Chapter 5
She pointed me in the right direction. "Look into the property registration records. Sometimes, what you think you know isn't the whole story."
Her words were a wake-up call for me.
I started a covert investigation into their assets.
Using some paid commercial info services, I got my lawyer friend to dig up everything registered under Willow and Leo's names.
The results blew me away.
Turns out, besides the house we were living in, Willow actually had a small property with limited ownership rights out in the suburbs.
But what really floored me was that the supposed "fully paid-for" wedding house she was always boasting about was actually listed as having ownership disputes in the registration records.
Ownership disputes?
Those words were like a giant hook, instantly dragging up all my doubts and suspicions.
The story Willow had spun about the house was far from the truth.
Just as I was about to dig deeper, Willow struck back.
Instead of coming at me directly, she opted for her specialty: stirring up drama in the family group chat.
Our family group chat suddenly blew up.
[Ugh, young people these days, honestly! The moment they get some backbone, they forget all about respecting their elders.]
[Exactly! Back in our day, daughters-in-law treated their in-laws like royalty. Now it's like they're constantly on guard, as if we're criminals or something.]
[Don't let it bother you too much, Willow. Just consider it money spent on a lesson. At least now you've seen her true colors.]
Sentence after sentence of insinuation, paired with the "crying" and "heartbroken" emojis Willow sent, staged a grand drama of The Wicked Daughter-in-Law Bullying the Kind Mother-in-Law for the dozens of people in the group.
Watching the righteous commentary from these aunts on my phone screen, I could only find it laughable.
They didn't even know what had happened, yet based solely on Willow's one-sided story, they began their verbal assault.
I didn't offer a single word of defense in the group.
Arguing with people who were on the exact same wavelength as Willow was nothing but a waste of life.
I simply muted the group.
At dinner, Willow started her act again.
She let out a dramatic sigh and said to no one in particular, "I'm getting old and useless. I can't even have a say in my own house anymore. Maybe I should just move out to that little place in the suburbs and stop being a bother to the young folks."
While sipping my soup, I said casually, "Mom, how's the rent these days on that place out in the suburbs? Any increase lately? I heard they're planning a new subway line, bet the property prices are rising. Oh, and what about that storefront you own downtown? Is it doing alright these days?"
My voice was calm and quiet, but in the hush of the dining room, every word landed crisp and clear.
Willow's fork froze in midair.
She snapped her head up, looking at me with shock and alarm in her eyes.
"How... how do you even know I have a shop?"
I'd dug up that storefront in the property records. It was officially under a close relative's name, but I was betting Willow was really pulling the strings. I tossed out the info just to see how she'd react.
From her stunned face, I could tell I'd nailed it.
"Oh, Leo mentioned it once," I said, throwing Leo under the bus while he sat there looking completely bewildered.
Willow's face fell; she fumbled for words, desperate to switch topics. "Shop? What shop? I don't have any… Let's just eat, okay?"
Leo, who'd been quiet the whole time, finally got stirred into action by his mom's glare.
He set down his fork, his voice dripping with that condescending, accusatory tone I couldn't stand.
"Ellie, that's enough. We're family. Do you really have to make things so ugly? Can you stop making it all about money?" he said.
There it was again.
Same old line: "Don't make everything about money."
I couldn't hold my anger back anymore.
I slammed my forks on the table hard. The sudden crack made both Willow and Leo jump.
I fixed Leo with an icy stare and asked, forcing out each word.
"Money doesn't matter? Leo, you tell me, what does?
"Does love even matter to you?
"In your mom's eyes, your wife, the woman who shares your bed, gives you children, and is supposed to stick by you for life, is only worth $1,200 a month in rent. Oh, actually? She's looking to jack it up to $2,000 and bleed me for even more.
"And you think it's no big deal that your mother already started treating me like an ATM the very next day after our wedding? That's what you call 'not making a fuss'?
"Tell me, what does 'family' even mean to you? Does it mean sucking me dry for every last drop to feed your greed, while pretending it's all perfectly normal?"
My voice wasn't loud, but every single word hit Leo like an ice pick, stabbing straight into his heart.