I thought I could trust my mother-in-law to take care of my son while my husband and I were on our honeymoon. But four days later, I got a panicked call from my little boy that sent me rushing home.
I had Liam when I was only eighteen. His father? He left before he was even born.
A woman hugging her son | Source: Pexels
It was just the two of us. I worked every job I could—waitress, cleaning, even stocking shelves at a grocery store at night—anything I could to keep a roof over our heads. It wasn’t easy. Some nights I’d come home so exhausted I could barely stand. But the moment Liam wrapped his little arms around me, it was all worth it.
Then, a few years ago, I met Ethan.
A smiling man with a laptop | Source: Pexels
He was different. He listened to me and never judged me for being a single mom. He didn’t see Liam as a burden. To him, he was a blessing. He brought Liam little gifts, sat with him for hours building Legos, and even taught him how to make dinosaur pancakes on Saturday mornings.
I let myself believe that it was safe to trust someone.
A happy couple hugging | Source: Pexels
Last year, Ethan and I got married. He had planned a honeymoon—a whole week in the Bahamas. I was nervous about leaving Liam, but Ethan squeezed my hand and smiled at me.
“Mom will take care of him. She loves Liam. You trust me, don’t you?”
I hesitated. Ethan’s mother, Angela, seemed nice enough. A little old-fashioned, perhaps, but nothing that raised any red flags.
A middle-aged woman drinking tea | Source: Midjourney
“Yes,” I finally said. “I trust you.”
So I packed my bags, kissed Liam and left. Four days later, my phone rang. It was Angela’s number.
I smiled and answered, expecting a cheerful update. But the voice on the other end? Small. Trembling. Terrified.
“Mom, don’t do this to me!” Liam whispered.
Scared boy talking on his phone in his bedroom | Source: Midjourney
My heart stopped.
“Liam? Baby, what’s wrong?” I sat up so fast that the hotel sheets tangled around my legs.
“Ms. Kim said you were going to give me up for adoption if I didn’t listen and watch cartoons.”
My stomach twisted.
“What?” My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. “Who told you that?”
Shocked woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Grandma…and Mrs. Kim,” he said, sniffling. “They said I’d have to get used to not having a mommy soon.”
I gripped the phone so hard my fingers hurt.
“That’s not true,” I said firmly. “I’m never, ever, ever leaving you. Do you hear me?”
Liam gasped. “Then why did they say it?”
Crying boy talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t breathe. My vision was blurring with rage.
“Get me Grandma on the phone,” I said through gritted teeth.
Liam sniffled again. I heard the phone go dead. A second later, Angela’s voice came through, light and casual, as if nothing had happened.
“Oh! Hello, sweetheart. Everything’s fine. Liam’s just sensitive.”
A woman talking on the phone in her living room | Source: Midjourney
“Sensitive?” My hands were shaking. “You told my son I was abandoning him?”
Angela sighed. “He wasn’t listening. Kids these days need a little motivation. I thought…”
I hung up, threw off the covers and grabbed my suitcase.
Ethan stirred next to me. “What’s going on?”
“We’re leaving,” I said, yanking open a drawer.
A woman packs her suitcase in a hotel room | Source: Midjourney
He straightened up, blinking. “Wait, what?”
I turned to face him. “Your mother told my son that I was going to give him up for adoption. That if he didn’t behave, I wouldn’t be his mother anymore.”
Ethan paled. “She didn’t want to…”
“She did it,” I snapped. “I just heard my baby cry. Do you think I imagined it?”
Angry woman looking to her side | Source: Pexels
He rushed out of bed. “I’ll call him. Maybe it’s a misunderstanding…”
I pointed at him. “You do whatever you want. I’m going home.”
We booked the earliest flight. The whole way to the airport, my heart was racing. Liam needed me. And God help Angela, because I wasn’t playing the good guy anymore .
Angry woman driving | Source: Midjourney
I barely remember the drive. My hands gripped the steering wheel so hard my joints hurt, but I didn’t care. My heart was pounding in my chest, my mind focused on one thing: getting to Liam.
As soon as we arrived in front of Angela’s house, I got out of the car. I didn’t bother to knock. I opened the door so hard that it slammed against the wall.
An angry woman standing in the doorway | Source: Midjourney
Angela, sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, jumped at the noise. She blinked in surprise, then carefully put her cup down, as if nothing had happened.
“Oh! You came back earlier than expected…”
“WHERE IS LIAM?”
Her eyebrows rose, but she didn’t look the least bit concerned. On the contrary, she looked amused.
A smiling woman in her living room | Source: Midjourney
“He’s upstairs, taking a nap,” she said softly. “He was very difficult at first, but don’t worry, I taught him to behave.”
I didn’t wait to hear another word. I rushed up the stairs, my pulse pounding in my ears.
