I feel bad for Edward and Michael, and I can assure you that Edward is not exaggerating about his mother. When I first met Edward in college, he was a quiet man who wouldn\u2019t even chat to the girls in his class.\n

I\u2019m not one to brag, but I was the one who taught him how to care for himself and convinced him he was worthy of love.\n

Best gifts for your loved ones\n

I vividly recall when he told me about his horrific childhood memories before we married. I was sh0cked.\n

\u201cI remember shaking with fear when Mom used to argue with Dad in front of us,\u201d Edward told me. \u201cShe used to scream at us after that.\u201d\n

\u201cThat sounds terrible, babe,\u201d I shook my head. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry you had to go through all of that.\u201d\n

\u201cI just want you to know what kind of childhood I had,\u201d he said, looking straight into my eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s important for me to be honest before you decide to start a new chapter of your life with me, Ray.\u201d\n

For illustration purposes only\n
\u201cI know, Edward,\u201d I said as I reached for his hand. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry about anything now. I\u2019m with you, and I\u2019ll stay. I\u2019ll stay forever.\u201d\n
That\u2019s when I decided to marry the man I loved most, but I had no idea his mother would transform my life into a nightmare. I knew she was challenging, but what she did a few weeks ago went beyond my expectations.\n
It was our second wedding anniversary, so Edward and I decided to have a small celebration at our home. We invited our closest friends, including my parents, Edward\u2019s brother, and my mother-in-law.\n
I spent hours beautifying the house and preparing the best dishes for the occasion. I even purchased a stunning anniversary cake that I nearly didn\u2019t want to cut!\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Anyway, the visitors started arriving, and everything was going fine.\n
They spoke, ate, played games, and expressed gratitude for our invitation. After everyone had departed, my mother-in-law invited me into the living room and handed me an envelope.\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d I asked with a smile.\n
\u201cJust a little gift from my side,\u201d she said as she stood up to leave. \u201cIt\u2019s only for you, okay? It\u2019s not for my son.\u201d\n
\u201cOh, thank you,\u201d I said in a cheerful tone.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Then she hugged Edward and me and smiled as she departed.\n
\u201cThat\u2019s strange,\u201d I said to Edward once she left. \u201cYour mom didn\u2019t make any mean remarks today. I\u2019m surprised!\u201d\n
\u201cOh, she might have spared you because it\u2019s our anniversary,\u201d Edward laughed.\n
\u201cBy the way, what\u2019s that?\u201d he asked while pointing towards the envelope in my hand.\n
\u201cYour mother said it\u2019s a gift for me,\u201d I said. \u201cIt better be something nice.\u201d\n
\u201cFor you?\u201d Edward chuckled. \u201cYou\u2019re one lucky woman, Ray!\u201d\n
After we finished cleaning the kitchen, I sat on the bed, ready to open the envelope.\n
\u201cI\u2019m opening your mom\u2019s gift!\u201d I called out to Edward who was in the shower.\n
\u201cGood luck, babe!\u201d I heard his muffled voice from behind the bathroom door.\n
I expected to see a few dollar cash or grocery store coupons inside the package, but Laura had gone above and beyond my expectations. My smile faded when I removed a piece of paper from the envelope.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
When I opened it and read the first line, I couldn\u2019t help but gaze at the page, eyes wide open. My mother-in-law sent me a bill for all of the \u201cexpenses\u201d she claimed to have incurred while raising my husband. I am not even kidding.\n
Here\u2019s part of the list she sent:\n
*Diapers \u2014 $2,500\n*
*School supplies \u2014 $1,200\n*
*Sports equipment \u2014 $1,100\n*
*College tuition \u2014 $25,000\n*
*Emotional support (yes, this was actually listed) \u2014 $10,000\n*
*\u201cNurturing a loving son for you’\u201d\u2014 priceless (with a smiley face)\n*
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
The list continued on and on, and as I read, my eyes twitched. She even included a small note at the end.\n
*Since you\u2019re enjoying the benefits, you can help me recover the costs.\n*
\u201cWhat the heck?\u201d I said to myself. \u201cHow could she even think of doing this? She\u2019s asking me to pay her for raising such a wonderful husband?\u201d\n
That\u2019s when Edward came out of the bathroom.\n
