of messages.

I rubbed my temples and rushed home.

The moment I walked through the door, I froze.

Melissa Lawrence stood in the middle of the living room, clutching my grandson Noah, who wasn't even a year old, a suitcase at her feet.

Tears streaked her face. She looked ready to storm out.

When she saw me come in, she startled for a second. Then the tears came pouring down.

"Mom, you're finally home!"

"I can't live in this house anymore. Your daughter can't stand me, and you play favorites. If I want to leave, that should be my right!"

She made a move toward the door.

I frowned. "Melissa, what are you doing?"

She spun around, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"What am I doing? Why don't you look at the group chat and see how Amber talked to me!"

"I gave the Gilbert family a son! Even if I haven't done anything remarkable, I've at least put in the work. What gives her the right to treat me like this?"

"I see how it is now. I'm the only outsider in this family! Fine. I'm going back to my parents' house!"

The words had barely left her mouth when my daughter came storming downstairs, slamming her door behind her, her face flushed with anger.

"Melissa, cut the theatrics! So you had a son. Big deal!"

"My mom bought me a house. What's it got to do with you?"

"And quit threatening to run home to your parents every five minutes. Go ahead, then! Stop being all bark and no bite!"

Melissa's face cycled between pale and green.

I stood there, stunned.

My daughter had been well-mannered and sensible since she was a little girl. She'd never gotten into it with anyone. Even though she'd never thought much of her sister-in-law, she'd always been perfectly polite.

What had set her off like this?

I hadn't had a chance to read through the rest of the group chat yet. All I could do was step in and smooth things over.

"Melissa, this is my first time being a mother-in-law. I don't have experience. If I've done something wrong, let's sit down and talk about it."

"Jude Gilbert's still away on his business trip. If you go back to your parents' house now, I won't know what to tell him. Can we at least wait until he's back?"

Melissa wiped her tears and was about to nod.

My daughter rolled her eyes.

"Some people just don't know when they've got it good. Over a hundred thousand a year in pocket money, a postpartum recovery suite that cost a few hundred grand, three nannies, a personal driver. I really don't see what there is to complain about."

"And now she's pushing for more, using the baby as leverage to get her hands on Mom's money? Have some shame!"

I shot her a look. "Amber!"

But it was too late.

Melissa snapped. She set Noah Abbott down on the couch, dropped to the floor, and burst into hysterical sobs.

"My life is so miserable! My mother-in-law and sister-in-law ganging up on me while my husband's away!"

She sobbed and flailed, and then she flipped the dining table.

It went over with a deafening crash. My custom Italian dining table, thirty-eight thousand dollars, legs in the air. Cups, plates, and bowls shattered across the floor.

Noah started wailing.

Melissa only cried louder. "The Gilberts are bullies! I gave you people a son, and this is how you treat me?!"

My patience drained away, drop by drop.

I spent half an hour trying to calm her down. The harder I tried, the louder she wailed. Noah cried until his little voice went hoarse.

I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, and called the driver. "Silas Dickerson, take Melissa back to her parents' house."

The crying stopped instantly.

Melissa stared at me, disbelief written all over her face.

"Mom, you're kicking me out?"

I looked at her. "You said you felt wronged. Go stay with your parents for a few days. When Jude gets back, he can come pick you up."

She blinked, and when she realized I wasn't joking, she scooped up Noah, grabbed her suitcase, and slammed the door on her way out.

Three days later, Jude came home from his business trip.

The moment he walked through the door, his phone rang.

Even from across the room, I could hear Melissa's shrieking through the receiver.

Jude listened with a deepening frown, never saying a word.

When he hung up, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Amber sidled over, looking a little guilty. "So... what did she say?"

Jude sighed. "Your sister-in-law says if we want her to come back, it'll cost three million dollars."

Amber exploded. "Three million?! Has she lost her mind?"

"One argument and she wants three million? Why doesn't she just rob a bank?"

"Besides, she started the whole thing! When she had Noah, Mom gave her a two-hundred-thousand-dollar red envelope. And what about all that gold jewelry? Over a million dollars' worth! That's close to two million total, and she's still not satisfied?"

