My MIL Kept Insulting Me for Being ‘Just a Teacher’ Until My Father-in-Law Spoke Out

The cruel jokes stopped.

So did the fake smiles. Over time, something real started to grow between us. Not fast, but solid.

Gentle.

Last spring, Richard passed away peacefully in his sleep. The grief was sharp and deep. Ethan took it hard.

So did Karen, though she tried to be strong for all of us.

At the funeral, she stood beside me, her hand wrapped tightly around mine. We watched as they lowered the casket into the ground, the cold wind blowing through the tall trees.

She turned to me, eyes glassy, and whispered, “He was right about you.”

And for the first time since I married into this family, I believed she meant it.