My husband, Tom, has been going on an annual island vacation with his family since we had gotten married. That’s twelve years of family trips without me.

Every year, he’d pack his bags and leave our two kids and me behind.

“Why don’t you just cancel this one, and we can take the kids on holiday instead?” I asked.

“Why would I do that?” he retorted. “The kids are too young and it will be chaotic. When they’re older, we can start talking about holidays with them.”

“And me?” I asked. “Are you sure your mom will mind?”

“She doesn’t want you there, Layla,” Tom said. “And if you come with, you will just embarrass yourself.“

I needed to know more information before I blast at my mother-in-law. As much as Denise seemed to have an issue with me, I knew that if I asked her straight up, she would give me an answer.

Therefore, I decided to call Sadie, Tom’s brother’s wife who was fairly new to the family, with them having only been married for about a year now.

“Thank you,” she said. “I was living my island life. I’m still so sad that you couldn’t end up coming because you didn’t have anyone to take care of the kids.”

So that’s what they thought. That I hadn’t been able to make their trip because of my children.

“Listen, Layla,” she said. “I’ve got to go, I’m getting another call. I’ll call you this evening!”

I knew that my next move would be going to my mother-in-law. If anyone was at the cause of this situation, it would be Denise.

“Why don’t you allow Tom to take us on vacation? Don’t you consider us your family?” I asked as my mother-in-law opened the door and let me in.

“Darling, what are you talking about?”

“My husband and sons go on vacation every year, but they’ve never taken me with. Roger said that none of the females go on these trips. It’s just the boys.”

“Wait, what?” I asked, stunned.

“Tell me what you know,” she said, pouring a glass of juice.

Surprised, I spilled everything. The photos, Tom’s li:es, the years of being left behind with and without my sons.

“Let’s confront them together,” she said in a tone that I hadn’t heard from her before.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She said “Yes”.

Two days after the men left, we found ourselves on a plane, heading to the same resort. My mother-in-law had seen her husband’s ticket, so we knew where to go.

We moved around from room to room, searching.

In one of the downstairs rooms, we found my father-in-law, his lips locked with a woman I didn’t recognize.

My mother-in-law didn’t say a word.

The sound of my gasp made them both turn.

“Layla, what are you doing here?” he stuttered, scrambling to get up.

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Tom?” I asked, my voice surprisingly steady. “You’ve been ly:ing to me for twelve years!”

The woman next to him slipped out of the room, sensing the storm that was about to hit. But I didn’t care about her.

“I already told him that I want a divorce,” I told her.

After we had got back home, Denise packed all her belongings and moved into my home, and in turn, I packed all of Tom’s things and left them in boxes in her home.

And more than that, she became a constant presence in my life, always wanting to be around me and help wherever she could, and insisting on being an active grandmother to my kids.