I Lost the Will to Help My Mother-in-Law After Discovering What She Did—But I Also Can’t Bring Myself to Leave Her Alone

I lost the urge to help my mother-in-law when I found out what shed done. But I cant just leave her on her own either.

I have two children. My kids have different fathers. My first child is my daughter, Emily, whos now sixteen. Emilys dad pays regular child support and is always in touch with her. Even though my first husband has since remarried and has two more children with his new wife, he never forgets about our girl.

My son, on the other hand, hasnt been as lucky. Two years ago, my second husband fell terribly ill, and just three days later, he passed away in hospital. Time has gone by, but I still cant believe hes gone. I often imagine the front door opening and him walking in, grinning at me and wishing me a good day. When that happens, I end up weeping for hours.

All this while, I was strongly supported by my late husband’s mother, Margaret. It was just as hard for her as it was for me after all, my husband was her only son. We pulled together and supported each other during those awful times. Wed call and visit, talking for hours about him and how much we missed him.

There was even a point when we nearly decided to move in together, but then Margaret changed her mind. And just like that, seven years went by. Wed always had a wonderful relationship you could honestly say we were more like friends than in-laws.

I remember when I first became pregnant, Margaret once brought up the idea of a paternity test. Apparently, shed seen something on TV about a man discovering after years of raising a child that it wasnt really his. I told her straight away it was a lot of nonsense.

If a man has any doubts the child is his, I said, hes never going to be a proper dad. Hell just turn up at the weekend and nothing more!

Margaret assured me she believed my son was her sons child. I was convinced that when I gave birth, she would push for a paternity test. But she never said another word about it.

This summer, Margaret grew very seriously ill, and her health deteriorated rapidly. Thats when we both agreed she needed to move closer to me. We found an estate agent and started looking at flats for her to buy.

Then Margaret was admitted to hospital, and we needed her late husbands death certificate for the agent. Margaret couldnt go herself, so I went to her flat to fetch the paperwork. I started searching for the document in her files.

While I was looking, I stumbled upon a rather curious paper. It turned out to be a paternity test. When my son was only two months old, Margaret had arranged for it herself, and it confirmed that my late husband was indeed his father.

I was outraged. Clearly, Margaret had never truly believed me. I didnt hold back I told her exactly what Id found. Now she keeps apologising, saying shes deeply sorry and that it was complete foolishness on her part. But I still havent been able to calm down. I feel utterly betrayed, after all those years of silence.

I dont feel like helping Margaret now. Yet, I also realise she doesnt have anyone else to look after her.

I dont want to deprive my son of his grandmother, so Ill keep supporting her. But the warmth and trust we once had between us have vanished completely.