My Husband Demanded I Sell My Pre-marriage Condo to Pay His Brother’s $2M Casino Debt – His Mom Added, ‘Darling, You Don’t Really Have a Choice’

My husband wanted me to sell my condo to pay the 2 million casino screw up of his brother. The mother supported him and even tried to intimidate me with such words as consequences of not doing so. Where would be my baby daughter and I go? So I acted like any other mother in my position. Was I in error, tell me.

I got acquainted with Jake in Rosie Caf at the time I was 22 with no money and with a dream of being an interior designer. He would get his usual vanilla latte, bring him the same tip (a 5 dollar bill) every time, and, most importantly, would never fail to inquire into my sketches.

By the time that he eventually asked me out, I had already accepted before he completed the sentence.
On the third date, he told me his hair, holding it in his finger: “You are different.” I care a lot about family and most girls do not understand it.

I found it cute. Such a fool, God, I was.

We have been going out two years before he proposed during his parents anniversary dinner. the entire family landed applauses. His mother Patricia shed tears too. I saw myself being part of something beautiful and solid.

Patricia squeezed my hands and said: “Welcome into the family, sweetheart.”

My marriage was different however. All of sudden, every choice I made was to be approved by my mother in law. What curtains I had put up, what I had prepared as dinner and even How I had folded the shirts of Jake had to pass her stringent mental scrutiny… as though I had unwittingly entered some kind of a never-ending reality show called So You think You Can Wife.

She would come on in, roll up her purse under her arm, as though she had the deed to our apartment in there, and she would scan the place with that tight-lips smile.

What are you talking about, this is the color you picked in the bedroom? she used to say once, and touch the wall of mint-green as though it annoyed her. “Hmph. I guess it is… present-day.”

Next she went to the kitchen. That what you are giving him to eat? Men require red meat,honey. Not just whatever this… quinoa bull, man.

I chewed my cheek and nodded…. Jake never interfered. Not once. He simply kissed her on the cheek and told her, Mom means well.

Honey, mother has phoned me! it was the greeting of each day to him. Not how did you do today? or (I missed you). Either Patricia needed or wanted or disapproved of something.

Having become pregnant I imagined that things will get better. We would be our own little family, wouldn t we?

WRONG!

One of the unscheduled visits of Patricia was when she accused me of consuming excessive amounts of sugar as she was glaring at my bowl of ice cream. My grandson does not require all these toxins.
It is a girl, I remonstrated politely.

We shall, will we? she answered, and felt me all over, as I was cattle under an old woman.

Jake was sitting watching his cell scroll.

The day our daughter Kelly was born, small as a finger and beautiful with the dark eyes of Jake, I said at last, surely, now he would place us first. Rather, he began to vanish even more. Mom is in trouble because she is not sure how to handle Dad with medications, or, Max phoned, and he is a bad boy.

His younger brother Max was always in some sort of a mess. He was being fired, evicted out of apartments, and the money given in his borrowing by friends and family was not coming back. It did not come back.

Whenever I asked any questions about it Jake would reply, “He is family.” One does not turn his back on family.

Three years in the already lived life of Kelly, there was a three-legged race, and only one of the marriage was running. I was suffocating under freelance deadlines, diaper change, and loneliness to comb the whole world with Jake as a devoted son and brother.

Daddy is off to grandmas again! One evening Kelly said, at our kitchen table, coloring.

“Yeah, baby. See him after a little.”

But I was deceiving. This gave me no information as to when he would come back or whether he would come back. Other nights he would never come home.

Thus as I was addressing this the actual bomb was laid on a Thursday. Jake walked in leaving Patricia at his heels like a storm cloud. No greetings, no kiss in letting Kelly run off to hug his legs.

It was uncommonly silent cruelty in his eyes and as though he was already at peace with a decision I had heard nothing about as yet.
You and I, Maddie, got to talk.

“Okay! What it is all about?”

Max is not well. Big trouble.”

Patricia advanced, her smile as glass. Atlantic City was one of the poor choices that he made.
“Poor choices?” Jake laughed. He lost Maddie two million dollars. Two million.”

The words went down like ice in cloth. What causes one to lose two million dollars?

It is called gambling, answered Jake, shrugging. Big bet tables. He overreached himself.”

“Okay. That’s… terrible. Yes, but what has it got to do with us?”
Your condo will have to be sold. Donot argue.”

I want to sell my… condo??

And now Patricia piped in, with that syconiacal voice of hers.
You know, dear, real wives stand by their husband family. Family looks after family, proper?

The room fell silent except that Kelly was humming to her blocks. I looked at them wondering what was the joke.

“You’re joking.”

No, I wish I was not! Jake answered, but his face answered as well. He felt relieved as though he has finally managed to solve a problem of another person.

It was the inheritance of Kelly, Jake. I purchased that on my own even before we met. This is not the property of the community. It is our house.”

It is a plus! Patricia rolled her eyes expressively. And it is exactly what your brother-in-law needs at this moment rather than what a three-year-old needs a backup plan.

So where do you think we are supposed to live Patricia? The preschool of Kelly is situated two blocks away. It is her house.”

That is we are both employed, Jake hissed, as one explains math to a child. We can take a place on rent. We are not going to be on the streets, you know.

“We? Why do we have to take care of Max gambling debt?”

Just a moment the mask of Patricia flipped and the steel peeped through. You are married of this family. When you said I do you said I do to all of us. The good and the evil.”

I accepted Jake. To not end up funding his brother in his addiction to the casino.”

Jake was grinding his teeth so that I could hear it. Max was in the wrong. He is your family, Maddie. A betrayed man never leaves his family.”

