I’m Nozomi. I’ve always found my in-laws condescending, so I’ve only met them a handful of times. While they gave us just $1,000 as a wedding gift, they’re apparently offering massive financial support for my sister-in-law’s upcoming wedding. Hearing this at a family dinner, I couldn’t contain my outrage over such blatant favoritism. Feeling I needed to set my in-laws straight, I made my husband, Touma, call them. But instead of apologizing, my mother-in-law scolded us, saying, “We didn’t even invite you to that dinner in the first place.”
I scrambled to make excuses, but my mother-in-law refused to listen. As far as she was concerned, she had basically intended to cut ties with us from the very beginning. She just said, “Well then, take care,” and hung up.
Even before getting married, I was wary of having “in-laws.” I was constantly terrified that they’d mistreat me, make passive-aggressive comments, force me to serve them, or try to take my future kids away.
Looking back, I might have overcompensated and made too big of a point that “things won’t go your way” without even realizing it. I never dreamed it would turn out like this.