The former mother-in-law arrived for a visit, unaware of the divorce.
“Can you believe it, Margaret has no idea James and I split up,” Lydia whispered, switching off her phone with a shaky hand. She glanced at her friend, panic in her eyes.
“You’re joking!” Bella gasped. “Shes coming here? To this flat?”
“Thats just it,” Lydia frowned. “She still thinks were together. Said she missed the grandchildren.”
“Why are you so scared? Shes nothing to you now. No reason to worry.”
“Easy for you to say. You dont know her. Shes a force. The connections she has! Shell think I kept this from her deliberately, suspect something, and thenrevenge.”
“Has she really not called or seen you all this time?” Bella asked, surprised.
“We fell out. Last time she visited from Manchester two years ago, we had a row.”
“Over James?”
“Not just him,” Lydia sighed. “Everything. She disapproved of how we hosted her, how we raised the kids, justeverything.”
“And?”
“What do you mean, and? She spoke her mind. I answered back. One word led to another. She stormed off, said she never wanted to see me again. Since then, shes only spoken to James.”
“And him?”
“What about him? It suited him just fine. Another excuse to blame me. Said if I didnt respect his mother, I didnt love him. Thats why his work was failing. Then he vanished. Not a word for a week. When he finally called, he told me hed met someone else and we were through.”
“So James never told her,” Bella mused.
“Exactly.”
“Or that he took half the flat, leaving you with the kids, the cat, and the dog in a shared house?”
“Thats the problem. She thinks were fine. Said she had urgent business in London and needed to stay with us for a week.”
“Wheres with us?”
“Right here,” Lydia said, gesturing around the cramped room.
The doorbell rang.
“Thats her,” Lydia whispered. “What do I do? How do I explain?”
“Just tell her the truth.”
“Shell blame me again. Shout. Im terrified. Maybe dont answer?”
“Not answering will make it worse. Then shell definitely suspect something.”
The bell rang again.
“Open it,” Bella said firmly. “And dont be afraid. Let her shout. Youve done nothing wrong. Im right here.”
Lydia opened the door.
“Hello, Margaret,” she said quietly.
“What took you so long?” Margaret demanded, stepping inside with two suitcases. “Hiding someone?”
“No ones hiding,” Lydia replied. “I was talking to a friend.”
“What friend?”
Bella stepped into the hallway.
“Hello,” she said. “Im Bella. Lydias friend.”
Margaret eyed her with disdain.
“Is James at work?” she asked Lydia.
“Probably,” Lydia murmured.
“Probably? Dont you know where your husband is?”
Lydia shrugged helplessly.
“Hes not her husband!” Bella cut in defiantly.
Margarets gaze sharpened.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly that,” Bella said, chin raised.
*I always wanted to say that to my ex-mother-in-law,* Bella thought. *Shame I never got the chance with mine. At least I can live it through this one.*
“Lydia and your precious son divorced a year ago,” Bella said tartly. “They split the two-bed flat they bought together. James sold his half. So now Lydias here with the kids, the cat, and the dog in a shared house. Any more questions?”
Margaret turned to Lydia.
“Is this true?”
“It is,” Lydia admitted. “We divorced last autumn.”
“Not that. Did he really take the flat?”
“Yes. He had the rightit was half his. Besides, hes remarried now.”
“Remarried?”
“James says his new wife is expecting. Asked me not to pressure him for child support. Promised hed pay later. Said hes struggling at work.”
“And you believed him,” Bella scoffed. “Naïve. He wont pay a penny. Theres no work crisis, no baby, and shes not even his wife. Theyre just living together. The baby story? Pure guilt trip.”
“Why didnt he tell me about the divorce?” Margaret murmured.
“Maybe he didnt want to upset you?” Lydia offered timidly.
“Perhaps,” Margaret said thoughtfully.
In reality, James had kept the divorce secret for another reason.
