Mother-in-Law Moves In After Selling Her House, Promising to Give All Proceeds to My Husband, So... — Transcript

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1. 0:00Hello, everyone. My name is Edith.
2. 0:03I had many hopes and dreams about my
3. 0:04marriage to Jeffrey. We met at a work
4. 0:07event and instantly hit it off. We dated
5. 0:09for 3 years before deciding to get
6. 0:11married. Jeffrey was a very kind and
7. 0:14caring boyfriend who spoiled me with
8. 0:15gifts and dates even when I didn't ask
9. 0:18for them. I grew up poor and had no
10. 0:20family [clears throat] connections. So,
11. 0:21when I met Jeffrey, I thought I had
12. 0:23found my soulmate. Our relationship was
13. 0:26almost perfect except for one problem.
14. 0:28Jeffrey's mother, Vivian, didn't like me
15. 0:30at all. Vivian was rich from smart
16. 0:33investments and Jeffrey had grown up
17. 0:34comfortably. When she found out he was
18. 0:36dating someone like me, she had a hard
19. 0:38time accepting it. She told Jeffrey, "I
20. 0:41know you love each other, but you need
21. 0:43to think it through. Jeffrey is used to
22. 0:45a comfortable life and you don't have a
23. 0:47substantial income, Edith. I'm afraid
24. 0:49you'll end up taking advantage of him."
25. 0:52I responded, "Vivian, I know my family
26. 0:54wasn't well-off, but I'm doing okay for
27. 0:56myself. I love Jeffrey and want to be
28. 0:59with him."
29. 1:00Jeffrey backed me up saying, "Mom,
30. 1:02you're being too critical. I like
31. 1:04spoiling Edith. She's a great girl who
32. 1:06listens to me and considers my feelings.
33. 1:09We make a good match." But Vivian was
34. 1:12never convinced. She always had doubts
35. 1:14about our relationship, which made me
36. 1:16feel hostile toward her. No one likes
37. 1:18being called a gold digger by their
38. 1:19in-laws. So, Vivian and I had a strained
39. 1:22relationship from the start. I thought
40. 1:24my marriage to Jeffrey would bring me
41. 1:26mother-in-law problems and since Vivian
42. 1:28was powerful and had strong values, we
43. 1:31would get along. She never went beyond
44. 1:33expressing her doubts about me though. I
45. 1:35admired her but kept my distance feeling
46. 1:37secure with Jeffrey's support. I married
47. 1:40Jeffrey, the sweet and caring guy I
48. 1:42wanted to spend my life with, but life
49. 1:44had other plans. Shortly after our
50. 1:46wedding, Jeffrey changed completely. He
51. 1:48stopped being affectionate or caring. He
52. 1:51no longer spoiled me with gifts, but I
53. 1:53didn't mind because I was with him for
54. 1:54love, not money. Things quickly got
55. 1:57worse. Jeffrey turned out to be greedy
56. 1:59and selfish, a side he never showed
57. 2:01before our marriage. He became a
58. 2:03freeloader, expecting me to cater to all
59. 2:06his demands. It started small, with him
60. 2:08asking for cash or for me to buy things,
61. 2:11but soon I was paying for everything.
62. 2:13Every month he had an excuse for why he
63. 2:15couldn't contribute to household
64. 2:16expenses. I never complained, thinking
65. 2:19it was a temporary situation. However, I
66. 2:22was shocked when Jeffrey suddenly quit
67. 2:24his job because of management problems.
68. 2:26He didn't consult me, he just informed
69. 2:28me after it was done. When I asked him
70. 2:30about finding a new job, he said, "I
71. 2:32don't want to go to work, Edith. All
72. 2:34this toxic work culture is getting to
73. 2:36me. I don't think I'm made to work in
74. 2:38this system. It's better if I stay at
75. 2:40home." "But we need the extra income,
76. 2:42Jeffrey. You can't just make such big
77. 2:44financial decisions alone. You could
78. 2:46have talked to me before deciding," I
79. 2:48replied. "Is there anything to talk
80. 2:50about? Do you want me to stay at work
81. 2:52and damage my mental health?" he
82. 2:54retorted. "No, Jeffrey. I don't want you
83. 2:57to risk your mental health. I just wish
84. 2:59you had consulted me before deciding. We
85. 3:01are a team, and these decisions need to
86. 3:03be discussed." Jeffrey ignored my
87. 3:05feelings and never apologized. I had no
88. 3:08idea what he expected me to do. I didn't
89. 3:10mind my husband staying at home, but
90. 3:12Jeffrey never did anything for the
91. 3:14house, either. I did all the cooking and
92. 3:16cleaning while working 40 hours a week.
