“You’re the one who got offended,” her mother said flatly.
“Darling, Ive been thinking,” her mother began, voice dripping with false concern. “Why do you need three bedrooms? One seems more than enough. Little Sophie sleeps with you anyway.”
At first, Olivia didnt grasp the meaning behind the words. She assumed her mother was angling to dump another worthless antique on thema moth-eaten armchair or a battered sideboard she no longer had room for.
“Well yes, we dont really use the other rooms,” Olivia admitted cautiously.
“Exactly!” Her mothers eyes gleamed with calculation. “So, Ive decided to rent them out. Ill find you nice, quiet tenants. No point letting good space go to waste, is there? You understandI let you stay there, and now Im barely scraping by.”
Olivia froze. At first, she thought shed misheard. Then, a cold crack split through her chest. Visions flashed in her mind: strangers in their kitchen, noise, chaos, endless visitorsall while her three-month-old daughter slept just down the hall. Maybe it wouldnt be that bad but it was a gamble. And she wasnt willing to risk her daughters safety.
“Mum what do you mean, tenants? I have a baby! I dont want strangers in my home!”
“Oh, dont be dramatic,” her mother scoffed. “I raised you in a shared flat, and you turned out just fine. Ive already been generousnot charging you extra while you save up. What am I supposed to do? Starve?”
Olivia clenched her jaw. She hadnt expected betrayal from her own mother. Her mother would never rent out rooms in her own flatbut here, in Olivias home, it was suddenly fair game.
She pushed the hurt aside. Right now, only one thing matteredSophie.
“Fine. If its that important to you well pay you for this month,” Olivia said tightly. “Well figure something out after that.”
She expected her mother to relentto say she couldnt take money from her own daughter, especially now. But
“Good. Ill give you the family ratefive hundred pounds,” her mother said magnanimously. “Just give me two weeks notice if you move out. Ill need time to arrange viewings. And if you do leave, youll have to show the place to the new tenants. No gaps in rent, understand?”
“Fine,” Olivia hissed, slamming the phone down.
She opened her banking app and transferred the money. As she hit “Send,” she felt itthe final shift between them, from family to business.
…Valerie had always been like this. Olivias mother had a knack for twisting situations to her advantagebut never before had it cut so deep.
When Olivia was ten, she discovered her godmother had been sending lavish gifts every Christmas and birthdaya plush pony, a robotic dog, the latest dolls. Valerie had taken credit for them, adding nothing of her own.
It had stung, but only a little. She knew it was wrong, but she hadnt felt the full weight of it. Her godmother, however, hadand started sending gifts through Olivias grandmother instead.
Another time, Aunt Tanya and her daughter Lily planned a short stay in the city to sort out paperwork. Theyd already booked a hoteluntil Valerie intervened.
“Dont be ridiculous, dragging a child around dodgy hotels! Stay with me. I cant promise restaurant-quality meals, but youll be welcome.”
Aunt Tanya reluctantly agreed. Guilt-ridden, she stocked the fridge to bursting.
“Our contribution,” she said warmly. “You handle the cooking. Well be out all dayqueues, museumsbut we wont be underfoot.”
They left at dawn and returned late. No trouble at all. Yet on the third day, Valerie announced:
“Tanya, Ive overestimated myself. Maybe call that hotel? Finish your stay there.”
Aunt Tanya was furious. The hotel refused to reinstate their booking, forcing a last-minute scramble. Olivia never saw them again.
Back then, she believed her mother was just tired of guests. Now, she knew the truthValerie had wanted a free ride. Once the fridge was stocked, shed tossed them out.
Before, Olivia had only suffered indirectly. Teachers side-eyed her when Valerie refused to pay school contributions. She wasnt invited to birthday partiesofficially because “who knows what those parents are like,” but really because gifts cost money.
But none of that compared to the flat.
Olivia and Edward had known each other since school. Friendship turned to love. Edward had given up his dream of studying medicine in another cityhe stayed for her.
They became psychologistsOlivia in a school, Edward in HR. They married, saved for a mortgage, planned children for later.
Then life intervenedan unplanned pregnancy.
When Olivia saw the positive test, she didnt know whether to laugh or cry. A baby with the man she lovedbut now? When they were so close to their deposit?
“Your choice,” Edward said. He wanted the baby toobut understood the timing was brutal.
Enter Valerie.
“Whats there to think about?” shed declared. “God gives the child, Hell give the bread! Stay in my second flatGrandmas old place. Keep saving. And dont you dare terminate! What if you cant have children after?”
Her offer tipped the scales. Despite her flaws, Olivia thought they had a good relationship. A mother helping her daughterhow noble. How right.
If only it had stayed that way.
Now, Olivia didnt know where to turn. What if Valerie decided five hundred wasnt enough? Or moved in friends? Nothing would surprise her.
That evening, she told Edward. He listened, jaw tight, then pulled her into a fierce hug as she broke down.
“Dont worry. Ill fix this. Faster than a month,” he promised.
And he did.
Days later, they visited his mother, Margaret. Nothing unusualthey often dropped in. Margaret had known Olivia since childhood, taking her and Edward to the park as kids.
At some point, Margaret took Olivias hand.
“Sweetheart, Edward told me everything. Dont be afraidIll help with the deposit. Youre both so responsible. At your age, most still lean on their parents.”
Margaret spoke softly, no grand declarations like Valerie. But the warmth in her eyesOlivia crumpled, sobbing into her hands. The contrast was unbearable. Her own mother, squeezing them dryand her mother-in-law, offering a lifeline.
They moved in with Margaret while sorting the mortgage. That same day, Edward packed their things while Olivia returned the keys. She didnt go upstairs. Couldnt face Valerie. Just dropped them in the post box and texted.
“You didnt come up?” Valerie sounded baffled.
“Wasnt it obvious?”
“Well you chose to leave. No one forced you,” Valerie said. “Youre the one who got offended.”
After that, Olivia cut contact. She had no energy left. Paperwork, signatures, renovationsshe took freelance work to ease the mortgage burden. It was hard, but she finally felt part of something real.
Her familyEdward, Sophie, Margaretwas all that mattered now. Margaret had given them more than money. Shed given them hope.
As for Valerie well, you dont choose your family. Sometimes, the ones who matter arent bound by bloodbut by who stands by you. Who doesnt betray you.
