ian picked up the agreement and skimmed it.

“Uh, isn’t this a bit… much?” he said, hesitating.

“No, Brian,” I said, meeting his eyes. “What’s much is your father treating me like I’m his maid? And lately, you’ve started doing the same.

That stops today.”

The room fell silent. Frank looked like he was ready to explode, and Brian seemed torn. But I held my ground, unflinching.

“You can either follow the rules,” I said, standing up, “or find somewhere else to stay.”

Frank opened his mouth to argue but closed it again, realizing I wasn’t bluffing.

For the first time in weeks, I felt in control — and I wasn’t about to let that go.

When my mother-in-law, Sarah, finally came home from the hospital, I was both nervous and relieved. Nervous because I had no idea how she’d react to what I’d done, and relieved because, frankly, Frank had been a handful.

As she settled on the couch, sipping the tea I’d made her, I slid the “rental agreement” across the table. “Sarah,” I began, choosing my words carefully, “I need you to see this.

It’s something I worked on while Frank was staying here.”

Her brows furrowed as she read, her lips tightening at first. By the time she got to Rule 5, she glanced up at me with a knowing smile. “Oh, I like this one,” she said.

“Mutual respect. Novel concept for him.”

I exhaled, grateful she didn’t seem offended. “I know you care deeply about him,” I said, sitting beside her.

“But Sarah, he’s been relying on you for far too long. It’s not fair to you. And while he was here… well, let’s just say I realized how much you’ve been carrying all these years.”

Her eyes softened, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of exhaustion.

“You’re right,” she said quietly. “It’s been like this since the day we got married. I just… I thought it was my job.”

“No,” I said firmly, taking her hand.

“It’s time for him to step up. Not just for your sake, but for his.

Sarah chuckled, shaking her head. “I wish I’d done this years ago.”

When Frank came into the room, Sarah waved the paper in the air.

“You’ve got work to do, mister,” she said, her voice playful but firm.

He groaned, muttering something about a conspiracy, but Sarah stood her ground.

As they walked into the kitchen together, I couldn’t help but smile. For the first time, it felt like Sarah wasn’t carrying the entire load alone.

“Hey,” Brian said, coming up behind me. “You really think he’ll stick to it?”

I turned, watching Sarah guide Frank to the sink where she handed him a dish towel.

For the first time, he didn’t argue — he just started drying.

I smiled, my voice steady. “He doesn’t have a choice. Because this time, we’re all playing by the rules.”

Source: amomama