At my anniversary, my mother-in-law raised her glass: «To the daughter of a cleaning lady who got married successfully!» My husband was choking with laughter and filming it on his phone. My mother stood up and said three words, after which my mother-in-law turned pale…

Her phone rang again. Steven’s name flashed. Anna stared at the screen before answering. “Yes?” she said coldly.

“Have you seen what’s happening?” Steven launched in, voice tight with panic.

“You mean the social media posts? Just found out.”

“It’s a nightmare!” he exclaimed. “Mom’s hysterical! Friends, colleagues, everyone’s seen it!”

Anna waited silently. “You have to deny it!” Steven demanded. “Say it was a joke, a prank, anything!”

Anna gave a bitter laugh. “Deny it? A joke? Steven, your mother humiliated me in front of everyone, sneering ‘janitor’s daughter’ like it’s a slur. You filmed and laughed. What am I denying?”

“But my… my issue!” he said desperately. “That’s private, Anna. Imagine what work will be like? How people will look at me?”

“And how would they look at me?” Anna asked quietly. “After your mother basically announced I married you for money, using ‘janitor’s daughter’ as an insult. Did you think of that?”

Silence. “By the way, I didn’t post anything,” Anna added. “No idea who did. There were 30 people there; could’ve been anyone.”

“Mom’s in the hospital,” Steven said, switching tactics. “Hypertension crisis. Doctors say it could be a stroke.”

Anna closed her eyes. She knew this move. Margaret always fell ill at critical moments to manipulate her son or guilt Anna. “I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. “I hope she recovers.”

“You need to come,” Steven insisted. “Apologize to her. It might calm her down.”

“No, Steven,” Anna said firmly. “I’m not coming. I won’t apologize for something I didn’t do. I didn’t start the scene at my party, and I didn’t post online. If you want my opinion, your mother needs to learn her actions have consequences.”

“You’re… heartless,” Steven spat. “I thought you loved me.”

“I did,” Anna said softly. “For two years, I tried to be part of your family. I took the slights, the condescension, the hints. I supported you through your diagnosis while your mother blamed me for our infertility. And what did I get? You let her humiliate me in public and filmed it. Is that love, Steven?”

A shaky breath came through the phone. “I… I was in shock. I didn’t know how to react.”

“For two years?” Anna repeated. “I waited two years for you to take my side just once. You always chose your mother. What now?”

A pause. “I think we need to separate,” Anna said calmly. “This marriage was a mistake from the start.”

“Because of one incident?” His voice turned pleading. “Anna, let’s talk when Mom’s better. I’ll come over.”

“No, Steven, not one incident. Two years of them. Yesterday was just the final straw.”

“You can’t just throw it all away,” he said. “We had good times.”

“We did,” Anna agreed. “I’m grateful for them. But it’s not enough for a marriage. Marriage is partnership, support, respect. We didn’t have that.”

“I love you,” Steven said suddenly.

Anna closed her eyes. Those words once made her heart race. Now they were hollow. “Goodbye, Steven,” she said quietly and ended the call.

All day, her phone buzzed with calls and texts—colleagues, acquaintances, even long-lost contacts, all wanting details, offering support, or fishing for gossip. By evening, she silenced it and lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. The doorbell rang at seven.

Ellen stood there with grocery bags. “Figured you’re not up for cooking,” she said, heading to the kitchen. “I’ll make dinner.”

Anna hugged her gratefully. “You’re my hero.”..