\n\n\n\nAfter a problematic marriage, Kelly and Peter get divorced. But her ex-mother-in-law just doesn\u2019t want to let things go. From ripping off wallpaper to stealing an entire shower cabin, Lorraine just keeps testing Kelly\u2019s patience until reality hits, and Lorraine learns her own lesson.\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m Kelly, and I\u2019ve been divorced from my ex-husband, Peter, for about six months now. We were married for ten years, and while the marriage wasn\u2019t perfect, it was my life.\n\n\n\n
Until I found out about his affair.\n\n\n\n
That was the last straw, and everything came crashing down. The divorce was messy and painful, and to top it off, I had to deal with his mother, Lorraine, who was a nightmare in human form.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Lorraine never liked me. Even when we were married, she made it perfectly clear that I wasn\u2019t good enough for her son.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m just being honest with you, Kelly. Peter is used to a certain way of life since being with me. I\u2019m his mother, and I taught him that perfection is the only option here. You\u2019re\u2026 I mean. Let\u2019s face it, doll. You\u2019re far from perfect.\u201d\n\n\n\n
When Peter and I split up, she went out of her way to help him get as much as he could from me. Money, property, some of my wedding jewelry, you name it. If it was valuable, she made sure that I lost it.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman\u2019s jewelry box | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I kept telling myself that once the divorce was over and Peter moved out, I\u2019d finally have peace.\n\n\n\n
But the peace didn\u2019t last.\n\n\n\n
One day, I came home from work early because I had a headache from staring at my laptop all day, and I was exhausted, ready to collapse, only to stop dead in my tracks in the hallway outside my apartment.\n\n\n\n
Sitting there, in the common corridor, was my shower cabin. It had a big, bold \u201cPeter\u2019s Property\u201d sticker plastered across it as if I might somehow forget who it belonged to. My stomach sank.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman standing in the doorway | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
What the hell was going on?\n\n\n\n
When I stepped into my apartment, I was hit by a cloud of dust and ripped wallpaper. The walls were half-bare, and I heard a ripping sound coming from down the hallway. Turning the corner, I came face-to-face with Lorraine, my ex-mother-in-law, tearing the wallpaper right off my walls.\n\n\n\n
She muttered under her breath about how she didn\u2019t want to leave any \u201ctraces\u201d of Peter\u2019s work.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA pile of ripped wallpaper | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the hell, Lorraine?\u201d I demanded, pushing my way into the kitchen, the only place untouched by her hands.\n\n\n\n
Lorraine looked up at me, not even flinching.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is all his work,\u201d she said with that haughty tone she\u2019d perfected over the years. \u201cHe put up this wallpaper, so it\u2019s his to take down. And the shower cabin, it\u2019s coming with us too. We\u2019re not leaving anything for you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nAn angry older woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I was stunned. How low could they go? I\u2019d already been drained emotionally by the divorce, and now this?\n\n\n\n
I felt helpless, watching her tear apart my home, muttering the whole time about how Peter \u201cwasn\u2019t leaving a single thing behind\u201d for me. She was ripping wallpaper, unplugging light fixtures, and muttering about every single piece of the apartment that Peter had once touched.\n\n\n\n
\u201cLorraine,\u201d I said. \u201cPlease, just stop. This is unfair\u2026\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nAn upset woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
But she didn\u2019t even look at me. She just kept on, pulling down wallpaper and yanking at the shower frame. I felt a familiar lump rising in my throat. I was tired, too tired to fight anymore, so I just slumped onto the couch feeling numb and defeated as I watched her continue her destruction.\n\n\n\n
The next day, just when I thought things couldn\u2019t get any worse, Lorraine stormed back into my apartment. This time, though, she wasn\u2019t there to take anything; she was there for help.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nAn upset older woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cKelly,\u201d she cried, grabbing my arm with a desperation I\u2019d never seen in her before. \u201cYou have to help me. Please. I\u2019ll give you anything. Just\u2026 please help him.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I blinked at her, confused.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHelp who? What are you talking about?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeter!\u201d she wailed, her voice breaking. \u201cHe\u2019s in trouble. I don\u2019t care what it takes. Please, you have to save him.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nA crying older woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I pulled my arm free.\n\n\n\n
\u201cLorraine, what are you talking about?\u201d\n\n\n\n
She looked at me, her eyes wide and pleading.\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeter had an accident. A really terrible one. He was out drinking, and it was late. It\u2019s really bad, Kelly. He\u2019s hurt. Please, you have to help him.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA car accident | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
A pang shot through my chest. Peter, the man who had cheated, manipulated, and broken me, now needed my help?\n\n\n\n
A tiny voice in my head whispered that I should help him, that it was the right thing to do. But then the memories of all he\u2019d done to me resurfaced \u2014 all the lies and manipulation.\n\n\n\n
He\u2019d torn apart my life, and now he was paying the price.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA man in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Wasn\u2019t that fair? Wasn\u2019t it poetic justice in a way?\n\n\n\n
I looked back at Lorraine, who was practically on her knees.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saving Peter, Lorraine. He made his choices. He\u2019s finally dealing with the consequences of his actions. It was his drinking that made things really unpleasant for us. It brought out the worst in him. And you want me to get involved again?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Her face twisted with anger and her mouth set into a tight line.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll regret this, Kelly,\u201d she hissed. \u201cYou have no idea what you\u2019re dealing with.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I crossed my arms and met her gaze.\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, Lorraine, I think you\u2019re the one who\u2019ll regret it.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nAn angry woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
The days that followed were filled with rumors. I heard bits and pieces about Peter\u2019s accident, about how he\u2019d been drinking, how he was lucky to be alive, apparently. But his recovery was rough. He was in debt, and things were piling up.\n\n\n\n
