When I first met Sam, I knew he was the one.

Our love was perfect, and even his parents seemed to accept me despite their upper-class status. Wealth never mattered to me; I was determined to be an independent woman and make my own money.The only drawback was their tough and sometimes nasty characters, especially towards serving people. Though it bothered me, they promised to tone it down, and I believed them. The wedding day was a dream, and we were the happiest couple.

Two days later, we hosted a dinner for my in-laws, and I took charge of cooking and serving everything. As they arrived, they presented us with a bottle of wine and a set of cooking utensils.Nice, I thought. Little did I know that this was just the beginning. While Sam engaged his dad in a work-related discussion, I took the chicken from the oven. That’s when my mother-in-law, Janine, dropped a bombshell, asking, “Do you wanna serve this for our lunch? It looks really bad and smells the same. “I was stunned, unsure how to react. At that moment, my father-in-law joined us, and she immediately switched to a sweet tone, praising my cooking. The sudden change left me perplexed. Confused by her behavior, I wondered if something was wrong. Was there an underlying problem? The next day, she invited me to their home. I anticipated an apology, but she requested help with ironing and organizing clothes due to supposed back pain.I agreed, but after working for hours, I observed her playing with their dog, showing no signs of discomfort. It started to bother me more and more. The situation escalated when she called me at work, insisting I bring her lunch. Occupied in a meeting, I refused, but her persistent calls continued.After the meeting, I reluctantly took her lunch, only to face her anger. She accused me of being late, shouting, “I called you three hours ago. I’m starving!” Frustrated, I retorted, asking about Ursula, their maid. To my shock, she widened her eyes and said, “Honey, I fired her. Why do I need to pay someone money if I have you?” “But I’m not your maid, Janine.” “Oh, yes, you are my girl! Didn’t you know about that?” “About what?” “That you have to listen to me unquestioningly?” she said. “Who said this?” I asked, looking at her incredulously. “I’m saying so. Now. If you wanna be with my son, of course.”Although I was furious, I didn’t reveal my emotions and went home to stop this nonsense with Sam’s help. However, he dismissed it as a joke, believing his mom couldn’t be so unreasonable.Determined to reveal the truth, I set up a hidden camera in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, hoping to capture any unusual behavior from my mother-in-law. As I observed, Janine’s behavior took a shocking turn when she started attacking me verbally, criticizing every move, and questioning my abilities in the kitchen. Her words were sharp, filled with disdain, and I stood there, absorbing the unwarranted assault.In that intense moment, as Janine’s tirade reached its peak, I seized the opportunity to turn the tables. With a quick flick of a switch, I activated the projector in the dining room where the whole family had gathered. The room was instantly filled with the vivid display of Janine’s unjust behavior captured by the hidden camera. “What’s this? You can’t even cook a nice Christmas dinner. Moreover, you have butterfingers. I’ll be totally ashamed of your meal in front of all my relatives. I just regret that your son chose you. But that’s okay, I’ll make sure he dumps you as soon as possible.” As the shocking footage played out for everyone to see, a collective gasp filled the room, especially Sam and my father-in-law. When unexpecting Janine entered the dining room, all the guests there looked at her with disgust. She couldn’t get why, and then Sam said: “We saw everything that was happening in the kitchen. All your words were heard, Mom.” The projection vividly exposed Janine’s true colors, and the family was forced to confront the reality of her actions. She started yelling that I provoked her and it’s all not true, but Sam took a stand and kicked her out of our home. His father, fed up with her actions, later asked for a divorce. The shocking revelation turned out to be the last straw in their strained relationship.Sam came to me and apologized, regretting that he didn’t believe me.That day, I learned to trust my instincts and stand up against unjust behavior, even if it comes from unexpected quarters.