When Calla finds a lace robe hidden in her husband’s closet, she assumes it’s his next gift. But her world is turned upside down when she sees her mother-in-law, Lorraine, wearing it. Suspicions mount and tensions rise when she discovers Lorraine’s true plan…
When my father died last year, the house seemed different to me. He had built it himself, a spacious two-story house that always smelled of pine and fresh paint.
After her death, my husband, Jason, our six-year-old daughter, Emma, and I moved in to help my mother-in-law, Lorraine.
A couple who packs a punch | Source: Midjourney
She and my father had been married for five years, but Lorraine made sure everyone knew that she had been his “rock” during his final days.
“You can’t deny it, darling,” she told me after her funeral speech. “Seriously, Calla, if I’d gone on vacation to Thailand, your dad would have died alone. Alone. Poor guy.”
Living with her was like walking a tightrope. Everything about Lorraine was sharp—her stilettos, her words, even the way she looked at Jason when she thought I wasn’t looking.
An older woman in a black dress | Source: Midjourney
But family is family, and I tried to make it work.
Until I found the bathrobe.
I was folding Jason’s laundry, something I’d done a thousand times. As I opened his closet to hang up a shirt, I noticed something out of place.
There it was, a small glossy gift bag sitting in a corner, partly hidden under his jackets.
A shiny gift bag | Source: Midjourney
Curiosity got the better of me. I took it out, my pulse racing when I saw what was inside: a sheer, lace bathrobe.
My first thought was that Jason had bought it for me. Christmas was coming up, and even though he wasn’t exactly the romantic type, maybe this was a way to surprise me.
I smiled at the thought of him stepping out of his comfort zone.
A lace bathrobe on a hanger | Source: Midjourney
If only it were true.
A few days later, Lorraine called me into her room. Her voice was soft. She had changed the room since my father’s death. It was now a brown, velvety… something. Luxurious and seductive… I couldn’t find the words to describe it.
“Oh, Calla, my darling,” she said to me. “You won’t believe what my new boyfriend got me!”
A brown bedroom | Source: Midjourney
A new boyfriend? Lorraine hasn’t told me about it.
When I entered, I was shocked.
There she was, draped in the bathrobe, my bathrobe. The one I’d found in Jason’s closet. She was twirling, the lace fluttering around her like a cruel joke.
“Do you like it?” she said, smiling. “It tastes exquisite, don’t you think?”
A smiling elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t breathe. My mind was racing.
Would Jason…? No, he wouldn’t do that. Lorraine?
No. Never. Unless… Would he?
“Where… where did you find that?” I managed to stammer out.
Lorraine’s smile widened.
A shocked woman | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, my boyfriend gave it to me,” she said. “I just told you, Calla! You’re not listening to what I’m saying, darling! Don’t worry, maybe you’ll get one too…. Anyway, he’s discreet.”
My knees started to feel weak. There might be a logical explanation. But something felt so wrong.
That evening, I confronted Jason after reading with Emma. She had fallen asleep quickly.
A mother and daughter reading a book | Source: Midjourney
My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking.
“Jason,” I said, my voice trembling. “I want the truth.”
He looked up from the TV, confused.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked. “Wait, let me pause this movie.”
A man lounging on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Did you… Did you give Lorraine a bathrobe? The lace one I found in your closet?”
Jason’s face twisted in disbelief.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“She showed me a bathrobe before dinner tonight,” I said, tears threatening to fall. “The same one I found in your closet.”
A shocked young man | Source: Midjourney
Jason is surprised.
“Do you think I’d buy him something like that? Are you serious?”
“So how did she get it?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, running his hand through his hair.
A woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know what to say,” I added.
His frustration seemed genuine, but doubt gnawed at me.
“I swear I didn’t give her anything! Seriously, Calla. The only thing I gave Lorraine today was a piece of garlic bread for dinner.”
Over the next few days, I couldn’t shake the unease. Lorraine’s smug expression, Jason’s denial, it all felt like pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t solve.
A plate of garlic bread | Source: Midjourney
Then one afternoon, while I was putting away Emma’s art supplies in the dining room, I heard Lorraine on the phone.
“Yes, Kerry, of course,” she whispered. “Her idiot husband didn’t even notice. It’s only a matter of time before they’re at each other’s throats. Once they’re gone, this house will finally be mine. I’m telling you, that’s why they moved in. They want my house.”