But how about your real family? I pointed a gesture to Kelly, playing innocently at our feet. Well, what of hers of stability? Her future?”

Patricia answered back, “She is three years old.” “She’ll adapt. Children are strong.

It is not the point that what you have just said is that you think you would be happy to live in a world where nobody felt pressured to be what they are not, and that you would like to live in a world in which there was no pressure on the part of individuals to conform to the models of other people or to the models of society at large.

But in a world like that there would be no tension between success and failure as you understand it now. There would be no tension between what is approved and disapproved, there would be nothing you could be animated by or agitated by or conflicted by because all

Darling,” interrupted Patricia in a voice as low as it could go so that my blood froze, “you simply haven’t got a choice here!”

I was gazing at her. “Excuse me?”
And that is when Jake took out a manila folder. I have already reached a realtor. Drew up preliminary paper work. We have only to have your signature.”

At that I commenced to tremble. “You what?”

And in case you choose to… be difficult about this, Patricia went nearer to him, “we know some quite good lawyers.” Child custody can be very ugly. And so costly. Particularly, in the case of single mothers living in unstable situations.”

There was the menace of the thing like a smoke. They were talking about that they were going to take Kelly, my Kelly.

However, the thing was, they did not know that previously, I was preparing to this moment without even suspecting anything.
Ah, I read, I said. I did not miss a point!

Jake slumped down shoulders. I guess you would realize. Maddie, you are a good wife. A nice sister in law.”

I stared at Kelly and continued to build her tower of blocks, ignorant of adults attempting the theft of her future.

You are quite correct, I answered at length. I will think.

In fact, two months ago when Jake began to concentrate more on his family than on me and our daughter, my instincts had already been triggered. I had learned that I needed to trust it, and back in the foster care, long before colleges entered my life, it had actually saved my life.

That was the reason I did what I thought I never would have to do, I started defending myself.

I got another bank account and transferred all the freelance payment there. I even consulted an attorney on establishing a trust on the condo I purchased before Jake and I even knew each other.

Reflecting now on the bomb that he has thrown, I knew then this was the wisest action that I had ever taken. Well, poor Jake and his mother did not suspect anything.

I called the next morning when Jake was at work and Patricia was most likely conspiring on how to get rid of my cash.

This is Sarah at Richardson Law offices.

Hello Madison. I must talk at once to Mr. Richardson.”

An hour later, I found myself across the table with the lawyer I advised in the setting up of the trust fund of Kelly.

And they will do something with your daughter unless you sell the house, which is in a legal trust? he wrote, putting down notes as fast as possible.

that was what they did!”
He raised his head and there was a kind of excitement in his eye. You don’t know what you have given me, Madison?

“A case?”

Slam dunk!

That afternoon the papers had been filled in– legal separation and full custody plea and restraining order that no one should be allowed to harass me on the sale of trust property.

The following day the waiter brought Jake to the office.

It is 6 p. m. when the phone began to ring. I put it on voicemail.

WTF are you Maddie? There was panic in the voice of Jake. “Divorce? You are not serious. Telephone to me. Now.”

The second voicemail was that of Patricia.

Thou gratefule lase witch. To be thanked after all we have done to you. Whereto wilt thou betray this family?”

I listened to that one two times. Then I preserved it as a document.

Banging on my door began about eight. I was able to look through the peephole into the face of Patricia who was so red and distorted with rage.

Come, Madison, open this door! Talk to me!”

Why is grandma yelling, mommy? I heard Kelly asking behind my back.

People think the more they speak, the more they are right, baby, because of the volume.

I opened the door sufficiently to give Patricia an envelope.

“What’s this?” she snarled.
A copy of the documents of the trust. It happens that I cannot sell the condo of Kelly. MonOrthus: Hasn t been months. It is her property now. I am only a trustee.”

She turned white. This was your planning.”

I saved my child. There is the difference.”

I locked the door and turned deadbolt. Patricia knocked another 10 minutes and then left.

A few minutes later I heard people on the porch. Jake stood still as he noticed the suitcases in the frame as in the line of poor decisions have come or caught up with him to pay.

His tone broke. Maddie,… don’t. Please. Let’s talk.”
I never moved. Nothing remains to be said. You were attempting to work me out of what was rightfully mine and ours daughter. You may go. I would see you in court.”

It is now six months and Kelly and I are still in our condo… legally, though, the condo is hers. I bought her princess bed so she squeals with delight every morning and painted her room pink.

Last we heard, Jake went to live with Max– two full-grown men in a studio, pettying out to pay the cash-in at casinos by selling old furniture. but what could gamblers even sell left at all, that is a true question!

Her lawyer told Patricia that trust funds were forever fenced and that the recordings of her threats taped could send her to jail and that is why Patricia never called again.

Last week I received a text message by Jake and it said: I miss you both. Talk to me?”

I made no answer. There are grounds on which some talks are not even started.

Other individuals believe that family is agreeing to help in all the matters without any boundaries and обо как damage something due to the fact that you are blood-related. They’re wrong.

People live in the real family and struggle to achieve the dreams of the other one, not to steal. It is constructive not destructive in making one another, not stripped parts.

This was one thing Patricia was correct when she told me that I had no choice. I select my daughter. I made our future. I selected us. And I would choose to do that all over again, each and every day. Was I wrong? Was I wrong? So tell me was I wrong?

What would thou have done had you been in my position?

And another: A personal housewarming of Mo: her husband and mother in law require her to give the house to her sister in law. And then they never got to know what Mo parents had as planned, or how quickly it would all unravel.