My husband moved in with his mistress, I quietly drove my paralyzed mother-in-law to return her. Before leaving, I said something that made both of us pale…

My husband moved in with his mistress, I quietly drove my paralyzed mother-in-law to return her. Before leaving, I said something that made both of us pale…

Minh and I have been married for 7 years. The marriage was not a bed of roses, but I always tried my best for my children and the family I had chosen. Since the wedding day, I have accepted to live with my mother-in-law – a woman who suffered a stroke, was paralyzed on one side, and had to be bedridden and needed care for every meal and sleep.

At first, I thought it was simple: she was my mother-in-law, I was her daughter-in-law, taking care of her was my duty. But I didn’t expect that the burden would last so long, and the most painful thing was that it came from the person who was supposed to share it with me – my husband.

Minh goes to work, and when he comes home at night, he is tired and plays on his phone. I take care of everything, from taking care of Mom, cooking, and medicine. He always says:
“You are better at taking care of Mom than I am. If I did it, Mom would suffer even more.”

I don’t blame. I simply thought: well, the wife takes care of it, the husband goes to work. But then I discovered – Minh doesn’t just go to work. He has someone else.

Everything fell apart when I accidentally saw a message:
“I’ll come over tonight. Being with you is a thousand times more fun than staying at home.”

I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a fuss. I just asked softly:
“What are you going to do with your mother – the person you’ve neglected for so many years?”

Minh was silent. The next day, he moved out. I knew he had moved in with that woman. I called and texted him, but he didn’t respond. His mother-in-law lay in her room, oblivious. She still believed that her son was busy and would be back in a few days.

I looked at her – the person who used to scrutinize my every meal and sleep, who once criticized me for being “unworthy to be a daughter-in-law” – and felt choked up. I wanted to give up everything, but then I thought: to be human, one should have meaning.

A week later, I called Minh:
“Are you free? I’ll bring Mom for you to take care of.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, then hung up.

That afternoon, I quietly wiped my mother-in-law’s body, changed her clothes, and folded her blanket. I packed her medicine, hospital papers, and old medical records into a cloth bag.

That night, I lifted her into the wheelchair and gently said,
“Mom, I’ll take you to stay with Minh for a few days to give you a change of pace. Staying in one place all the time is boring.”

She nodded slightly, her eyes filled with childlike joy. She had no idea that she was about to be “returned” to the son she had chosen to abandon.

When I got there – a small apartment, I rang the bell. Minh opened the door, inside was the woman, in a silk nightgown, bright red lipstick.

Both of them were stunned when they saw me pushing a wheelchair, my mother-in-law sitting in it, her face bright.

I gently pushed the cart into the living room, arranged the bedding, and placed the medicine bag on the table. The house smelled of perfume but was cold.

Minh stammered:
“What are you doing?”

I smiled and calmly replied,
“Have you forgotten? Mom is your responsibility. I only helped her for a few years. Now… you take care of yourself.”

The woman standing behind Minh was about to speak when I turned and looked straight into her eyes.

“From now on, every time you give your mother medicine, wipe her body, or change her diaper, remember the meals I ate in haste, the sleepless nights because of her fever. And if there are times when you feel tired, remember: that is something a son – or a husband – should have done a long time ago, not me.”

The air in the room was thick. Minh’s face turned red, while the other girl turned pale and turned away.

I bowed to my mother-in-law and said softly,
“Mom, from now on I will not take care of you anymore. I am tired. But I do not blame you. I hope you are well.”

Then I turned and walked away, without waiting for another word. On the way home, I cried. Not because of the pain, but because I had finally let go – peacefully and kindly.

Lesson learned:
Not all gentle people are submissive. There are women who choose to remain silent because they still love and are patient. But when they decide to leave, no one can hold them back – not even their ex-husband or their mother.