I caught her eye and gave her a look.

She flashed me an OK sign but kept right on going.

"Come on, Jude. Our family isn't short on money, but we can't keep letting her bleed us dry like this!"

"Three million every time she throws a tantrum? What's next? She'll clean us out eventually!"

I rushed to get her out the door.

Only after she left did I sit down and turn to my son. "What does she need that kind of money for?"

Jude was quiet for a long time before he finally spoke. "Her brother's getting married. The down payment on the house and the wedding gift aren't enough. She wants us to chip in."

I frowned.

Melissa came from a rural family. How could a house and wedding gift possibly cost three million dollars?

Besides, this wasn't the first time.

Before, she'd asked for eight hundred thousand, claiming her parents needed medical treatment.

Then fifty thousand for renovating the family home back in her hometown.

Thirty thousand for her brother's new car.

All told, it added up to nearly two million.

Every time I hesitated, Melissa would say the same thing:

"Mom, we're family. Why be so stingy? Worst case, think of it as a loan. My brother will pay it back later."

But she never mentioned repayment again.

I sighed.

"Amber was right. There have to be limits, or her appetite will only grow."

"But this is between you and your wife. It's not my place to interfere too much. Handle it however you see fit."

Jude nodded.

After two weeks of back and forth, we settled on one million.

When Melissa came back with Noah, her face was longer than a mule's.

The moment she saw me, she looked at me like I owed her eight million dollars, nostrils flared, eyes full of contempt.

I heard she'd originally refused to budge from three million. But after two weeks at her parents' house, with her brother and his fiance giving her the cold shoulder every single day, she couldn't take it anymore and had no choice but to come home.

After she returned, though, Jude's mood only got worse.

He used to come home from work right on time every day. Now it was late nights and business dinners, one after another. On the rare occasion he came home early, he reeked of alcohol and went straight to the guest room.

He wouldn't even spare a glance at his own son.

Melissa, for her part, acted like she couldn't care less.

I found it strange.

Melissa had gotten pregnant before the wedding, and Jude had been the one who'd insisted on marrying her, no matter what anyone said. The two of them had been inseparable, sweet as honey. How had they grown this cold after barely a year of marriage?

It didn't add up.

But it was their business, and it wasn't my place to pry.

Then, a few days later, everything went sideways again.

I was in the middle of a meeting at the office when my phone started buzzing nonstop. I glanced at the screen. It was Annabel Lambert, our housekeeper.

My stomach dropped. I answered immediately.

"Mrs. Gilbert, something terrible happened! Amber's been attacked. You need to get to the hospital, now!"

My mind went blank.

I abandoned a roomful of people and ran.

When I reached the emergency room and saw my daughter, my hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Stitches lined her forehead. Her clothes were soaked in blood. A nurse was still wrapping bandages, and the tray beside her was piled high with bloodied gauze.

Melissa stood in the corner, guilt written all over her face.

The moment Amber saw me, tears streamed down her cheeks. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

The nurse explained that the shock had been too severe. She'd temporarily lost her voice. A few days of rest and it would come back.

I was trembling with rage. "Who did this?"

No one said a word.

I turned to Annabel. "You. Talk."

Annabel glanced at Melissa, clenched her jaw, and spoke.

"Ma'am, here's what happened. Amber's apartment was finished with renovations. She was planning to move in today. But when she opened the door, someone was already living there."

"Melissa hired a locksmith, changed the locks, and gave the place to her brother as a wedding gift. The bed was already made and everything."

"Amber was furious and tried to reason with her. Melissa said that everything belonging to the Gilbert family would eventually go to her son, so she had every right to decide what happened to it."

"And that's not all. A few days ago, someone filed a complaint about Amber, claiming she'd had inappropriate relationships with men during college. They said her civil service appointment might need to be re-examined. Amber had someone look into it and found out Melissa was the one who'd paid people to spread those lies."

"When Amber confronted her about it, she wouldn't admit to anything. Amber was furious and said she was going to call the police. That's when Melissa panicked and shoved her. Amber's head hit the corner of the wall, and there was blood everywhere..."

