William Returned Home from Work and Brought His Pregnant Daughter-in-Law—His Parents Were Far from Pleased

While he was working, William met Emily. They married there, and when Emily fell pregnant, he brought her home to live with his parents. His parents, however, were less than thrilled by the news.

Emily, the young wife, was buried in work: she cooked dinner for everyone, did the laundry, scrubbed the house from top to bottom, milked the cow, cleaned out the barn, and sometimes even chopped firewood. Emily often took on the heavy chores usually handled by the men, but the most exhausting days were when her in-laws had guests. There were usually at least seven of them, and Emily was expected to serve and feed every one.

Shed prepare a mountain of dishes, and within an hour the table would be stripped bare. Exhausted, she would take her place on the very edge of the table and place a single chop onto her plate. Her mother-in-laws eyes would flick over to her and, with a sneer, would remark:

“Emily, my dear, youre eating an awful lot tonight. Such a small girl, and you pack away more than anyone,” shed cackle, laughter echoing around the room.

The other guests would join in, poking fun at Emily without mercy. Wordless, Emily would rise and slip out to the kitchen, tears stinging her eyesshe hadnt eaten a thing all day. Her husband sat by, silent as a shadow, listening as his wife was mocked.

From the other room, Emily could hear her mother-in-law gossiping: “You know, just yesterday I bumped into my former daughter-in-law at the market. Lord, she still calls me Mum! Now, she was a good girlnothing like this one!”

Once the last guest had said their goodbyes, Emily gathered up the dishes and retreated to the kitchen to wash them, her father-in-law trailing behind.

She stood quietly at the sink, her back rigid. He stared at her for a long moment and finally said, in a low voice:

“Emily, do you know that I hate you?”

The words cut through her, but Emily refused to answer. He pressed again, and she replied softly,

“I know.”

“Its strange, isnt it? You do everything here, help everyone, never an unkind word, but stillI cant stand you. Funny world, isnt it?”

“I suppose it is,” she said, her voice almost a whisper.

Emily realised nothing would change, and the jibes and mockery would go on as always. She couldnt understand why she endured it

Would you live with a man who stood by as his wife was humiliated day after day?