Darling, Ive been thinking… Why do you need three bedrooms? One seems plenty for you. Little Sophie sleeps with you anyway.
At first, Emily didnt even grasp what her mother was getting at. She assumed it was another ploy to offload some precious antiquea threadbare armchair or a dusty sideboard that had been cluttering up her house for years.
Well… yes, we dont really use the other rooms, Emily admitted cautiously.
Exactly! So Ive decided to rent them out. Ill find quiet, decent tenants… No point letting good space go to waste, is there? You understandI let you move in, and now Im barely scraping by.
Emily froze. At first, she couldnt believe her ears. Then, something inside her hardened and cracked. Visions flashed through her mindstrangers in the kitchen, noise, chaos, endless visitorsall while her three-month-old daughter slept nearby. Maybe it wouldnt be so bad, but it was a gamble. And risking her babys safety wasnt an option.
Mum… *Tenants?* I have a child! I dont want strangers in our home.
Oh, dont be dramatic. You grew up in a shared flat and turned out fine, her mother waved her off. Ive already cut you a deal, barely charging you anything while you save up. What else am I supposed to do? Live on the breadline?
Emily clenched her jaw. She hadnt expected this betrayal from her own mother. *Her* flat? Never. But here? Apparently fair game.
Still, Emily pushed her hurt aside. Right now, only Sophie mattered.
If its that important to you… fine. Well pay for this month, she finally said. Well figure something out after that.
She half-expected her mother to back downsay she couldnt possibly take money from her own daughter, especially now. Maybe even offer them the month rent-free. But
Good. Ill give you the family rate£400, her mother replied smoothly. Just give me two weeks notice if you move out. And youll need to show the flat to the next tenants. No gaps in payments.
Fine, Emily hissed, slamming the phone down.
She opened her banking app and transferred the money immediately. As she tapped *Send*, the shift between them became painfully clearfamily had just become business.
…Margaret had always been like this. Emilys mother had a knack for twisting things to her advantage, but it had never stung this badly before.
When Emily was ten, shed learned that her godmother sent lavish birthday and Christmas giftsa giant stuffed pony, a robot dog, the trendiest dolls. Margaret always passed them off as her own. She never added so much as a card.
Back then, it had stung, but only a little. She knew it was wrong, but it hadnt *hurt*. Her godmother, though, had been furious and started sending gifts through Emilys grandmother instead.
Another time, Aunt Laura and her daughter Lucy planned a short stay in townjust a week to sort paperwork. Theyd even booked a hotel, but Margaret intervened.
Why waste money on some dingy place? Stay with me! I cant promise restaurant meals, but youll be comfortable.
Aunt Laura protested but eventually agreed. Conscientious to a fault, she stocked the fridge to bursting on day one.
Our treat for the food, yours for the cooking, shed smiled. Well be out all dayqueues, museums, sightseeing for Lucy.
They left at dawn and returned late. No trouble at all. Yet on day three, Margaret announced:
Laura, love, Ive overestimated myself. Maybe ring that hotel back?
Aunt Laura was livid. The hotel refused her, forcing a last-minute scramble. Emily never saw them again.
At the time, shed believed her mother was just worn out. Now, she knew betterMargaret had wanted a free ride. Once the fridge was full, her guests were disposable.
Before, Emily had only felt the fallout indirectly. Teachers side-eyed her because Margaret refused school donations and made scenes. She missed birthday partiesofficially because *who knows what those parents are like?* Really, because gifts cost money. But all of it paled next to the flat.
Emily and James had known each other since schoolfriends first, then something deeper. Hed even given up his dream for her. Hed wanted to study medicine in another city but stayed, knowing she wouldnt follow.
They both trained as psychologists instead. Emily worked at a school; James went into HR. They married, saved for a mortgage, planned kids*later*. Then life threw an unplanned pregnancy their way.
Two pink lines left Emily torn. A baby with the man she lovedbut *now?* When they were so close to their deposit?
Your choice, James had said. He wanted the baby too but knew the timing was brutal.
Enter Margaret.
Whats to decide? God sends the babe, hell send the bread! Stay in my second flatGrannys old place. Save up properly. And *dont* you dare terminatewhat if you cant conceive after?
Her offer tipped the scales. However difficult Margaret was, their relationship had *seemed* solid. A mother with means, helping her struggling daughterbeautiful, noble, *right*. If only it had stayed that way.
Now, Emily was adrift. What if tomorrow Margaret decided £400 wasnt enough? Or moved friends in unannounced? Nothing would surprise her.
That evening, James held her as she cried.
Dont worry. Ill fix this. Faster than a month, he promised.
And he did.
Days later, they visited his mother, Elizabeth. Nothing unusualthey dropped by often. Elizabeth had known Emily over a decade, taking them both to the park as children.
At one point, Elizabeth took Emilys hand.
Love, James told me. Dont fretIll help with the deposit. Youre good kidsindependent. Plenty your age still leech off their parents.
Her quiet warmth shattered Emily. The contrasther own mother squeezing them dry, while her mother-in-law reached out without fanfare.
They moved in with Elizabeth temporarily while sorting the mortgage and viewings. James packed their things; Emily returned the keys to Margarets flatdropping them in the mailbox without going up.
Why didnt you come in? Margaret texted.
Isnt it obvious?
Well… *you* chose to leave. No one made you. Youre the one who took offence.
After that, Emily barely spoke to her mother. Between paperwork, signatures, and freelance work to ease the mortgage, she had little energy left. Hard? Yes. But for the first time, she felt part of something realher family. James, Sophie, Elizabeth.
Blood didnt make family. Loyalty did. And sometimes, the ones who stood by you werent the ones who shared your name.
