My mother-in-law tried spoiling my birthday by sending me something horrendous as a gift. But this time, I refused to take her bullying and abuse, and with my husband’s help, I finally got revenge and the upper hand.
Two weeks ago, there was a knock at the door after lunch, and I wasn’t expecting anyone. The day, which happened to be my birthday, had started beautifully as I received calls from friends, warm hugs from family, and lots of love from my husband and our child. But little did I know that it was about to get messed up in a big way!
A happy woman talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
Mark was in the kitchen, wiping down the counters while our baby napped upstairs. I opened the door to find a delivery man holding a massive carton wrapped in bright, cheery paper. It was almost comical how oversized the box was, taking up nearly the entire doorway.
“Who on earth…?” I muttered to myself stunned as I helped the delivery man maneuver the box inside. Mark walked in, curious.
“Wow, that’s a big one! Who’s it from?” he asked, leaning against the wall with a slight smile.
A man smiling slightly while leaning on a wall | Source: Pexels
I shrugged, equally perplexed. As I started to untie the ribbon and peel back the wrapping paper, a small note slipped out and fluttered to the floor. I picked it up, instantly recognizing the handwriting. My heart sank.
“From the wonderful woman who gifted you a husband.”
I read it aloud, my voice tinged with disbelief. My husband’s smile faltered, and he took the note from me, frowning.
“It’s from your mother,” I said, my voice flat.
A shocked man reading a note | Source: Freepik
A quick flash of tension tightened Mark’s features before he masked it with a reassuring grin. “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think, Jane,” he suggested, trying to stay positive.
I wanted to believe him, but my gut told me otherwise. From the moment we met, my mother-in-law (MIL), Linda, made no secret of her disdain and dislike for me. It wasn’t anything overt at first, just small, cutting remarks.
“Oh, you work in marketing? How… quaint,” she would say, with that half-smirk of hers. “My son deserves someone who can match his intellect, don’t you think?”
An older woman sitting on a chair | Source: Pexels
Over time, the comments became more pointed, especially after Mark and I got married.
“You know, in our family, we value tradition. A woman’s place is at home, taking care of her husband and children. I hope you’re up for the task, dear,” she’d say. She also never missed a chance to remind me of my modest background.
And when I had our baby, her disapproval only deepened. She never visited us at the hospital, nor did she come by when we got home. Instead, she sent a terse email: “I trust that you’re both managing, though I can’t say I’m thrilled about the influence you’ll have on my grandchild.”
A stressed-out woman with a laptop in front of her | Source: Pexels
Mark tried to brush off her words, insisting she didn’t mean them the way they sounded. But they stung all the same. Now, with this enormous box in front of me, I was shocked and felt a knot of anxiety twist in my stomach. Was this her attempt at making peace? Or was it another passive-aggressive jab?
“Go on, open it,” Mark urged gently, though I could hear the unease in his voice.
With trembling hands, I tore off the rest of the wrapping paper, revealing a plain, nondescript box underneath. I hesitated for a moment before opening the flaps. The sight that greeted me made my heart drop.
A woman reacting in shock | Source: Pexels
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Inside was a mountain of clothes that were massive, outdated, and frankly, repulsive. They were all sized 3X and 4X. They were the kind of clothes that might have been fashionable fifty years ago, and that was being generous!
The fabric was dirty, frayed at the edges, and reeked of mildew, as if they had been stored in a damp basement for decades.
Linda’s birthday gift to Jane | Source: Midjourney
My hands shook as I realized what this was, a cruel, calculated insult. Linda wasn’t only mocking my modest background; she was trying to humiliate me in the most personal way possible!
Standing beside me, Mark turned pale as he took in the sight of the clothes. Without a word, he grabbed his phone and dialed his mother’s number immediately, his face hardening with each ring.
A man holding a phone to his ear | Source: Pexels
When she answered, my husband didn’t waste any time! “Mom, what have you done!?” he snapped, putting the phone on speaker so I could hear both sides of the conversation. There was a moment of silence before Linda’s voice came through, cold and dismissive.
