When Layla’s inheritance comes through, her future mother-in-law sees dollar signs and hands her a demand list of gifts she “owes” the family. But Layla has a lesson of her own to teach. As betrayal unfolds and love crumbles, she delivers a final gift they’ll never forget.
I thought my relationship with Jake was perfect.
Until his mother showed me who she really was.
Jake and I had been together for three years, and when he proposed, I was over the moon. We had a beautiful little life together. We had a cozy apartment, a love that felt unbreakable, a cat named Cami, and dreams of a future where we’d build something even greater.
Then, my grandmother passed away.
It was heartbreaking.
My grandmother was everything I wanted to be when I was older. She had practically raised me, and the loss cut deep. But she had always told me she wanted to make sure I was taken care of.
“Layla, my child,” she told me. “Out of all my grandchildren, you’re the one that will always be special to me. From the time you were born, I knew that you would be the mini-me. I will always take care of you, my girl. Even after I die.”
And she did.
She left me $500,000.
I wasn’t expecting it. Of course, not. I wasn’t even ready for it.
Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with that kind of money. But when my future mother-in-law, Denise, found out?
Suddenly, she had plenty of ideas. And none of them involved me.
It happened a week after Jake told his family about my inheritance.
We were at Sunday dinner at his parents’ house when Denise pulled me aside, her usual sweet but calculated smile on her face.
“I have something for you, sweetheart. I know that it’s been difficult, mourning the loss of your grandmother. But it’s time to move on now. The sun keeps shining, Layla,” she cooed, handing me an envelope.
I smiled, expecting maybe a heartfelt letter or some kind of family heirloom. Something sentimental, really.
Instead?
It was a list.
Not just any list. A demand list.
Gifts I was expected to buy as Jake’s fiancée. Before I could be “fully accepted” into their family.
I skimmed the page, my stomach twisting as my eyes landed on each insane request.
A $10,000 Cartier bracelet: as a symbol of my apparent love and appreciation for my mother-in-law.
A brand-new car for Jake’s younger sister: because “family supports each other, and you know, Elena needs a car.”
A $20,000 gift (loan) to Jake’s parents so that they could renovate their kitchen before our wedding.
A Rolex for my father-in-law.
A fully paid family vacation for ten people. First-class flights included.
A monthly “family contribution” of $2,000 to prove that I was “committed to the well-being of the family.”
I felt my face burning.
I let out a small, forced laugh as Denise cut into the pecan pie for dinner. Elena was scooping out ice cream. Jake was topping up the wine. My father-in-law was rummaging for a toothpick.
“You’re joking… right? This is just one big prank?”
Denise tilted her head, her smile never faltering.
“Oh, honey. This is just what’s expected of you. You’re about to marry into this family, and we take care of each other. You’re lucky to have this opportunity.”
Lucky?
My grandmother had died. And this woman was acting like I had just hit the lottery?
What the hell was happening?
And then she said something that sealed her fate.
“If you really love my son, you’ll do this.”
I didn’t argue. I didn’t storm out.
Instead, I forced the sweetest smile I could muster.
“Oh, Denise,” I gushed. “I totally get it. You’re right. Family takes care of family. I’d love to do this. For you… for everyone. Maybe I’ll even throw in a pair of gold cufflinks for Jake.”
Her eyes gleamed with undisguised greed.
“I knew you’d understand, sweetheart,” she said. “Here’s a slice of pie, Layla. Enjoy!”
I accepted the pie, and we all sat in silence. Denise spoke about models of cars that she thought Elena would like. She told me that she would send me links to the bracelet she wanted.
The entire time, I just smiled.
Later that night, I sat across from Jake in our tiny apartment, the envelope resting between us on the coffee table like a loaded gun. Cami slept on the carpet, cozy and content.
I had said yes to Denise’s demented list. Smiled. Nodded. Acted like it all made perfect sense. But inside?
Inside, I was raging.
And hurting.
Because my grandmother, my family, had just died. I was supposed to be mourning her, honoring her memory, figuring out how to breathe without her in my life.
Instead, I was sitting here with a demand list like I had won the lottery and not lost the last person who truly loved me unconditionally.
I wanted to cry.
Not just because of the list, but because it proved something I hadn’t wanted to admit.
They didn’t see me as family.
Not really.
Because if they did, they wouldn’t be trying to cash in on my loss. They wouldn’t be turning my grief into their payday.
I swallowed hard, pressing my fingers against my temples.
“I said yes,” I said, my voice hollow. “I told your mom I’d do it. And you sat there and just ate pie.”
Jake blinked at me like he wasn’t expecting that.
“Oh. Well… that’s good, right?”
“Is it?” I let out a breathy, bitter laugh.
“Babe, you know how my mom is. It’s just a gesture more than anything,” he frowned.
I snapped my gaze up to his. A gesture.
“That’s what she called it too,” I murmured. “A gesture to prove I’m worthy of marrying you. A gesture to show I take ‘family’ seriously. A gesture that just so happens to total more than a hundred grand.”
Jake sighed, rubbing the back of his neck like I was being difficult. Like I was the problem.
“Look,” he said, his voice infuriatingly calm. “She didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just… you suddenly have this money, and my parents are struggling, and…”
I flinched.
“They’re not struggling, Jake,” I said. “Do you think I don’t feel sick every time I remember where this money came from? That I wouldn’t trade every cent of it just to have one more day with my grandmother?”
