Panic set in. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t the man I built a life with.
I grabbed my phone and called him. Straight to voicemail. Again and again. No response.
My daughters began to cry, their wails mirroring the storm raging inside me. I frantically dialed my mom.
“Derek changed the locks,” I sobbed. “He threw me out. There’s a note… I don’t understand.”
“What?!” she gasped. “I’m coming right now.”
Minutes later, she arrived, pulled me into a tight hug, and ushered me into her car. “Come home with me. We’ll figure this out.”
That night, I barely slept, replaying everything in my mind. The note didn’t make sense. This wasn’t like Derek. The more I thought about it, the more one person came to mind—his mother.
Uncovering the Truth
The next morning, I returned to the house. My belongings were gone. I banged on the door.
Lorraine answered, sipping tea, a smug smile on her face.
“You’re not welcome here, Jenna,” she said smoothly. “Didn’t you see the note?”
“Where’s Derek?” I demanded.
“At the hospital, of course, taking care of his sick mother.”
“You’re not sick,” I shot back.
She smirked. “I was feeling better this morning.”
Realization hit like a sledgehammer.
“You lied. You faked being sick to get him out of the house.”
“And?” she said casually, taking another sip of tea.
“Why would you do this?”
Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “I told Derek from the start—we need a boy to carry on the family name. But you? You gave us two useless girls.”
The words knocked the air out of me.
She leaned in closer. “I took his phone, too. He thinks I’m still in the hospital. He has no idea you’ve been thrown out. And if you tell him… well, he’ll never believe you. I’m his mother.”
But she underestimated me.
I stormed out, drove straight to the hospital, and found Derek pacing in the waiting room. His face lit up in relief when he saw me.
“Jenna! I’ve been trying to call, but I don’t have my phone—”
“Your mother took it,” I interrupted. “She faked everything. She locked me out. She left that awful note.”
His expression darkened. “What?”
“She said it’s because our daughters aren’t boys.”
Derek didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his keys, and we drove home in silence.
Taking Back My Life
When we walked in, Lorraine’s smug face dropped.
“Derek, darling—”
“STOP,” he barked. “You lied. You locked my wife and children out of our home. And for what? Because they’re girls?”
She sputtered excuses, but he wasn’t listening.
“Pack your things and leave. Now.”
Her face twisted in shock. “You can’t mean that. I’m your mother!”
“And Jenna is my wife. These are my daughters. If you can’t accept them, you don’t belong in our lives.”
Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Derek made her leave.
That night, he changed the locks back, blocked her number, and even reported the nurse she bribed at the hospital. We rebuilt our life, stronger than before. Lorraine thought she could break us, but all she did was bring us closer together.
Love is Stronger Than Betrayal
I learned something invaluable through this ordeal: sometimes, the people closest to us can hurt us the most. But in the face of heartbreak and betrayal, I chose to fight for myself and my children.
Love isn’t just about blood. It’s about who stands by your side, no matter what.
Because in the end, the strongest families aren’t the ones without struggles. They’re the ones who rise above them.