“What’s the matter, Mark? Don’t you appreciate a thoughtful gift?”
“A thoughtful gift? Are you kidding me?” Mark’s voice was rising now, a mix of anger and disbelief. “You intentionally sent my wife a box of rags that wouldn’t even fit a circus clown! What are you trying to do?”
An upset man shouting on the phone | Source: Pexels
“I’m not trying to do anything, Mark. I simply thought Jane could use some new clothes,” Linda replied, her tone dripping with false innocence.
“New clothes? These are relics from the Stone Age! And they’re not even her size, Mom. This is disgusting!” Mark was shouting now, his face flushed with anger.
I stood there, feeling a mix of emotions. I felt hurt, anger, and something else I couldn’t quite place. Was it relief? Relief that Mark was finally seeing his mother for who she really was?
An upset woman standing and thinking | Source: Pexels
Linda’s voice turned icy. “You’re overreacting. I just thought she might appreciate something different. It’s not my fault she has such simple tastes.”
My husband’s jaw clenched. “This isn’t about taste, Mom. This is about respect, something you clearly lack for Jane! I’m done with your games!”
He hung up the phone abruptly, his hands still trembling with rage. He turned to me, his expression softening as he comforted me. “Jane, I’m so sorry. I had no idea she would do something like this.”
A man comforting an emotional woman | Source: Pexels
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my emotions. The hurt and anger I felt were overwhelming. “It’s not your fault, babe.” My MIL wasn’t being petty; she had made a calculated move to humiliate me on my special day! I couldn’t let her get away with this.
It was time for her to learn that her actions have consequences. When my husband saw the resolve in my eyes, to my surprise, he said, “Let’s teach her a lesson!” The plan we came up with was risky, but we felt it was the only way to show her I wouldn’t take her bullying anymore.
A happy couple discussing something | Source: Pexels
We spent the next few hours documenting every item in that box. I took photos of each piece of clothing, ensuring I captured every stain, every tear, and every sign of neglect. I wanted to ensure there was no denying what Linda had sent me.
As we repacked the box, I suddenly had an idea. “Let’s add a little something extra,” I said, my voice laced with mischief. Together, we found a framed photo of the three of us: Mark, our baby, and me smiling and happily.
Jane holding a framed family picture | Source: Midjourney
I penned a note to go with it to send a specific message: “We may not fit your perfect image, but we are a family, and you can’t tear us apart.”
The next day, Mark called his father and sister, explaining what had happened. His father, always the peacemaker, sighed heavily. “I’m not surprised. She’s been like this for as long as I’ve known her. But this… this is a new low.”
His sister, Melanie, was more vocal. “That woman has lost it! I’m so sorry, Jane. She’s been unbearable lately. It’s time someone put her in her place.”
A serious woman talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
With their support, we set our plan into motion. We invited Linda over under the pretense of a casual late birthday celebration, hoping she’d take the bait. To our relief, she accepted, no doubt expecting another opportunity to exert her control.
When the day arrived, Linda walked in with her usual air of superiority. We led her to her seat, and in front of her was a photo album with all the dirty clothes she’d gifted me cataloged. Curiosity made her open the album, and she gasped when she realized what she was looking at.
A neutral-looking woman holding a photo album | Source: Pexels
“What is this?” she asked Mark.
“Don’t you recognize them? It’s the clothes you gave to Jane for her birthday. We decided to regift them to you.”
“I… I don’t remember gifting her any clothes,” she tried lying as her husband and daughter listened and watched closely.
Having anticipated that she’d try denying what she did, we asked her to follow us into the living room. She froze when she saw the massive box sitting in the middle. It was wrapped in the same paper she had used.
Linda shocked to see the wrapped up gift she sent Jane | Source: Midjourney
“Surprise!” I said with the same fake smile she always used around me. “We wanted to thank you for your generous gift, so we decided to give it back to you improved!” Linda’s eyes darted between the box and the gathered family, clearly confused.
