I’m Mariko, in my 40s, and I live with my husband, Takayoshi, and our eighth-grade daughter, Sari. Both of our families live nearby, but I’ve never gotten along with my mother-in-law, Sanae. Lately, our daughter has hit her rebellious phase, and her attitude and mouth keep getting worse. To top it off, she and my husband forced a dog into our lives, knowing full well I can’t stand dogs, and then dumped all the chores on me. I couldn’t handle the complete mess anymore—with the house smelling awful and covered in pee and poop—so I decided to take refuge at my parents’ place with my mom, Rie, and dad, Hiroshi. A few days later, my daughter told me something was wrong with the dog, and I found out she had been injured from my mother-in-law’s abuse. After catching the abuse on a hidden camera I set up at home, I was determined to confront my husband.
When I told my husband we needed to talk and went back to the house, my mother-in-law was right there with him. I showed them the footage of her abusing the dog, but my husband just turned it on me, saying, “It’s your fault for making Mom hate you,” and “You have no right to talk after abandoning our daughter.” To make matters worse, my mother-in-law snapped when I mentioned the video evidence and property damage, and she actually tried to beat the dog right then and there. Seeing how psychotic the whole situation was, I knew I was done. I declared I wanted a divorce and started packing my things to leave. But as I was getting ready to walk out, I didn’t miss the creepy, twisted smiles my husband and his mother exchanged.