\u201cWhat happened, babe?\u201d he asked after looking at my face. \u201cIs everything alright?\u201d\n
\u201cYour mother needs help, Edward,\u201d I handed the bill to him. \u201cSerious help.\u201d\n
I watched Edward carefully read the bill, expecting him to react the same way I did, but he simply laughed it off.\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure Mom\u2019s just playing around,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cShe can\u2019t be serious.\u201d\n
\u201cShe sent me a bill totaling $50,000, and you think this is a joke?\u201d I said, my tone serious.\n
Edward shrugged his shoulders.\n
\u201cLaura and I aren\u2019t high school buddies,\u201d I said, rolling my eyes. \u201cI know she\u2019s serious. You know how she loves making people feel terrible. This is just another one of her stunts, I\u2019m sure.\u201d\n
That is when Edward agreed with me.\n
\u201cI won\u2019t let her get away with this,\u201d I told Edward. \u201cThis is just\u2026 absurd!\u201d\n
Edward fell asleep quickly after we got into bed, but I kept tossing and turning, trying to figure out how to get back at Laura in the best way possible.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
I wanted to make her feel as bad as she made me feel today.\n
How could she have asked me to repay her for all of that? I thought. How could she have thought she was emotionally supporting her children when she only yelled at them?\n
The following morning, I awoke with a fantastic notion. After breakfast, I took a notebook and began writing down what Laura had put me through.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Then I created an itemized bill, similar to the one she supplied me. I even called my bank and requested them to provide me a statement of how much money I had spent on therapy over the prior two years.\n
Here\u2019s how my list looked:\n
*Listening to her criticize my cooking \u2014 $5,000\n*
*Smiling through backhanded compliments at family dinners \u2014 $8,000\n*
*Pretending not to notice when she \u201caccidentally\u201d forgets my birthday \u2014 $1,000\n*
*The therapy sessions after her constant interference in our marriage \u2014 $30,000\n*
*Teaching her son what a normal family looks like \u2014 $20,000\n*
*\u201cEmotional support for dealing with her drama\u201d\u2014 priceless\n*
*I created a bogus invoice with an outstanding balance of\u00a0$5,000 and mailed it to her. I even included a little message for her reference. It stated:\n*
*Dear Laura,\n*
Here\u2019s a list of all the things you put me through during the past two years. Since you enjoyed passing insulting comments and making me feel horrible, you might as well help me recover the costs.\n
*Your loving daughter-in-law,\n*
*Ray\n*
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Sending that envelope felt very relieving because it was the first time I stood up for myself, intending to establish a boundary in our relationship.\n
I\u2019m not one to insult or hurt others, but Laura\u2019s actions on our anniversary were intolerable. This seemed like the greatest way to make her understand her error.\n
Do you know what the finest part is? She had been abnormally silent since the day she received the mail. I expected her to call and shout at me, but all I got was silence.\n
When I saw her a few days later, she couldn\u2019t meet my gaze. It seems that she was humiliated about what she had done, which I consider a triumph. I think she finally realized she isn\u2019t always right!\n
I\u2019m relieved I finally spoke up for myself. But more than anything, I believe I did it for Edward. The little boy from 20 years ago who never received the love and attention he needed.\n
I hope that this makes up for all of the harsh words and hurtful situations he has encountered. He deserved far better, and I am pleased to have battled for both of us.\n
Do you think I did the correct thing?\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When my mother-in-law handed me an envelope at our anniversary party, I expected a thoughtful gesture or some caustic coupons. Instead, I discovered a stunning bill claiming reimbursement for rearing my husband. She was caught off guard by what I did next. So, I\u2019ve always had a tense relationship with my mother-in-law, but what she …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":85489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[657,642],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-love-and-relationships","category-moral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85491,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85488\/revisions\/85491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