Mark’s father and sister watched her curiously, waiting for her reaction. “Go ahead, open it and show them exactly what you got my wife for her birthday,” my husband encouraged, crossing his arms over his chest.
A man standing with his arms crossed | Source: Pexels
Linda hesitated, but with everyone’s eyes on her, she had no choice. She tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box, her face draining of color as she recognized the clothes she had sent me. Then, she found the framed photo, her note to me, and another letter.
Her face flushed with anger, her hands shaking as she clutched the picture. “What is this?” she demanded, her voice wavering between shock and fury.
“It’s a reminder that no matter how much you try to belittle me, I’m not going anywhere. Mark and I are a team, and we’re raising our child in a home filled with love, not hate.”
A serious woman | Source: Pexels
Stepping forward, my husband added, “You can either be a part of that or stay away. But we won’t tolerate any more of your games.” Mark’s sister, Melanie, grabbed the note my mother had included in her “gift” to me and handed it to her father.
Mark’s dad read it and shook his head in disappointment. “This is low, Linda. Even for you.”
Melanie nodded in agreement, her expression one of solidarity. “You’ve gone too far, Mom. It’s time to stop.”
A younger woman talking to an older one | Source: Freepik
Linda stood there, speechless, her gaze shifting from the box to the faces of her family. She realized she was outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and exposed. There was no coming back from this.
Mark took a step closer, his voice firm. “If you ever do something like this again, Mom, you won’t be welcome in our lives. You need to decide what’s more important to you: your pride or your family.”
A man having a serious conversation with his mother | Source: Pexels
Linda’s shoulders slumped as she muttered a barely audible apology. She quickly gathered her things and left the house. The door closed behind her with a finality that signaled the end of her reign of terror.
In the days that followed, she made a few tentative attempts at reconciliation, her messages laced with what seemed like genuine regret. But only time would tell if she truly meant them.
A happy couple with their baby | Source: Pexels
As for me, I’d never felt more empowered. I managed to turn her cruelty back on her. And the best part? The rest of the family finally saw her for who she was! She might have thought she was clever, but in the end, I was the one who had the last laugh.
And that, my friends, is how I got sweet, epic revenge on my MIL without even breaking a sweat!
A happy woman holding her baby | Source: Pexels
If that story had you brimming with anger, then you’ll love this one about a MIL who doesn’t want her daughter to get back to work after going on maternity leave to take care of her first child. The MIL’s son-in-law faced her down and taught her a valuable lesson when the older woman tried to meddle.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
My Father-in-Law Gave Me a Pillow as an Anniversary Gift – I Was Shocked When I Learned His True Intentions
When a mysterious package arrives at Kate and Josh’s home, they are confused to see that the sender is Josh’s estranged father. But things get even stranger when Josh finds a ticking box inside the gift — a beautiful pillow. A confrontation occurs, and Josh is left battling with the truth. Should he forgive his father, or act like their relationship is nonexistent?
Josh had just taken their daughter, Emily for a stroll around the garden when the doorbell rang, signaling that the day needed to begin.
A person holding a baby’s hands | Source: Unsplash
“I have a package for you,” the delivery man said as I opened the door.
I signed and carried the box into the kitchen. Our third wedding anniversary was this week, and Josh was always ordering things for me.
A person with a brown cardboard box | Source: Pexels
“I just want to surprise you, Kate,” he said one day while we were lounging on the couch. “It’s just the little things, you know?”
So, naturally, as I took the package to the kitchen, I just assumed that it was from him.
A couple on a couch | Source: Pexels
Until I took a pair of scissors and cut through the thick tape. Opening the package, I found a beautifully embroidered pillow, a note sticking out beneath it. It would have matched our living room décor perfectly.
Happy Anniversary, Josh and Kate! – Taylor.
A package with a pillow inside | Source: Midjourney
For a moment, I reveled in the kindness of the gesture. But then I remembered that there was no way possible that Josh would accept this gift.
