My Husband Invited 75 Guests To Stay In Our 2-bedroom Apartment For A Month. He Expected Me To Pay $12,000 For His Mother’s Birthday. So I Drained The Joint Account And Caught A Flight Out Of His Life.

On rare occasions, Sharon would come to visit for a week, sometimes two, loaded with huge bags full of homemade preserves, jams, pickles, and chutneys. And as soon as she arrived, she would start giving orders.

“Darling, you don’t store pots like that. You put them this other way,” she would say.

“Hannah, why did you put up these curtains? You should have chosen lighter ones. Oh, my son is so thin! Aren’t you feeding him?” she would ask.

She criticized everything: the renovations, the furniture, the cooking, the cleaning, and tried to teach them how to do everything her way. Hannah put up with her until she crossed her personal boundaries.

When that moment came, she would simply get up, go to another room, and close the door. She would put on her headphones and read.

Work or leave the house on any excuse. “I have to go grocery shopping. I’m meeting a friend. I need to stop by the office,” she would say.

And she wouldn’t come back until late at night when her mother-in-law was already asleep. Liam would get desperate.

“How can you treat my mother like that after everything she does for you?” he asked.

Hannah would respond coldly, “What exactly does she do? Criticize me and try to tell me how to live my life? I’m 32 years old. I’m an adult. I know how to live my life.”

Sharon, offended, would call Liam crying. “Your wife doesn’t respect me. She’s so rude. After everything I do for you both,” she said.

Hannah didn’t care. She knew her limits and didn’t let anyone cross them.

Three weeks ago, Liam came home from work particularly excited. His eyes were shining and he was grinning from ear to ear.

“Mom called with some news. It’s her 60th birthday soon and she’s going to have a party. It’s a milestone and it has to be celebrated properly,” he said.

Hannah nodded. “That’s nice. Of course it should be celebrated,” she said.

Liam told her the date: three weeks from now on a Saturday. Hannah thought, “Okay, we’ll go to Napier. We’ll attend the party and come back. One day is no big deal.”

Liam added, “Mom wants to get the whole family together. We haven’t seen each other in a long time. They all live far away. It would be great to see everyone.”

Hannah, suspecting nothing, nodded again. “All right, let her invite them,” she said.

Then Liam started giving details. Sharon wasn’t planning a modest family dinner but a grand event.

His late father’s older brother’s family would come from Christchurch with his wife and their two adult children. The mother-in-law’s sister, his aunt, lived in Tauranga and would come with her husband.

Liam’s cousins, at least 10 or 15 people. Hannah sighed inwardly.

“What a large family. I can handle. One day we celebrate, give her the gift, and everyone goes home,” she thought.

But Liam continued. Sharon wasn’t just gathering the family; she had prepared a long and detailed guest list.

She had found a restaurant with a banquet hall in the center of Napier. She had ordered a cake from an expensive bakery and had hired a host and a music group.

Hannah nodded, half listening. It didn’t affect her directly yet.

If her mother-in-law wanted to go big, that was her right. Two weeks ago, Liam gave her more details about the restaurant.

A hall for 100 people, a varied menu, hot dishes, cold appetizers, salads, desserts, live music, a host with games. “It’s expensive. About $12,000, but it’s her 60th birthday. You only turn 60 once,” he said.

Hannah looked up from her laptop. “100 people? Where did so many come from?” she asked.

Liam shrugged. “Family, mom’s friends, neighbors, work colleagues. Mom worked at a school her whole life. She knows a lot of people,” he said.

Hannah asked, “And who’s paying the $12,000?”

Liam hesitated, scratching his head. “Well, I guess we are. Mom’s a pensioner. She can’t afford it. With her pension of a few hundred a week, where would she get that money?” he said.

Hannah grew thoughtful. $12,000 was a lot of money.

“We are you and me?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes, we’re a family, aren’t we?” he said.

Hannah weighed the situation. She could afford about $6,000.

She said, “From my side, a maximum of $6,000. You put in the rest.”

“Okay,” Liam said, delighted.

He smiled broadly. “Great deal! I’ll tell mom. She’ll be so happy,” he said.

Hannah went back to her work, thinking the matter was settled. It wasn’t the first time they had paid for a party.

She just hoped there would be no more surprises, but there were. A week ago, Liam brought up a new topic.

He said his mother was worried. Many relatives were coming and they needed a place to stay.

There are hotels in Napier, but they’re expensive. A double room costs between $150 and $200 a night.

If only 20 people came, it would cost thousands of dollars a week. It was unfeasible.

He said maybe some could stay at their place. Hannah looked at him, alert and suspicious.

“At our place in Auckland?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes. For a few days, three or four people, we could manage. We can unfold the sofa bed, buy an air mattress,” he said.

Hannah shook her head firmly. “No, our apartment has two bedrooms. There’s no space. Let them stay in a hotel or travel for the day,” she said.

Liam began to argue. “How can they travel for the day? They’re coming from other cities. The round trip alone would take them half a day,” he said.

Hannah interrupted him. “I said no. That’s my final word,” she said.

Liam pouted but didn’t press further. Hannah thought the matter was settled.

Three days ago he brought it up again, this time more cautiously and subtly. He said his mother was very worried.

She wanted everyone to stay, not just for a few days, but for at least another week. The relatives hadn’t seen each other for five or seven years and needed time to catch up.

Hannah didn’t respond. She just gave him a long, cold look and left the room.

Liam understood it was better not to bring it up again. Last night Liam was unusually quiet.

When he got home from work, he was engrossed in his phone during dinner. His fingers flew across the screen.

He was writing something, frowning, sometimes shaking his head. Hannah noticed and asked him, “Is something wrong?”

Without looking up, he nodded. “Yes, I’m messaging with mom, finalizing the details for the party,” he said.

Hannah shrugged and went back to what she was doing: reviewing a presentation for a client meeting the next day.