I (Kaori) live with my husband, Shinichi, and our 3-year-old daughter, Karin. We used to share a home with my parents-in-law and my husband’s grandmother. Whenever Great-Grandma got overbearing and started meddling, my mother-in-law was always the one to step in and shield us. On the flip side, she was constantly the target of Great-Grandma’s nasty remarks. Four years went by like that until my father-in-law suddenly passed away. That’s when my mother-in-law filed to legally cut ties with her in-laws and moved out for good! She eventually came to our house to explain everything, but the truth was nothing like we imagined.
My mother-in-law was way tougher than my husband and I ever realized. Instead of fighting the bullying, she chose to endure it just so she could completely walk away when the time was right. She’d been holding onto that hope and pushing through all those years. She wasn’t just begrudgingly putting up with it; she had actually accepted that toxic environment as part of her plan. I can’t help but wonder… is it really worth sacrificing so much of your own life just for the sake of revenge? And while she might finally feel a sense of closure, what’s going to happen to Great-Grandma now that she’s been left behind? There are still so many loose ends, and I just can’t stop worrying about what’s next.