“Hey, what’s this?” Josh said, coming back into the kitchen with Emily on his shoulders. “Did we order something?”
A man carrying his daughter | Source: Pexels
“Well, it’s a gift,” I said cautiously. “From your father.”
Josh pulled the note from me, his eyes flying across the paper.
I wondered what he was going to do. Josh and his father had a very complicated relationship. When Josh was a child, Taylor had abandoned him and his mother.
He had been seeing another woman, and when it finally came down to a choice, Taylor had chosen the other woman.
A mother and son | Source: Pexels
Josh had been seven, and he had never recovered from it. He told me all about it one evening when we went out for dinner.
“A father is supposed to choose you, Kate. But he went ahead and left us behind so that he could start a new life with his mistress. That’s not how this works.”
A couple having dinner | Source: Pexels
I understood his point of view. Of course, he had just wanted his father to be there for him and his mother.
Instead, Taylor had other ideas.
“He said that he needed to be happy, and that my mother was too strict with him. He had a job, but he was always doing illegal things on the side. So he packed up his things and left.”
A man with packed bags | Source: Pexels
“What do you mean?” I asked, shocked that Josh had been exposed to something like that at such a young age.
“Money, swindling it. Gambling, all that,” my husband said as he picked up his glass of whiskey.
And that was it. Josh didn’t speak to him again until a year before we got married.
Taylor had heard about our upcoming wedding through other relatives, and he thought it was the perfect opportunity to try and make things right between them.
A person holding a phone | Source: Unsplash
But Josh refused.
“I don’t want him around us on our special day, Kate. It’s not going to benefit anyone. And if anything, seeing him will spoil everything for me.”
“And you don’t think you’d regret it?” I asked as I folded wedding invitations into envelopes.
“Not at all,” Josh replied, picking up an envelope. “For all we know, someone will come and crash the ceremony because he owes them money.”
A wedding invitation | Source: Pexels
And that was that. Topic closed.
I didn’t want to push it. I knew it was up to him to deal with it later if he regretted it. I would support him, but I wouldn’t want to overstep anything, especially because Taylor sounded like a lot to deal with.
A couple embracing | Source: Pexels
When Emily was born, Taylor tried to get into our good books one more time. He wanted to reach out and try to make things right with Josh so that he could have his role of being a grandfather.
“I don’t want him around us. I don’t want him around our child. Please, Kate, don’t fight me on this one. This man is bad news,” my husband said, carrying our baby.
A newborn baby’s feet | Source: Pexels
So that was it.
Which brings us back to the present.
Josh picked up the pillow and felt it up and down; he even put it to his ear, his eyes widening.
“Sweetheart, we can’t keep this pillow!” he said.
A shocked man | Source: Pexels
Without another word, he rushed over and threw it out the back door.
“Josh, what’s going on?” I exclaimed, leaving Emily in her high seat with fruit slices.
“It’s ticking, Kate! There’s something inside. He’s up to something.”
A person cutting fruit | Source: Pexels
“Ticking?” I said. “What do you mean?”
We both went outside.
We stood over the pillow lying innocently among our garden flowers. I hesitated, then reached down to listen.
Sure enough, there was a soft ticking sound.
Yellow garden flowers | Source: Pexels
“Oh,” I said, shocked. I had been convinced that Josh had been hearing things that weren’t there.
Why would Taylor want to hurt us in any way?
“Take out your phone and video this entire thing,” Josh said as he bent to pick up the pillow. “Just in case something happens or there’s something illegal in there.”
A woman holding a phone | Source: Pexels
With a deep breath, Josh tore the pillow open to reveal a small, mysterious box equipped with a timer.
“What the hell is that?” I murmured, dread creeping up my spine.
“Let’s find out,” Josh’s jaw was set. “Call him.”
I dialed Taylor’s number, my hands trembling.
