Three Months of Mourning

"Besides, we have a house. What's wrong with the family squeezing in together? We can fit. Why waste money renting from someone else?"Donovan chimed in from the side. "Arya, does your husband look down on us for being poor?"I did not want to put Arya in a difficult position at the time, so I let it drop. However, now, less than three months after Arya died in that car accident, they were already eager to kick me out and take over my house.Only now did I understand. When they said 'home', they had long since treated this place as theirs.I stared at my name on the property deed, thinking back to their conversation earlier.I pulled out my phone and carefully photographed the deed from cover to cover, uploading everything to cloud storage for backup.After finishing, I hid the property deed in an even more discreet location.…The next day at dinner, I had barely sat down and taken a few bites when Sloane started sighing heavily. "Ugh, business at the factory has been terrible

Sloane shot to her feet, pointing at me. "This has always been the Marlowe family's house. Asking you to leave is perfectly reasonable. And we're introducing you to someone for your own good, to give you somewhere to belong. Don't be ungrateful!""Let me make this clear right now. Either you remarry or you move out. Otherwise, don't blame us for not being nice about it!" Donovan's tone was harsh.I took a deep breath. "You need to understand. This house..."Before I could finish, my mother-in-law, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly went limp and collapsed straight to the floor."Mom!"Everyone froze in shock.When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics said only one family member could ride along. Without thinking, I got in.After a quick examination at the hospital, the doctor said, "The patient is fine. She just fainted from stress and emotional distress. Her blood pressure spiked."She clearly has something on her mind. As her family, try to be more accomm

Donovan saw the police officers at the door, and his expression changed. He immediately put on an ingratiating yet awkward smile."Officers, this is a misunderstanding. It's all a misunderstanding!" He pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tried to offer them. The officer waved him off.He sheepishly withdrew his hand and explained nervously, "This... is my brother-in-law. We're all family here. It's just a little disagreement. I'm sorry you had to come all this way, but it's an internal family matter. We can handle it ourselves. No need to trouble you officers.""Family matter?" I looked at him. "Mr. Marlowe, that's not what your wife just said. She said this is the Marlowe family's house and has nothing to do with me. She told me to get lost. And while I was out, she changed my lock without permission."This is illegal entry into a residence. It's a criminal matter, not something you can brush off as a family disagreement."Donovan's face flushed red and t

After signing the intent to purchase agreement and receiving a deposit, I never went back to that 'home' again. I found a short-term rental at a hotel near my office and moved all my important belongings and documents there.On the afternoon of the third day, I received a tearful phone call from Sloane. Her voice trembled with unmistakable terror."Graham! Did you... Did you sell the house?" She was practically screaming."Some men showed up today. They looked vicious. They said the house is theirs now! They told us to get out immediately! Was this you?""Yeah." I leaned against the window of my hotel room and watched the traffic below, my tone casual. "It's my house. I can sell it if I want. Is there a problem?""You... How can you be so cruel? You're trying to destroy our entire family!" She started sobbing. "They... They threw all our stuff out! They said if we don't leave, they'll use force! Graham, come talk to them! You can't sell this house! Come here now!""I told the new

Once, I even heard colleagues 'quietly' gossiping in the break room. "I never would have guessed he was that kind of person. He always seemed so decent.""You never really know someone, do you? To treat his wife's family so terribly..."I walked in carrying my cup. They immediately fell silent, looking awkward. That was when I understood. Sloane's scene at my office was just the beginning.Without a permanent solution, this would never end. My work and personal life would know no peace.I did not confront the people spreading rumors. That would be pointless. I contacted a lawyer directly instead.Gathering evidence went smoothly. The security footage from downstairs captured her foul language and slander in full. Several colleagues were willing to testify, and the police report from her disturbance also served as proof.My lawyer told me her behavior constituted defamation. She had seriously damaged my reputation and substantially interfered with my work and life. I could file a