She had orchestrated everything.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
She had placed the bathrobe in Jason’s closet to make it look like they were having an affair. All to drive us out of the house my father had left behind.
That night, I told Jason everything I’d heard. His face darkened with anger, and he crushed his beer can in his fist.
“She’s trying to ruin our marriage,” he said, his voice tight. “It stops now.”
An angry man | Source: Midjourney
We have developed a plan.
The next morning, over coffee and bagels, I told Lorraine that Jason and I were considering moving. Her face lit up, though she tried to hide it behind a thin veil of worry.
“Oh, well, if you think that’s better…” she said, barely containing her joy.
That evening, Jason and I invited a lawyer friend over for dinner, someone Lorraine didn’t know. We told him he was a “real estate agent” helping us look for a new house, but honestly, we just wanted to know where we stood. Lorraine spent most of dinner talking about how she preferred living alone.
Bagels on a counter | Source: Midjourney
“I’m old now,” she said, as if trying to convince herself. “I need space. And I’m sure you children need yours.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted the house, but Jason had persuaded me to fight.
“Come on, honey,” he said. “It’s important to you to have a piece of your father’s inheritance. He built this house with his own hands. This house has been there since you were a child. Do you really want Lorraine to have it?”
An elderly woman sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Honestly, I’m not sure what I want.”
A week later, we held a “family reunion” in the living room. Lorraine walked in, feeling confident, as if she’d already won.
Jason handed him a stack of papers.
“What is this?” she asks, flipping through the pages.
A stack of paper on a coffee table | Source: Midjourney
“This is the deed to the house,” Jason said calmly. “We had it reviewed, and it turns out Calla and I are the primary beneficiaries. You don’t own this house, Lorraine. We do.”
His face turned pale.
“It’s not possible. Calla! What have you done? Your father would never leave me with nothing…”
“He didn’t leave you with nothing, Lorraine,” I said. “He left you a lot of money. But this is my childhood home. Of course, he would have wanted me to keep it.”
Shocked elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
Lorraine started to protest, but Jason cut her off.
“And before you think about pulling another stunt, know this: we’re not going anywhere. But you should start packing your bags.”
“Or can your boyfriend put you up?” I said nonchalantly.
Lorraine stuttered, her sharp tongue suddenly becoming useless.
Close-up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
“What? There’s no boyfriend?” I asked.
“I staged the whole thing! There’s no boyfriend, Calla. There’s no cheating, and that’s what I wanted you to think. I wanted you to see the bathrobe and know that… or think something’s going on.”
“I know,” I said. “I heard you. But listen, you have one week. I’m giving it to you because that’s what my father would expect of me.”
“I’ll become better. I’ll do everything—cooking, cleaning, homework with Emma, anything you want!” she begged.
An older woman covering her mouth | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t want my child near you,” I said simply. “I’m sorry, but that’s how I feel.”
After a week, Lorraine left. And I finally had peace in my house. I transformed Lorraine’s bedroom into a reading room, and half of it into Emma’s playroom.
And this bathrobe?
Lorraine had conveniently left it behind. I gave it to charity along with the rest of the items she’d abandoned. Someone else should enjoy them, because I certainly wasn’t going to keep them.
A comfortable reading room | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you liked this story, here’s another one.
Suspecting my husband of cheating on me, I followed him
When Lily and Jason’s son, Nathan, brings his fiancée home for the long weekend, Lily is thrilled to get to know him. But over the course of the weekend, she notices her husband acting strangely. So she tries to find out what’s going on with Jason—but she opens a Pandora’s box of secrets.
As soon as Nathan introduced us to his fiancée, I knew something was wrong.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t kind or lovely, because she was. Her name was Tessa, and she had come to Chicago with Nathan from her college in Michigan to spend a long weekend with us and meet the family.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
My son and his new partner had been dating for over a year, and she was just a name until now. Now that she was here, I understood why my son was so excited. Tessa was lively, funny, and kind.
Within minutes, my eight-year-old daughter, Sophie, was practically glued to her.
But my husband, Jason, was different that night. Usually, he’s lively and easygoing, especially around Nathan and his friends. But when Tessa was there, he was silent, almost as if withdrawing.
A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney
It was strange. Very strange.
Here’s the full story.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals 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 opinions of the author or publisher.
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