I felt a mix of relief and anger. Finally, Peter was facing something that he couldn\u2019t charm his way out of. I decided to go to his place. I mean, I was done with Peter, but I wasn\u2019t heartless. I just wanted to see what he looked like in the aftermath of it all.\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d he called as I knocked on the front door of Lorraine\u2019s house.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman standing on a porch | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
At least she wasn\u2019t home. I didn\u2019t want to see the satisfaction on her face. To Lorraine, it would look like I wanted to help, as though I couldn\u2019t help myself and couldn\u2019t stay away from Peter.\n\n\n\n
\u201cKelly?\u201d he enthusiastically said when he saw me.\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeter,\u201d I said, taking in the room.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA man on a couch | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
It was a far cry from the strict house that Lorraine usually kept. Instead, there were containers of Chinese food lying around, discarded bottles of water, chocolate wrappers, and dirty mugs. Peter had really taken Lorraine\u2019s house and made it a mess.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019re here,\u201d he said, lying on the couch. \u201cI need some help, Kelly. I need my hospital bills to be paid as soon as possible. Can you do it? Please? They\u2019ll take my car!\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cSeriously, Peter?\u201d I asked. \u201cI just came to make sure that you were okay physically. I\u2019m not about to sort your life out. I\u2019m not spending a cent on you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nMugs and bottles on a coffee table | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen why bother to come here?\u201d he demanded.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, but clearly it was a mistake,\u201d I said, turning around and leaving without another word.\n\n\n\n
Then, about a week later, Lorraine showed up at my door again. She wasn\u2019t the same person who\u2019d stormed in before. Her shoulders were slumped, her eyes tired and haunted. She looked like a woman who\u2019d aged ten years in a matter of days.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman standing in a living room | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cKelly,\u201d she began, her voice barely a whisper. \u201cI know I don\u2019t deserve it, but\u2026 but I came to apologize.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I didn\u2019t say anything. I just put the kettle on and allowed her to keep talking.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was wrong about Peter,\u201d she said, tears streaming down her face. \u201cHe\u2019s not the man I thought he was. He ruined everything, and he pushed everyone away. I thought I was helping him all these years, but I was only making things worse.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nAn upset older woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
A part of me felt a glimmer of satisfaction seeing her so defeated. But then I noticed the genuine grief in her expression, the regret she could no longer hide.\n\n\n\n
She wasn\u2019t just devastated about Peter\u2019s actions; she was grieving the son she thought she had. The realization was so clear: he had been just as manipulative with her as he\u2019d been with me. Lorraine had been caught in his web of lies, just like I had.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nAn upset older woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
At that moment, something inside me softened. Lorraine wasn\u2019t just the bitter woman who had fought against me during the divorce. She was a mother, broken by the son she\u2019d devoted her life to.\n\n\n\n
Still, I didn\u2019t really want to allow myself to get back into their lives. So, I invited Lorraine to stay for dinner. At least I could give her a decent meal before she went back to Peter.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nFood on a table | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Months later, I received a short, handwritten letter from him. It wasn\u2019t an excuse; it was an apology.\n\n\n\n
Kelly, I\u2019m so sorry for everything. For betraying you, for the pain I caused. I\u2019m working on myself now, trying to figure out who I am without all the lies. I don\u2019t expect forgiveness. I just want you to know that I\u2019m trying.\n\n\n\n
It was strange reading those words. But I got a sense of closure that I\u2019d thought I\u2019d never get.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA woman reading a letter in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
What would you have done?\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve enjoyed this story, here\u2019s another one for you |\n\n\n\n
I Came to My Wedding and Saw My Mom in a Wedding Dress with a Bouquet\n\n\n\nEver since Nicole began planning her wedding, her mother had gotten very involved. When Nicole asks her to take a step back, she does so. But on the big day, her mother shows up in a wedding dress after mysteriously receiving a call instructing her to. Nicole is left fuming when she discovers who has preyed on her mother\u2019s feelings, ensuring she will destroy them.\n\n\n\n
When Peter and I got engaged, I promised myself that the wedding planning would be smooth and easy.\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\nA man proposing | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
Growing up, I wasn\u2019t like the other girls who spent their time daydreaming about their weddings. I just knew that it would eventually happen one day, and I would need cupcakes at my wedding reception.\n\n\n\n
That was it.\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\nA little girl playing dress up | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
So, I always knew that when it came to the actual event, I would need my mother to guide me.\n\n\n\n
Read the full story here.\n\n\n\n
After a problematic marriage, Kelly and Peter get divorced. But her ex-mother-in-law just doesn\u2019t want to let things go. From ripping off wallpaper to stealing […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6139,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6138\/revisions\/6139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\n\nA man proposing | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
Growing up, I wasn\u2019t like the other girls who spent their time daydreaming about their weddings. I just knew that it would eventually happen one day, and I would need cupcakes at my wedding reception.\n\n\n\n
That was it.\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nA little girl playing dress up | Source: Pexels\n\n\n\n
So, I always knew that when it came to the actual event, I would need my mother to guide me.\n\n\n\n
Read the full story here.\n\n\n\n
After a problematic marriage, Kelly and Peter get divorced. But her ex-mother-in-law just doesn\u2019t want to let things go. From ripping off wallpaper to stealing […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6139,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6138\/revisions\/6139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}