For illustration purposes only\n
\u201cI know, Edward,\u201d I said as I reached for his hand. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry about anything now. I\u2019m with you, and I\u2019ll stay. I\u2019ll stay forever.\u201d\n
That\u2019s when I decided to marry the man I loved most, but I had no idea his mother would transform my life into a nightmare. I knew she was challenging, but what she did a few weeks ago went beyond my expectations.\n
It was our second wedding anniversary, so Edward and I decided to have a small celebration at our home. We invited our closest friends, including my parents, Edward\u2019s brother, and my mother-in-law.\n
I spent hours beautifying the house and preparing the best dishes for the occasion. I even purchased a stunning anniversary cake that I nearly didn\u2019t want to cut!\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Anyway, the visitors started arriving, and everything was going fine.\n
They spoke, ate, played games, and expressed gratitude for our invitation. After everyone had departed, my mother-in-law invited me into the living room and handed me an envelope.\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d I asked with a smile.\n
\u201cJust a little gift from my side,\u201d she said as she stood up to leave. \u201cIt\u2019s only for you, okay? It\u2019s not for my son.\u201d\n
\u201cOh, thank you,\u201d I said in a cheerful tone.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Then she hugged Edward and me and smiled as she departed.\n
\u201cThat\u2019s strange,\u201d I said to Edward once she left. \u201cYour mom didn\u2019t make any mean remarks today. I\u2019m surprised!\u201d\n
\u201cOh, she might have spared you because it\u2019s our anniversary,\u201d Edward laughed.\n
\u201cBy the way, what\u2019s that?\u201d he asked while pointing towards the envelope in my hand.\n
\u201cYour mother said it\u2019s a gift for me,\u201d I said. \u201cIt better be something nice.\u201d\n
\u201cFor you?\u201d Edward chuckled. \u201cYou\u2019re one lucky woman, Ray!\u201d\n
After we finished cleaning the kitchen, I sat on the bed, ready to open the envelope.\n
\u201cI\u2019m opening your mom\u2019s gift!\u201d I called out to Edward who was in the shower.\n
\u201cGood luck, babe!\u201d I heard his muffled voice from behind the bathroom door.\n
I expected to see a few dollar cash or grocery store coupons inside the package, but Laura had gone above and beyond my expectations. My smile faded when I removed a piece of paper from the envelope.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
When I opened it and read the first line, I couldn\u2019t help but gaze at the page, eyes wide open. My mother-in-law sent me a bill for all of the \u201cexpenses\u201d she claimed to have incurred while raising my husband. I am not even kidding.\n
Here\u2019s part of the list she sent:\n
*Diapers \u2014 $2,500\n*
*School supplies \u2014 $1,200\n*
*Sports equipment \u2014 $1,100\n*
*College tuition \u2014 $25,000\n*
*Emotional support (yes, this was actually listed) \u2014 $10,000\n*
*\u201cNurturing a loving son for you’\u201d\u2014 priceless (with a smiley face)\n*
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
The list continued on and on, and as I read, my eyes twitched. She even included a small note at the end.\n
*Since you\u2019re enjoying the benefits, you can help me recover the costs.\n*
\u201cWhat the heck?\u201d I said to myself. \u201cHow could she even think of doing this? She\u2019s asking me to pay her for raising such a wonderful husband?\u201d\n
That\u2019s when Edward came out of the bathroom.\n
\u201cWhat happened, babe?\u201d he asked after looking at my face. \u201cIs everything alright?\u201d\n
\u201cYour mother needs help, Edward,\u201d I handed the bill to him. \u201cSerious help.\u201d\n
I watched Edward carefully read the bill, expecting him to react the same way I did, but he simply laughed it off.\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure Mom\u2019s just playing around,\u201d he chuckled. \u201cShe can\u2019t be serious.\u201d\n
\u201cShe sent me a bill totaling $50,000, and you think this is a joke?\u201d I said, my tone serious.\n
Edward shrugged his shoulders.\n
\u201cLaura and I aren\u2019t high school buddies,\u201d I said, rolling my eyes. \u201cI know she\u2019s serious. You know how she loves making people feel terrible. This is just another one of her stunts, I\u2019m sure.\u201d\n
That is when Edward agreed with me.\n
\u201cI won\u2019t let her get away with this,\u201d I told Edward. \u201cThis is just\u2026 absurd!\u201d\n
Edward fell asleep quickly after we got into bed, but I kept tossing and turning, trying to figure out how to get back at Laura in the best way possible.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
I wanted to make her feel as bad as she made me feel today.\n
How could she have asked me to repay her for all of that? I thought. How could she have thought she was emotionally supporting her children when she only yelled at them?\n
The following morning, I awoke with a fantastic notion. After breakfast, I took a notebook and began writing down what Laura had put me through.\n
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Then I created an itemized bill, similar to the one she supplied me. I even called my bank and requested them to provide me a statement of how much money I had spent on therapy over the prior two years.\n
Here\u2019s how my list looked:\n
*Listening to her criticize my cooking \u2014 $5,000\n*
*Smiling through backhanded compliments at family dinners \u2014 $8,000\n*
*Pretending not to notice when she \u201caccidentally\u201d forgets my birthday \u2014 $1,000\n*
*The therapy sessions after her constant interference in our marriage \u2014 $30,000\n*
*Teaching her son what a normal family looks like \u2014 $20,000\n*
*\u201cEmotional support for dealing with her drama\u201d\u2014 priceless\n*
*I created a bogus invoice with an outstanding balance of\u00a0$5,000 and mailed it to her. I even included a little message for her reference. It stated:\n*
*Dear Laura,\n*
Here\u2019s a list of all the things you put me through during the past two years. Since you enjoyed passing insulting comments and making me feel horrible, you might as well help me recover the costs.\n
*Your loving daughter-in-law,\n*
*Ray\n*
$\"\"$
For illustration purposes only\n
Sending that envelope felt very relieving because it was the first time I stood up for myself, intending to establish a boundary in our relationship.\n
I\u2019m not one to insult or hurt others, but Laura\u2019s actions on our anniversary were intolerable. This seemed like the greatest way to make her understand her error.\n
Do you know what the finest part is? She had been abnormally silent since the day she received the mail. I expected her to call and shout at me, but all I got was silence.\n
When I saw her a few days later, she couldn\u2019t meet my gaze. It seems that she was humiliated about what she had done, which I consider a triumph. I think she finally realized she isn\u2019t always right!\n
I\u2019m relieved I finally spoke up for myself. But more than anything, I believe I did it for Edward. The little boy from 20 years ago who never received the love and attention he needed.\n
I hope that this makes up for all of the harsh words and hurtful situations he has encountered. He deserved far better, and I am pleased to have battled for both of us.\n
Do you think I did the correct thing?\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When my mother-in-law handed me an envelope at our anniversary party, I expected a thoughtful gesture or some caustic coupons. Instead, I discovered a stunning bill claiming reimbursement for rearing my husband. She was caught off guard by what I did next. So, I\u2019ve always had a tense relationship with my mother-in-law, but what she …\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":85489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[657,642],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-love-and-relationships","category-moral-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85491,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85488\/revisions\/85491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}