The night I thought someone had broken into my house, I had no idea the real betrayal came from my mother-in-law. After Tim passed away, my life felt shattered, and with his start at preschool, I had to return to work, leaving finances extremely tight.

One morning, I faced a broken coffee maker and muttered to myself, “Well, at least there’s coffee… or not.” My attempts to fix it only led to burnt fingers and frustration. Life had become a never-ending checklist of chores, and I joked to friends about the neighbor’s cats treating my lawn like their personal festival.