93. 3:19Sometimes I took overtime shifts to make
94. 3:21ends meet. Jeffrey just stayed at home
95. 3:23and played video games. When I asked him
96. 3:26to help around the house, he said, "I
97. 3:28don't feel like doing chores. You know
98. 3:30I've been depressed for a while. I don't
99. 3:32have the energy to do chores."
100. 3:34"Jeffrey, I need help around the house.
101. 3:36I'm working hard and can't keep up with
102. 3:38all the chores. You don't have to do
103. 3:40everything. Can you at least help?" I
104. 3:42pleaded. "But I'm not good at these
105. 3:44things. These are women's jobs. You
106. 3:46can't expect me to do them. If I fail at
107. 3:48these chores, I will feel even worse
108. 3:50about myself."
109. 3:52"Jeffrey, if you're having serious
110. 3:54mental health problems, you should start
111. 3:56therapy. I'll take up a side job to help
112. 3:58you. It won't be a problem. I want you
113. 4:00to get better. I suggest it. Therapy is
114. 4:03for weak people. I don't need therapy. I
115. 4:05just want to be left alone. You're
116. 4:07making everything worse by being pushy
117. 4:09and annoying, he snapped. Jeffrey didn't
118. 4:11even want to go to therapy. Believe me,
119. 4:14I tried very hard to convince him. For
120. 4:16the longest time, I believed he was
121. 4:18depressed. I was so used to seeing this
122. 4:20sweet and responsible side of him that I
123. 4:22believed all his lies. Slowly, I
124. 4:25realized that Jeffrey was okay. He had
125. 4:27no problem lying around the house and
126. 4:29playing games. He even went out with his
127. 4:31friends every week. Meanwhile, I was
128. 4:34working like a slave both at home and at
129. 4:36work. I had no time for myself. Jeffrey
130. 4:39even stopped showing me any affection.
131. 4:41All he did was sit at home and complain.
132. 4:43Some of my friends warned me that
133. 4:45Jeffrey was using me and becoming
134. 4:47abusive. However, I refused to believe
135. 4:50them. I still had full faith in the
136. 4:51relationship. Somewhere in my mind, I
137. 4:54thought the old Jeffrey was still there.
138. 4:57I was wrong.
139. 4:58I stayed in this situation for two whole
140. 5:00years. It was a nightmare for me. One
141. 5:03day, I got fed up and said, "Jeffrey, we
142. 5:06can't go on like this. It's been two
143. 5:08whole years. You need to either help
144. 5:10around the house or get a job. I can't
145. 5:12do this anymore."
146. 5:14"I've already told you multiple times
147. 5:16that I'm not in the mental space to
148. 5:17work. Why can't you just listen? You
149. 5:20have been annoying me a lot," he
150. 5:22replied. Jeffrey, I have been patient
151. 5:24with you for two years. You won't even
152. 5:27get help for your problems. How will our
153. 5:29situation get better? Will it ever get
154. 5:31better?" I asked. "We are pretty good
155. 5:34right now. What is your freaking
156. 5:36problem? You're managing just fine
157. 5:38without my help," he said dismissively.
158. 5:41I have zero savings and don't have any
159. 5:43time for myself. I had to work like a
160. 5:45dog at both the office and home. I
161. 5:47couldn't take it anymore. If you don't
162. 5:49get help, Jeffrey, I will leave, I said
163. 5:51firmly.
164. 5:53Good, then leave, he snapped back. You
165. 5:55just said you don't have any savings.
166. 5:57How will you pay for a lawyer? And if
167. 5:59you divorce me, you'll have to pay
168. 6:01alimony. Plus, I'll get your house. Go
169. 6:04ahead and divorce me. At that moment, I
170. 6:07realized Jeffrey had trapped me. This
171. 6:09was his plan all along. I had never felt
172. 6:11so scared and hopeless in my life. All
173. 6:14my love for Jeffrey quickly turned into
174. 6:16fear. But I was strong-willed. With no
175. 6:19family, I knew how to stand up for
176. 6:21myself. Instead of cowering in fear, I
177. 6:23made a plan to get out. I knew exactly
178. 6:25who to turn to for help. The next day, I
179. 6:28called Vivian from work and poured my
180. 6:30heart out to her. I knew she was more
181. 6:32reasonable than Jeffrey and would
182. 6:33understand my helplessness. She had
183. 6:35raised him single-handedly and didn't
184. 6:37take nonsense from anyone. Even though
185. 6:40she didn't like me, I hoped she would
186. 6:41help. Vivian was furious, but not with
187. 6:44me. What the hell, Edith? This is
188. 6:47unacceptable. I'm embarrassed by what my
189. 6:49son has done. I have no idea how he
190. 6:51turned into such a greedy and selfish
191. 6:53person.