*Let her think Lydia and I are still together,* hed reasoned. *Better for me. Mum loathes Lydia but adores the grandkids. And through them, shell help me buy a place.*
So, during their monthly calls, James lamented how cramped they were in the two-bed flat. Sent photos of the girls, knowing Margaret doted on them. Said life was goodjust needed a bigger place.
“Eldest starts school soon,” hed sigh. “No space for a desk. Wed love to move, but moneys tight. The girls even wrote to Father Christmas, begging for a flat near Camden Town. Sweet, really. They ask after you constantly. But dont worry, Mum. Well manage. She can study at the kitchen table.”
James knew exactly what he was doing.
*Shell find a solution,* he thought. *And Ill nudge her toward mine.*
“Of course,” hed say, “we could sell your cottage in the Cotswolds. Thatd cover a four-bed in Londonsay, near Regents Park. Prices match. Then the girls would have their own rooms. But Id never pressure you, Mum. I know how much you love that place.”
Now, arriving from Manchester, Margaret saw the truth.
“I see,” she said. “Where are the girls?”
“Nursery.”
“Where do you work?”
“From home.”
“Who are the neighbours?”
“A lovely woman. Didnt mind the pets. Recently divorced too. Shes at work now.”
“Lovely,” Margaret smirked. “Right. Fine. Im off.”
She left.
“That wasnt so bad,” Lydia said, exhaling as she shut the door. “I thought shed scream the place down.”
Two months passed.
*Should call Mum,* James thought. *Remind her of my struggles.*
“Mum, hi! Everything good? Glad to hear it. Us? Same old. Cramped in that two-bed. Actually, Ive had an ideawhat if we sold the cottage? Like you suggested. Remember?”
*What do you mean, its gone? Mum! How? Burned down? No? Thank God. Then what? Sold it? The money? Spent it? On what? A four-bed flat? For who? The kids? What kids, Mum? Mine? Theyre too young! You can do that? Why?*
*Why didnt you consult me? Yes, I said they needed space. But you couldve bought it in my name! You didnt because I wasnt home when you visited? When was that? I see. Wheres the flat? Islington? Waitmy visions blurring No, Im fine. Just overwhelmed. Thanks, Mum.*
The next day, James marched into Lydias new flat.
For twenty minutes, he paced, inspecting every corner.
*This shouldve been mine,* he seethed. *Lydias tricked Mum. But its not over. Ill remarry her, then make sure shes out for good. That spare room can be her new home.*
“Now, Lydia,” he said solemnly, “after all this, we can start fresh. Mums forgiven youwhy else would she buy this flat?”
“She didnt buy it for *us*.”
“What? For who, then?”
“The girls.”
“Thats the same thing. And after everything, you owe it to me to be my wife again.”
“*Owe* you?”
James glared.
“Youve misunderstood,” he said. “Im not asking. Were meeting at the registry office. Day after tomorrow. 10 a.m. By the lamp post out front. Remember?”
“Of course. How could I forget?”
“Dont be late. You know I hate that.”
“I wont be.”
Naturally, Lydia didnt show. James called, furious. Shed forgotten. They rescheduled. She forgot again. And again.
“How could you?” James raged.
“Sorry,” Lydia said. “Slipped my mind.”
He didnt give up. Six months on, he still believed, still hoped. New dates were set, postponed, set again. Each time, he waited by that lamp postrain, snow, even through a storm that uprooted trees.
The registry staff watched in awe.
“Now *thats* true love,” they murmured. And then, one Tuesday morning, Margaret showed up at the flat with a suitcase and a quiet smile. “James has moved to Edinburgh,” she said. “With someone new. Didnt you hear?” Lydia shook her head, stunned. “I told him the flat was in the girls names. That you couldnt sign it over, even if you wanted to. He called me a traitor. Said Id lost my mind.” She stepped inside, placed the kettle on, and hummed as she unpacked tea. “You were right all along,” she said. “I just couldnt see it. Can I stay a while? Just until I find my feet?” Lydia looked at her, really looked not as an enemy, but as a woman whod finally woken up and nodded. The kettle whistled. For the first time in years, the house felt like home.
