After giving birth to twins, I expected my husband Derek to finally put our family first. Instead, the moment I was discharged from the hospital, he called saying he “couldn’t pick us up” because his mother supposedly had chest pains. Hurt but exhausted, I took a taxi home — only to find my belongings thrown across the yard and a note telling me to leave with my “moochers.” Panicked and devastated, I went to my mom’s house with the babies, not understanding what was happening.

The next morning I returned to our house and found my mother-in-law, Lorraine, sitting calmly inside. She revealed she’d faked being sick, stolen Derek’s phone, bribed a nurse, and kicked me out — all because I had twin girls and “their family needed boys.” She proudly admitted she wanted me gone and assumed Derek would choose her as always.

I confronted Derek at the hospital, and when he learned the truth, he was furious. We rushed home where he confronted Lorraine, who tried to defend herself, but he shut her down. When she insulted our daughters again, Derek finally stood up to her, told her to pack and leave, and vowed to protect his wife and children from her toxic behavior.

Lorraine moved out that night. Derek changed the locks, cut her off, and reported the bribed nurse. It wasn’t easy, but we rebuilt slowly, together. As I rocked our girls to sleep weeks later, I realized that his mother had tried to tear our family apart — but instead, she pushed us closer and proved that Derek was finally choosing us.