192. 6:54I don't know what to do, I confessed. I
193. 6:57don't have anyone nearby. I don't even
194. 6:59have a family. You're the only one I can
195. 7:01turn to. I'm glad you trusted me enough
196. 7:03to tell me, Vivian said. After what my
197. 7:06son has done, I'm surprised you don't
198. 7:08think badly of me. I have already given
199. 7:10you enough reasons to hate me. Don't
200. 7:12worry, Edith. I'm on your side. I will
201. 7:14do something. Jeffrey has crossed his
202. 7:17limits.
203. 7:18Thank you so much, Vivian. You have no
204. 7:20idea how relieved I am. I felt so alone
205. 7:23and stuck after Jeffrey made those
206. 7:24threats. Vivian was perfectly capable of
207. 7:27handling Jeffrey. Believe it or not, he
208. 7:30was actually pretty scared of her. As I
209. 7:32said, Vivian didn't take nonsense from
210. 7:34anyone and wouldn't shy away from
211. 7:36teaching Jeffrey a good lesson. Jeffrey
212. 7:38had no idea what was coming for him. I
213. 7:41had all my ducks in a row and was just
214. 7:43waiting for Vivian to strike. She showed
215. 7:45up at our house about 2 weeks after I
216. 7:47talked to her. When I came home from
217. 7:49work, I saw her sitting in the living
218. 7:51room with her luggage. She looked at me
219. 7:53and said, "Come here, Edith. We were
220. 7:55waiting for you. You must be surprised
221. 7:57to see me here."
222. 7:59"Yes, it's a pleasant surprise, Vivian.
223. 8:01What brings you here?" I asked. "Well,
224. 8:04there's been some stuff going on, so I
225. 8:05wanted to talk to both of you." "What is
226. 8:08it, Mom? Tell us immediately." Jeffrey
227. 8:10said.
228. 8:11"I was thinking about buying a new
229. 8:13house." Vivian began. "My old house has
230. 8:16become boring, and I don't want to live
231. 8:18there anymore. So, I was thinking about
232. 8:20selling it." "But what will you do with
233. 8:22the money? The house is expensive, and
234. 8:24you'll get a good deal out of it. I
235. 8:26don't think you need that much money
236. 8:27right now. You should do something about
237. 8:29it." Jeffrey said. "All right, son. I
238. 8:32don't need that much money, so I've made
239. 8:34a decision. I'll give you the money,
240. 8:35Jeffrey. I have enough to get a new
241. 8:37place with my savings. You can have the
242. 8:39sale proceeds as an early inheritance of
243. 8:42sorts." "Mom, are you serious? That is
244. 8:45great news. I can't thank you enough.
245. 8:47You've made the right decision." Jeffrey
246. 8:49said, overjoyed.
247. 8:51"Don't get so carried away, Jeffrey. I
248. 8:53have one condition that you must agree
249. 8:55to before I give you the money. I want
250. 8:57you to divorce Edith. You know I never
251. 8:59liked her, so I don't want her
252. 9:00benefiting from your money. If you agree
253. 9:02to divorce her, the money will be yours.
254. 9:05If you don't divorce her, I will keep
255. 9:07the money and do as I please." "Wait,
256. 9:09that's all you want? You want me to
257. 9:11divorce Edith?"
258. 9:12"Yes, I even brought the papers with me.
259. 9:15If you sign them, we can go for a mutual
260. 9:17divorce. The entire process will be
261. 9:19simple. I'll hand you the money once
262. 9:21everything is finalized." Hearing this,
263. 9:23Jeffrey's eyes lit up. He made no secret
264. 9:26of the fact the offer was pretty
265. 9:27tempting for Jeffrey. To be honest, I
266. 9:30had no idea where Vivian was going with
267. 9:32this. However, if he did divorce me, I
268. 9:35would be free from being trapped with
269. 9:36Jeffrey. So, I kept a solemn face and
270. 9:39said, "Jeffrey, you can't possibly
271. 9:42divorce me for money. Who even does
272. 9:44that?" "Vivian, I know you don't like
273. 9:46me, but offering you a bribe is going
274. 9:48too far."
