Mistreated by My In-Laws, I Decided to Take Action After My Brother-in-Law’s Advice

“If my brother no longer respects or loves you, then maybe you should consider what’s best for your own safety…” said my brother-in-law.

I’m 25 years old, and my husband is 29. We’ve been married for two years and have a one-year-old son.
Since the day we got married, all the burdens have been weighing heavily on my shoulders.
We live with my husband’s parents, and his younger brother—who just graduated—also lives in the same house.

I work as an office employee, earning around 9 million VND a month.
My husband earns about 15 million VND, and both my in-laws receive retirement pensions.
Even so, I’ve never once felt loved or supported by my in-laws—especially my mother-in-law, who is the dominant voice in the household.

Whatever my mother-in-law decides, my father-in-law follows. He’s a man who had to move in with her family (in effect, a live-in son-in-law), so he has no real say in anything.
My husband always sides with his mother, right or wrong, and never asks for my opinion or discusses anything with me.

Although he earns 15 million, my husband only gives me 5 million monthly. The rest, he keeps.
When I asked, “Why do you need to keep 10 million for yourself?”
He simply answered, “So many things — food, coffee, drinks, gas.”
I asked, “Do you really spend 10 million just on that?”
He coldly replied, “10 million is barely enough.”

From the 5 million he gives me, I have to pay 2.5 million for monthly food expenses to my mother-in-law.
That barely leaves anything for the rest of my personal and family expenses, so I end up using my own salary to cover everything else.

I’ve hoped that the two of us could save up to buy a small apartment of our own in the next few years—to finally move out and have some peace.
After all, my brother-in-law still lives with us, and someday he’ll have to marry and start a family too.
But my husband disagrees, and, as usual, listens to his mother.

Whenever I have a disagreement with my mother-in-law, my husband just stands in the middle, silent.
He doesn’t mediate, doesn’t try to reason things out, doesn’t take a side.
If my father-in-law tries to speak up, she shuts him down with one sentence:

“You should know your place.”

The one person who does support me is my brother-in-law.
Whenever tensions rise, he defends me:

“Come on, Mom, she didn’t say anything wrong. She’s right. You should try to understand her. We don’t have a daughter in this house—only a daughter-in-law—you should try to change. If you keep acting like this, when I get married, I’ll move out too.”

“Look at your younger brother. Even he knows how to speak up and help your mother understand. But you—you just stay silent.”

My husband still said nothing.

When I gave birth, my mother-in-law didn’t help at all. Instead, she made snide remarks like,

“I gave birth too, I know how it is. Young people these days are so weak, it’s pathetic.”

To make matters worse, I found out that my husband was having an affair—and even giving money to the other woman.
When I confronted my mother-in-law with the proof—screenshots of their flirty text messages—she said:

“Well, maybe you did something wrong. There must be a reason why he’s cheating.”

I was speechless.
But my brother-in-law stood up for me again:

“Mom, there you go again. There’s clear proof—read the messages, look at the content. You should talk to your son and ask why he did this.
Don’t just blame my sister-in-law. If she can’t fix him, you’re his mother—you should step in and make him take responsibility.”

After that incident, I was completely emotionally drained.
I felt mistreated and invisible.

So I called a taxi and took my baby back to my parents’ house.
The moment I arrived, I felt what love and family warmth really meant.
I held my baby and cried.

During the time I stayed at my parents’ house, my husband never once called or texted—not to ask how our child was doing, how I was holding up, nothing.

My mother-in-law didn’t reach out either—as if her grandchild didn’t even exist.
Only my father-in-law and brother-in-law came to visit me and the baby.

My brother-in-law said to me:

“If my brother no longer respects you or loves you, then maybe you should start thinking about your own safety.
This situation isn’t right.
But… maybe you should try to talk to him one last time.
Still, from what I see, he’s been extremely irresponsible.”

Marriage truly feels like the graveyard of love.
But after hearing those words of support from my brother-in-law,
I finally found the motivation I needed…

 After the Tears—A Stronger Mother Was Born

I thought long and hard that night.

My child lay peacefully in my arms, sleeping soundly. As I looked at his little face, I realized: I couldn’t keep living in a marriage filled with coldness and silence just for the sake of a so-called “family.”

I needed a place where real love existed—a place where my child could grow up in peace, not amid blame, indifference, and irresponsibility.

The next morning, I got up earlier than anyone. After feeding my baby, I checked my phone.
No messages.
No missed calls from my husband.
Just silence.
That same silence—more terrifying than screaming.

A Final Conversation

I sent him one single message:

“I’ll come home tomorrow afternoon to talk one last time. If you have anything to say, be there.”

No reply.

The following afternoon, I left my child with my mother and took a taxi back to that old house.
It was the same house, yet it felt cold and foreign.

My husband sat on the sofa. His eyes showed no surprise, only the usual detachment.

I sat across from him and looked him straight in the eye.

“I’m not here to beg or cry. I just want to say—I used to hope, I used to believe. But now, I’m choosing to walk away.”

He smirked:

“Up to you. You’re weak, always whining. You don’t excite me anymore.”

I smiled—cold but calm.

“Good. I’ll file for divorce this week. As for the child, I’ll let you see him if you care. If not, I won’t expect anything.”

I stood up. I didn’t wait for another word.

A New Beginning

A few weeks later, the divorce was finalized.
No tears. No regrets.

I started over—alone but not lost.
I left my old job and became a freelancer, working from home to take care of my child while regaining my financial freedom.
The early days were tough, but every time I saw my child smile, I found strength again.

My brother-in-law still called from time to time to check in.

“I know you’ll be okay. I’ve always seen you as a real sister. And if you ever need anything, just tell me.”

I smiled on the other end of the line:

“I don’t need anyone to back me up anymore. But thank you—for helping me find myself again.”

An Open Ending

Now, every morning, I no longer wake up waiting for someone’s text.
I wake up to hold my baby, brew coffee, and ask myself, “Who do I want to become today?”

I once believed that marriage was the graveyard of love.
But now I believe: where there is no respect, there is no love.

And I—a mother, a woman—deserve a life filled with sunlight, laughter, and most importantly… myself.