When I reached Liam’s door, I didn’t even knock. I pushed it open, my breath stopping the second I saw him.
A sad boy on his bed | Source: Midjourney
He was curled up in the corner of the bed, knees pulled up to his chest, clutching his stuffed rabbit as if it were the only thing keeping him safe. His small body was shaking, his face pressed against the pillow.
“Liam,” I breathed.
He jerked his head up. His red, tear-soaked eyes locked on mine.
“Mom !”
Sad boy talking to his mother | Source: Midjourney
He threw himself out of bed and into my arms, wrapping himself around me so tightly I could feel his little heart beating against my chest.
“I didn’t mean to be mean!” he sobbed. “Please don’t leave me!”
Tears burned my eyes. I held him close, rocking him gently, pressing kisses to his damp hair. I turned and met Angela’s gaze as she stood in the doorway. My whole body burned with rage.
Sad boy hugging his mother | Source: Midjourney
“Explain yourself,” I said, my voice shaking. “Now.”
Angela let out a dramatic sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, stop acting like I beat him.”
I tightened my grip on Liam. His fingers were still clinging to my shirt like he thought I would disappear if he let go. My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
A serious woman with her hands crossed | Source: Midjourney
“You told my son I was abandoning him,” I said, my voice low and shaky. “You made him think I didn’t want him. You let him cry himself to sleep, thinking he was alone in the world.”
Angela waved a dismissive hand. “A little fear never hurt anyone. It teaches children respect. If they don’t learn young, they’ll grow up weak.”
A woman arguing with her mother-in-law | Source: Midjourney
My stomach twisted. I took a slow, deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. “You don’t scare children into obeying. You love them. You protect them.”
She scoffed. “That’s not how I was raised, and I did just fine.”
I stared at her, truly seeing her for the first time. She was cold. Unfeeling. So convinced she was right that she didn’t even realize the damage she’d done.
Shocked woman at her mother-in-law’s house | Source: Midjourney
Behind me, footsteps sounded.
Ethan.
He must have heard the last part of our conversation because his face was pale, his hands clenched at his sides. He looked at his mother, then at Liam, who was still shaking in my arms. His whole body went rigid.
Angry man | Source: Pexels
“Mom…” His voice was tight and controlled, as if he was holding back a storm of emotions. “Tell me it’s not true.”
Angela rolled her eyes. “Oh, Ethan, don’t be so dramatic. It’s just parenting. Kids need discipline, and if a little fear gets them to fall into line, so be it.”
A woman with crossed hands looking to the side | Source: Midjourney
Ethan exhaled sharply, as if she had punched him in the stomach. He stared at her for a long moment, something in his face changing.
Then he spoke.
“Okay,” he said slowly, his voice oddly calm. “Then don’t be surprised if we put you in a nursing home someday. You know… it’s part of how we deal with difficult parents.”
A serious man in a white shirt | Source: Pexels
Silence.
Angela’s face paled. “Excuse me?”
Ethan didn’t blink. “A little fear builds character, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t you experience it too?”
For the first time, Angela had nothing to say.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face—as if, for the first time, she realized she had gone too far.
A shocked woman wearing a blue t-shirt | Source: Pexels
Ethan turned to me. “Go get Liam ready. We’re leaving.”
I didn’t hesitate.
I carried Liam downstairs, his little arms still wrapped around my neck. Ethan trailed behind, silent, tense. Angela followed us, her voice cracking as she called…
A woman carrying her son | Source: Midjourney
“Wait! Ethan, don’t do that. I didn’t mean to…”
But Ethan didn’t even turn around. We walked out the front door, leaving Angela standing in the middle of her perfect, spotless living room.
For weeks, Angela called. She left voicemails, sent messages, and even showed up at our door once, begging us to let her see Liam.
A woman crying on her phone | Source: Midjourney
Ethan ignored her. I blocked his number.
She cried, apologized, and swore she would never do it again. Finally, for Ethan’s sake, we agreed to let her back into our lives on one condition. She would never, ever be alone with Liam again.
She agreed, but things were never the same again.
A sad woman on her couch | Source: Freepik
Liam had changed too. He refused to sleep alone. If I left the room, even for a few minutes, he would panic and run after me, tears in his eyes. Every night, he needed my arms around him to feel safe.
I blamed myself. I trusted the wrong person and left my son in the hands of someone who didn’t deserve it. But I promised him that no one would ever hurt him again.
A crying woman | Source: Freepik
And I meant it.
Years later, one night as I was tucking Liam into bed, he wrapped his little arms around me and whispered, “You never left me. You kept your promise.”
And that was enough for me.
A boy hugging his mother | Source: Freepik
Read also: My mother-in-law gave me a note titled “How to be a good wife to my son” for our wedding, and my husband a check
This work is inspired by real events and persons, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims as to the accuracy of events or portrayal of characters and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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