Jake had the decency to look uncomfortable.
I kept going.
“If your family had treated me like a daughter, I wouldn’t have hesitated to help them. I would have gladly spent my inheritance on things that mattered. Wanting a kitchen remodel isn’t struggling.”
Jake just looked up at the ceiling.
“But that’s not what happened, Jake. Your mother didn’t come to me with love. She came with a list.”
Jake let out a breath, shaking his head.
“Babe, you’re overthinking this. She’s just old-fashioned. She wants to make sure you’re committed to the family.”
I stared at him for a long moment, my grief and my rage swirling together into something sharp.
“You know what?” I whispered.
“What?”
“You’re right. I’m overthinking it.”
“See?” he exhaled in relief. “It’s not a big deal.”
I nodded.
“I’m going to bed. You fill Cami’s bowl and give her some fresh water.”
In my head, I was already planning. Because if this family wanted a gesture, I was going to give them one.
I spent the next few days preparing.
And then, the following Sunday, I returned to Denise’s house with gifts.
She was beaming, practically vibrating with excitement. She clapped her hands like a kid on Christmas morning.
One by one, I handed out boxes or gift bags.
To her? A Cartier box.
She gasped as she opened it… only to find a plastic bracelet from the dollar store.
To Elena? A toy car.
“I thought this was more your speed, Elena,” I said sweetly.
Father-in-law? A fake watch.
For the family vacation? A family pamphlet for a budget bus tour of the city.
A toy car on a table | Source: Midjourney
And that $20,000 loan? A Monopoly “bank loan” card.
Denise’s smile vanished.
“What the hell is this?” she hissed.
I batted my eyes innocently.
“Oh, I thought I’d start with symbolic gifts. You know, just a gesture to show you that I’m serious about the family.”
Her face turned red.
“This isn’t funny. Not at all.”
I leaned across the table.
“No, Denise. What’s not funny is you demanding that I buy my way into your family like I’m some outsider who needs to pay a membership fee. I’ve been in this family for three years. And you’re acting like I’m a stranger!”
Jake finally spoke.
“Babe, you’re overreacting again!” he sighed.
“No, Jake,” I said. “I’m not. Your mother tried to manipulate me into handing over my inheritance like it was owed to them. And the fact that you didn’t shut it down when it happened? Or when I spoke to you about it at home? That tells me everything I need to know.”
I took a deep breath, then dropped the final bomb.
“Oh, and don’t worry about our engagement, Jake. Consider it canceled. Consider us canceled. I’m done.”
Gasps filled the room.
Denise looked like she might actually faint.
Jake? Stunned.
“Wait, what?!” he sputtered, coming to his senses.
I slid my engagement ring off and placed it on the table.
“Find someone else to fund your family, Jake.”
And with that? I walked out.
I wasn’t crying.
I thought I might. I thought maybe, after three years of loving someone, of building a life together, of saying yes to forever… that I’d feel something other than this quiet, detached numbness.
But no. I just felt… done.
The boxes were already half-packed when I heard the key turn in the door. I didn’t even look up when Jake walked in.
He froze when he saw the apartment.
His clothes, his shoes, his gaming console… all neatly packed into boxes I had picked up from a garage sale on my way home.
“Layla,” he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.
I folded another one of his shirts, set it on top of the others, then closed the flaps of the box.
“You’re back earlier than I expected,” I said. “Denise didn’t want you to stay for dinner? She said that it was roast beef and roast potatoes… you know, before I gave them their gifts.”
“What… what is this?” he gestured wildly to the boxes, his voice rising in pure, unfiltered panic. “Are you… are you seriously kicking me out?”
I finally met his gaze.
“Yeah,” I said simply.
“Wait, let’s talk about this, Layla.”
“We did talk, Jake,” I sighed. “I told you exactly what your mother did. I told you how much it hurt me. And you dismissed it like it was nothing.”
His jaw tensed.
“I didn’t dismiss it! I just thought that we could move past it. Sure, you’re not allowed to go to family dinner for a while… but…”
I actually laughed.
“You thought that I could just forget that your mother tried to extort me? That she turned my grief into her personal payday?”
His hands clenched at his sides.
“She got carried away, okay? That doesn’t mean we have to throw everything away.”
I took a deep breath.
“Jake, just stop talking. I loved you. I really did. But the moment you let your mother treat me like a walking ATM, without even defending me? That’s when I realized I loved the idea of us more than the reality.”
“Please, Layla, don’t do this.”
But it was already done.
I picked up the last box and shoved it into his arms.
“You can crash at your mom’s. And Cami will be staying here with me.”
He flinched.
Jake blew up my phone for weeks. Apologies. Excuses. Pleading.
His final message?
“My mom got carried away, but we can move past this. I love you.”
I never replied.
As for Denise? She tried smearing me online. She called me a gold digger, among other things.
But I didn’t care. It didn’t matter to me.
I used my inheritance to buy myself a beautiful home, one that no greedy in-laws would ever step foot in.
And let me tell you, that was the best investment I ever made.
Dahlia pours her heart into planning her brother’s wedding, from designing the invitation to booking vendors to even baking the perfect cake. But on the big day, she discovers a brutal betrayal: she’s not invited. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, Dahlia must decide if some betrayals deserve forgiveness… or just a slice of revenge.