275. 9:49"Don't talk to my mom like this."
276. 9:51Jeffrey shot back. "You've been a
277. 9:53neglectful wife, and I hate being with
278. 9:55you anyway. Since mom has gone through
279. 9:57the trouble of getting everything ready,
280. 9:59I won't disappoint her. I will sign the
281. 10:01papers today." "Seriously, Jeffrey, you
282. 10:04would divorce me for your mother's
283. 10:06money?" "Look, you've been wanting out
284. 10:08of this marriage anyway, and I don't
285. 10:10want to be with someone my mom doesn't
286. 10:12like. So, let's just make it easier for
287. 10:14each other and get divorced." "If that's
288. 10:17your decision, I have nothing to say.
289. 10:19However, I will only sign the papers if
290. 10:21you agree to let go of alimony, and I
291. 10:24won't be giving you a cent of my
292. 10:25savings."
293. 10:27"Fine, I won't claim alimony or anything
294. 10:29else. The alimony would be a small
295. 10:31amount anyway. I can get myself a better
296. 10:33life with mom's money. I won't need your
297. 10:36meager savings and alimony."
298. 10:38"Okay then, Vivian. You have your wish.
299. 10:40We will sign the divorce papers."
300. 10:42Hearing this, Jeffrey quickly took a pen
301. 10:44from the table and signed the papers. He
302. 10:47also promised to meet with a lawyer the
303. 10:49next day to draw up documents for a
304. 10:50divorce settlement. Vivian said she
305. 10:53would help him get a good lawyer.
306. 10:54Jeffrey, looking very happy, went after
307. 10:57the master bedroom to call his friends.
308. 10:59Meanwhile, Vivian sat there with a smile
309. 11:02on her face. She walked up to me and
310. 11:04said, "So, my stupid son divorced you
311. 11:06and accepted my little bribe. He didn't
312. 11:08even take time to think. I had no idea
313. 11:11how vile he had become." "Let's make him
314. 11:13regret this, Edith." "So, you did plan
315. 11:16everything, didn't you?" "You're helping
316. 11:18me get a divorce and leave Jeffrey."
317. 11:21"Yes, I did. I know I've been hard on
318. 11:23you all this while. I should have been
319. 11:25more critical of my son, but don't
320. 11:26worry, this time I won't slack off.
321. 11:29Jeffrey will be taught a lesson."
322. 11:31Hearing Vivian's words, I knew I made
323. 11:33the right decision to divorce him. If I
324. 11:35had stopped Jeffrey from divorcing me or
325. 11:37stuck around any longer, he would have
326. 11:39gotten even more abusive. But I wasn't
327. 11:42going down so easily. While Vivian made
328. 11:44him sign the divorce papers, I made him
329. 11:46agree to a divorce settlement that would
330. 11:48work in my favor. Jeffrey was so blinded
331. 11:51by greed that he didn't stop to think of
332. 11:53my terms. I guess he believed Vivian's
333. 11:55words. Anyway, Vivian moved in with me
334. 11:58and Jeffrey because she was selling her
335. 11:59house soon and needed a place to stay
336. 12:01until it was sold. She also told Jeffrey
337. 12:04that she wanted to make sure I didn't
338. 12:06try to change his mind. Jeffrey gladly
339. 12:08invited her to stay as long as she
340. 12:10wanted. I moved out of the house once
341. 12:12Jeffrey signed a document saying that he
342. 12:14wouldn't demand anything from me. I had
343. 12:16a good lawyer who made sure everything
344. 12:18was okay. I moved into an apartment and
345. 12:20tried to start my life afresh. Vivian
346. 12:22and Jeffrey stayed at the old house
347. 12:24until the divorce was finalized after 6
348. 12:26months. When the entire process was
349. 12:29done, Vivian, Jeffrey, and I met outside
350. 12:31the courthouse. Jeffrey said, "Finally,
351. 12:34I'm free from a witch like you. You were
352. 12:36right, Mom. I should have left her a
353. 12:38long time ago. I wish I had done this
354. 12:41sooner." "You threw away years of love
355. 12:43for your greed. You should be ashamed of
356. 12:45yourself," I said. "Don't be dramatic,
357. 12:47Edith. Anyone would do this for good
358. 12:49money. You'll understand once I start
359. 12:51living a better life than yours. Mom,
360. 12:54since my divorce has been finalized,
361. 12:56when will you transfer the money? I need
362. 12:58to pay the lawyers and start living a
363. 12:59new life." "Well," Vivian said, "I
364. 13:02changed my mind. I'm not giving you the
365. 13:04money. I have other plans for it."
