When my husband begged me to take out a $15,000 loan “for his mom,” he promised she’d repay it in a month. Reluctantly, I agreed — against my better judgment. He said it would jeopardize his job if it was in his name, and I caved, like I always did. But weeks later, when I asked my mother-in-law about repayment, she denied borrowing a dime.

I confronted my husband, expecting confusion or remorse. Instead, he shrugged and said, “I don’t think she ever planned to pay you back.” I was floored. He admitted she threatened to cut him off from her will if he didn’t help — but the joke was on him: the house wasn’t even legally hers to begin with.

The real punch to the gut? She’d used the loan for a trip to Turkey, where she got a facelift and breast implants. Add in a new wardrobe and a professional photoshoot, and suddenly she was all over Instagram flaunting her “glow-up” while I lost sleep over loan payments.

That’s when I stopped being the quiet, understanding wife. What Andrew didn’t know was that I’d recorded the moment he took the envelope, saying, “I’ll take it to Mom tonight.” I took the recording, text messages, and receipts straight to a lawyer.

My lawyer filed for divorce, full custody, and fraud charges. With all the evidence stacked against him, Andrew couldn’t wriggle out of it. And I was done protecting him.

My daughter and I are rebuilding now. And as for my MIL? Let’s just say #HotGirlSummer doesn’t include court dates.