My mother-in-law once accused me of leaving used sanitary pads at her house. When I denied it, explaining that I only use tampons, she snapped at me sharply, saying, “Well, it’s not mine either. Next time, make sure you take them with you!” I was stunned and didn’t know what to say.
Later, when I told my husband about the incident, he turned pale. Then, he revealed something to me that I had never known before. About two months ago, his mother had hired a new maid named Elin. She was sweet, quiet, and often hummed softly while working. My husband had been quietly wrestling with a growing suspicion — he thought his father might be cheating on his mother.
But he had tried to ignore it, not wanting to believe something so painful. Now, with this strange situation involving the pads, it became too obvious to ignore. He decided he had to talk to his dad, gently, just to ask if something was wrong. His father confessed. Elin, the new maid, was the other woman. She had told him she didn’t know how to break the news to my mother-in-law directly.
Instead, she left subtle signs, hoping that one day the truth would come to light. His father promised that the affair was over. Elin quietly left the house shortly after. And even now, my mother-in-law remains completely unaware of what happened. Sometimes, she still jokes about me leaving pads at her place. Every time she says it, I just smile and say nothing.But inside, I have to fight the urge to tell her the truth because if she knew, it would shatter her world.