Annabel's eyes rimmed red as she spoke.

"Thank God the ambulance got there in time, or else..."

Melissa immediately jumped to her own defense.

"I was just messing around with Amber! How was I supposed to know she was that fragile?"

"Besides, Mom, the house you bought her? That was Gilbert family money! Every cent the Gilberts have is going to my son eventually. What's the big deal if I borrow the house for a bit?"

Something inside me snapped.

My daughter had been the center of my world since the day she was born. She had never been treated like this. Not once.

And the false misconduct report to torpedo her career? That was the kind of thing that could destroy a person's entire future.

Melissa hadn't gotten the three million she'd demanded, so she'd set her sights on the house insteadand fabricated filthy rumors on top of it.

A cold smile cut across my face.

"Amber was right. This absolutely should go to the police."

"Breaking and entering. Defamation. That's enough for a few years behind bars."

I pulled out my phone and called Jude. "Get to the hospital. You're divorcing your wife."

Before the words had even settled, Melissa threw herself at me.

"Mom, have you lost your mind?! You'd make Jude divorce me over that little money pit?!"

"I gave the Gilbert family a son! Are you throwing me out AND abandoning Noah?!"

I held my daughter closer and stared Melissa down, my voice like ice.

"Your mother might see you as a burden, but my daughter is not one."

"And stop using that child as a bargaining chip. I'm Amber's mother first and Noah's grandmother second."

"You laid a hand on my daughter right under my nose. That's a slap to my face. I don't care if you bring your son, the Pope, or God Almighty into thisit won't save you."

Annabel shielded Amber too. "That's right! Amber is the light of Mrs. Gilbert's life. She is nobody's burden!"

Melissa whipped around and slapped Annabel across the face.

"You're the help! What gives you the right to talk about your betters?!"

Annabel clutched her cheek, too stunned to speak.

I raised my hand and slapped Melissa right back.

"Annabel has been with this family for twenty years. She watched Amber grow up. She's familynot 'the help.'"

"Melissa, you'd better watch yourself. Push me any further, and I will make your life a living hell."

Melissa pressed her palm to her cheek, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Mom, you hit me? Over a servant?!"

She yanked out her phone and made a call.

Jude hadn't even arrived yet when Melissa's parents and brother came storming in first.

Her mother marched into the emergency room, dropped herself onto the floor, slapped her thighs, and started wailing at the top of her lungs.

"My poor baby girl! How did she end up married into such a heartless family?!"

"They knocked her up before the wedding, and now that she's given them a son, they want to throw her out on the street! Is there no justice in this world?!"

Melissa played along on cue, sobbing and shoving her swollen red cheek in front of her mother for inspection.

Her brother stood off to the side, jabbing a finger in our direction.

"You Gilberts have gone too far! My sister gave you people a son, and this is how you repay her?!"

A crowd of patients and visitors had already gathered in a ring around us, whispering and pointing.

"That mother-in-law is awful. She looks so put-together, too. You'd never guess."

"Right? The girl just had a baby and they're already kicking her out. What kind of people are these?"

"I feel so bad for her! Someone should do something!"

I smiled coldly.

I'd lived long enough to know a cheap circus act when I saw one. Did they really think this kind of gutter-level theatrics would rattle me?

They wanted to paint me as the villain? Fine. I'd own the role. No point in holding back when the mud was already flying.

I walked over, grabbed Melissa by the collar, and yanked her close.

Crack. Crack. Two slaps, one from each side.

Melissa tried to fight back. Every time she did, I pinned her down again.

I hit the gym three times a week. Did they really think this old body was an easy target?

Just then, Jude arrived.

Melissa's entire demeanor shifted in an instant. The cold indifference vanished, replaced by the look of a drowning woman spotting a lifeboat. She rushed over and latched onto his arm, sobbing like her world was ending.

"Jude! You're finally here!"

"You're not going to listen to your mother and divorce me, right?!"

"If you dare go through with the divorce, I'll tell everyone our little secret! I'll drag you straight to hell with me!"