366. 13:07"What? Mom, what happened so suddenly?
367. 13:10Why are you changing your mind?"
368. 13:11"Probably because I got what I wanted,
369. 13:13and so did Edith. I'm well aware of the
370. 13:15fact that you had been financially
371. 13:17abusing Edith. She also gave me a
372. 13:19detailed account of how you trapped her.
373. 13:21If this wasn't bad enough, you readily
374. 13:23divorced your wife for money. Do you
375. 13:25think I would reward you after this? But
376. 13:28Mom, you're the one who said that I
377. 13:29needed to get a divorce. What is going
378. 13:32on? Why are you taking Edith's side? You
379. 13:34hate her.
380. 13:36Well, no. I don't hate her. Right now,
381. 13:39you are the one I hate. How could you do
382. 13:41this to your wife, Jeffrey? Is this what
383. 13:43I taught you? You were nothing but Mom,
384. 13:46this is a shame. You should be
385. 13:47supporting me, not Edith. I deserve the
386. 13:50money after everything. You will give it
387. 13:52to me.
388. 13:53You deserve nothing, Vivian said coldly.
389. 13:56I've given half of the money to Edith so
390. 13:58she can get a good lawyer. The other
391. 14:00half I spent on buying the house you
392. 14:02live in right now, but you won't be
393. 14:04welcome there. Here is an eviction
394. 14:06notice for you. After your month is up,
395. 14:09Edith will stay there and she won't need
396. 14:10to pay rent. The look on Jeffrey's face
397. 14:13was priceless. Most people in my place
398. 14:15would cry over the divorce. There was
399. 14:17laughing my butt off. Vivian's true
400. 14:20intentions were revealed and Jeffrey
401. 14:22realized we used his greed against him.
402. 14:24He went pale and started throwing a
403. 14:26tantrum right there at the courthouse.
404. 14:29Vivian and I got into a car and simply
405. 14:31left the scene, leaving security to deal
406. 14:34with his screaming and insults.
407. 14:36I went back to my rented apartment and
408. 14:38even Vivian came to stay with me.
409. 14:41Jeffrey was becoming unhinged, so I
410. 14:43didn't want her in the house as long as
411. 14:45he was there. Jeffrey tried to call us
412. 14:47both, but we ignored his calls. He also
413. 14:49sent us some colorful texts filled with
414. 14:52threats and insults, which we saved just
415. 14:54in case we needed a restraining order.
416. 14:57As the days passed, Jeffrey's madness
417. 14:59didn't escalate. Instead, his stance
418. 15:01changed completely. He was now begging
419. 15:04and pleading with me and Vivian.
420. 15:05Honestly, it was hilarious. Gone were
421. 15:08his threats and insults. Now all he did
422. 15:10was apologize and ask for help. Jeffrey
423. 15:13had hired an expensive lawyer because
424. 15:15Vivian had promised to pay for one. That
425. 15:17was a trap, so Jeffrey was stuck with a
426. 15:20huge bill for his lawyer who was getting
427. 15:22restless and hinting at taking legal
428. 15:24action against him. Jeffrey had to beg
429. 15:26people for help because neither Vivian
430. 15:28nor I gave him any money. He had a roof
431. 15:31over his head, but he knew it wasn't for
432. 15:33long. The eviction notice was hanging
433. 15:35over him, and he simply couldn't afford
434. 15:37to move out or get involved in another
435. 15:39legal matter. He begged his friends for
436. 15:41help, but they rejected him as well.
437. 15:43I guess that taught him a good lesson.
438. 15:45His texts soon became desperate, but we
439. 15:47didn't reply. One night, Vivian told him
440. 15:50to get a job and get out. She also
441. 15:52informed him that he was being disowned
442. 15:54for his horrible behavior towards me.
443. 15:56For now, Vivian is staying with me while
444. 15:58we prepare a permanent move to the
445. 16:00house. Eventually, Vivian will buy a new
446. 16:02place, as she told me that I could live
447. 16:04there as long as I wanted.