A man holding a box | Source: Unsplash
“Hi, Kate,” he said, his voice cheery. “Did you get my package? I didn’t know what to get you, but I knew that I had to get something.”
“There’s something inside the pillow,” Josh said. “A box. It’s making a sound. What is it?”
“Please be honest,” I said.
“It’s a gift, Kate. For your anniversary,” Taylor’s voice was calm, almost soothing to me.
A woman on the phone | Source: Pexels
“The sound is probably the timer; it’s supposed to make a sound and open on the day,” he said. “There’s something in there.”
My husband snatched the phone from my hand.
“Do you really think we want anything from you? What’s really in the box, Dad? Is there something that shouldn’t be there? Something illegal?” Josh demanded.
An angry man on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Please, Josh,” he said. “It’s just a gesture. I mean absolutely no harm.”
“If you truly mean that, then stay out of our lives.”
“Wait, Kate,” Taylor said. “Just open the box, okay?”
Taylor sighed deeply, and Josh reached out and cut the call.
I looked at my husband; he seemed confused by it all. I knew that he was curious about what was inside the little box, but he was traumatized by everything his father had done.
An expressionless man | Source: Pexels
“What do you want to do?” I asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said, holding his head.
“Let’s open it,” I said. “If he wanted me to open it, then there’s no way that he’s trying to hurt us, darling. Okay?”
Josh nodded slowly, finally accepting it for what it was. His father had simply wanted to reach out to us and give us a gift. That maybe everything was as easy as it seemed.
A man holding a phone | Source: Unsplash
“But record it, okay?” Josh said.
I picked up my phone again and began recording.
My husband pried the box open, revealing its contents: a check for $100,000.
Josh stared at the check, his emotions flying across his face as he tried to make sense.
“What is he playing at, Kate?” Josh asked, stunned. “There’s no way that this is clean money. He must be trying to cover up for something.”
But before we could process this further, Taylor called back.
An uncertain man | Source: Pexels
I answered, hesitant.
“We found the check,” I said. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I’m dying, Kate,” he confessed quietly. “I’ve made my fair share of mistakes, and I know that Josh hates me. But that money is for you guys. And if Josh doesn’t want it, then keep it for Emily’s future. For school. Nobody needs to know that it came from me.”
A bank cheque | Source: Flickr
I walked inside the house, realizing that we had left Emily alone for too long. Not that it mattered, because our daughter was sitting quietly by herself and eating her fruit.
Josh was right behind me.
“Dad,” he said, taking the phone from me. “If you’re really serious about your health, then please, we need to talk. No more games.”
A man talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
“Thank you, Josh,” Taylor’s voice came through the phone. “You tell me when.”
We arranged to meet Taylor at a park later that week; it wasn’t far from us, and we often took Emily there.
As the day arrived, Josh was visibly nervous, fidgeting as we waited on a secluded bench.
When Taylor arrived, he looked frail and worn.
A secluded park bench | Source: Pexels
“I’m so sorry for everything. I was a terrible father. I don’t have much time left, but I want to spend it making amends.”
Josh took a long breath.
“It’s not easy, Dad. But I’m willing to try. For Emily’s sake, so that one day, she’ll know that her grandfather carried her through school.”
A smiling little girl | Source: Pexels
While Josh and my father-in-law spoke, I set up the picnic that I had brought along with me. I figured that if anything awkward happened, we all still needed to eat.
As we left the park, Josh squeezed my hand, a weight lifted from his shoulders.
“Maybe it’s good that pillow showed up, after all,” he mused, a small smile breaking through.
Things could only get better from here, right?
A picnic setup | Source: Pexels
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one
Leighton, after witnessing how her parents celebrated their anniversary, is sure about one thing — when she gets married, she will do just that. But when her anniversary rolls around, her husband skips their romantic dinner and lies about a meeting.
A newlywed couple at the beach | Source: Pexels
Curiosity prevails, and Leighton follows Josh, only to find him at a motel with the first person he ever loved. Is there a hidden truth, or is the story exactly what it looks like?
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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