My Mother-in-law!

I couldn't sleep.

My heart was so heavy, I held my stomach and cried all night.

I didn't know what to do next. I’d never thought of raising my child without a father.

A cheating man is like a dollar note that has fallen into a latrine; it's a pity to throw him away, but disgusting to pick him up.

If I wasn't pregnant, I could have easily chosen to divorce Ronald. I, Kaidora, wasn't the kind of person who can't let go of things easily. If we can't make it work, then we can part ways easily.

But I wasn't alone now. The baby is about to be born…what should I do?

As if sensing my emotional fluctuations, the baby kept kicking my belly and rolling around inside, as if trying to soothe me.

The more the baby kicked me, the more emotional I became, and tears streamed down my face like a broken faucet.

Divorce and then abort the child? That's impossible.

I believe that every mother in the world, after feeling her baby's movements, would never want to let go.

So, divorce and raise the child alone?

In today's world, single mothers are very common, and women can raise their children to adulthood on their own.

But I kept picturing my baby a few years later, staring at me with those big, innocent, bright eyes, asking, "Mommy, why do other kids have dads, but I don't? Where's my dad?"

What should I say then?

I touched my swollen belly, tears streaming down my face. "Baby, what should Mommy do?"

I didn't sleep a wink all night.

Around six in the morning, my mother-in-law pushed open the door and stormed in, anger rolling off her in waves, "Kaidora, it's past six o'clock, and you're still lying in bed not getting up to cook. Do you want me to starve to death?"

Before now, I would get up at six o'clock every morning to cook breakfast for my mother-in-law and then wake her up even though I was extremely heavy and cumbersome during my late pregnancy.

But this morning, I didn't even pay attention to the time. I was in a terrible mood because I hadn't slept all night,

I rubbed my red and swollen eyes. "Mom, I'm not feeling too well. Could you please make yourself something to eat today?"

My mother-in-law sneered and said, "Don't take advantage of your pregnancy to be lazy and disrespectful to your elders. I was working hard in the fields on the day I gave birth to your husband Ronald! What's wrong with asking you to make breakfast?”

I stared at her as I recalled Six months ago, when I was three months pregnant, Ronald had brought his mother from the countryside to come and take care of me.

My mother-in-law was so overjoyed when she came. She even went to the trouble of bringing two old hens from the countryside, saying she wanted to make soup for me to nourish my body.

During that time, I was basically waited on hand and foot, living the legendary life of a queen.

If I did any house chores, and my mother-in-law sees me, she'll immediately rush over to do it herself, saying with great concern, "Dora, you're pregnant now, how can you be doing house chores? That's why I'm here. If you want anything to eat or drink, just tell Mom, and even if Mom doesn't know how, she'll learn to make it just for you!"

I felt so lucky to have such a wonderful husband and such an easy-going mother-in-law.

I even told my parents to be rest assured that I made the right choice.

But after two or three months, my mother-in-law's attitude towards me suddenly changed. Not only did she not cook or do house chores again, but she also expected me to cook for her while I was pregnant.

She even demanded that I hand-wash her own dirty clothes and forbade me from using the washing machine, saying that it was a waste of electricity and that clothes washed in the washing machine were not clean.

I was utterly shocked about the sudden change, and couldn't understand why my mother-in-law had suddenly become a different person.

Did I do something to upset her? I’d asked myself repeatedly.

When my parents were still alive, I was their precious daughter. I never did any house chores, not even washing a dish.

But after my mother-in-law changed, I started trying to learn how to do house chores, but I had severe morning sickness and couldn't stand the smell of cooking oil.

As my belly grew bigger, it became harder to sweep and mop the floor.

I discussed hiring a part-time helper with my mother-in-law, and she immediately flared up, mocking me, "Oh my goodness, you city girls are so pampered! You're just lazy and good-for-nothing all day long. If you don't do some little work to get some exercise, how did you expect to give birth? I'm only doing this for your own good!"

I opened my mouth, wanting to argue a little more, but my mother-in-law interrupted, "Besides, hiring a nanny does cost money, doesn't it? My son works his butts off outside to earn money, and you just waste it like this at home?”

I felt a little uncomfortable since that wasn't true, so I tried to explain, "The money I spent was all earned by me. The money from my parents' company isn't even with me.”

Yes, we have always managed our income separately after we got married, but the house and the start-up capital for the company were inheritances left to me by my parents.

I grew up in a family with relatively good financial conditions, and my parents never made things difficult for me financially, so I don't really have a problem with money.

My mother-in-law slammed her cutleries on the table and asked me angrily, "You're married to Ronald, why are you still distinguishing between yours and his? Aren't you family?"

As soon as I heard this, I felt something was wrong. Wasn't my mother-in-law being hypocritical right now? How come Ronald's money wasn't mine, but my money was his?

When things got tense, Ronald tried to appease me, he criticized his mother, and promised me that he wouldn't wait until I gave birth before sending her back to the countryside and hiring a nanny to take care of us. He said that it would be difficult for two people with such different lifestyles, upbringing, and education to live happily together.

Indeed, ever since my mother-in-law came to live with us, she has been educating and demanding things of me with her fixed lifestyle and way of thinking, many of which were unacceptable to me.

For example, because we can't distinguish between the apartment buildings in our community, the deliveryman always delivers packages to the wrong neighbors' homes. Several times, my mother-in-law had tried to take other people's things for herself.

When I found out, I insisted that it be returned to the person in question.

But my mother-in-law was very unhappy. With a dark face, she scolded me for being an idiot, "Why don't you take something that's delivered to your door for free? If the deliveryman delivered it to the wrong address, then the owner should just ask him to pay back. Why are we returning it!"

I didn't understand this way of thinking at all. Even kindergarten teachers taught students to always return lost property.

Ronald also felt ashamed, but he found an excuse for her, "My father died early, and my mother raised the four of us siblings all by herself. She had no money, no man, and no relatives to help her. You can imagine how difficult it was... Her selfishness and petty mentality were not formed overnight. I am ashamed and heartbroken."

I said, "Honey, I know you're filial to your mother, but this isn't how you show filial piety..."

Ronald sighed helplessly, her face full of shame, "Baby, I'm sorry, I'm in a difficult position too."

I felt sorry for him, caught between me and his mother like a rat in a bellows, torn between two difficult choices; and I also thought of how my parents taught me from a young age that filial piety is the most important virtue and that one should be tolerant of others.

After my parents passed away, I had few relatives and friends to rely on. The only aunt who treated me like her own daughter was far away overseas. I had married Ronald, and his mother was my family.

I knew I should be tolerant, yielding, and filial.

But I wasn't really feeling well today.

Before I could explain, my mother-in-law dragged me roughly out of bed. "You'd better go cook, or when my son comes back, I'll have him beat you to death, you lazy good-for-nothing!"

I couldn't resist my mother-in-law's strength and was pulled up. However, as soon as I got out of bed, I felt a warm flow running down my legs.

My eyes widened in horror as I stared in-between my legs.

"Mom, my water just broke!" I burst into tears, my voice trembling.

Oh no, I wasn't prepared for this yet.