After years of forgiving my husband Ethan’s infidelity, I finally left. But just when I thought the hardest part was over, his mother, Carol, stepped in — with a threat.

I have two kids, Noah (8) and Lily (5). I’ve been the one holding everything together. Ethan barely showed up — except to lie and cheat. When I told him I wanted a divorce, he didn’t even flinch. But Carol did.

She asked to visit the kids. I hesitated but agreed. That afternoon, I caught Lily eating chocolate — something she’s allergic to. Carol had given it to her. I panicked, gave Lily antihistamines, and called the doctor. But Carol stood there, filming me as I yelled at Lily out of fear.

That night, Carol made her move. She showed me a video of me yelling — no context — and threatened to use it in court to take my kids unless I stayed with Ethan.

The next day, I visited her and, when she left the room, checked her phone. There it was: a video of her plotting the candy stunt. I sent it to myself and brought it to my lawyer.

In court, Ethan’s team showed the edited clip. But then, my lawyer played the real one — the setup. The judge ruled in my favor: full custody, supervised visits for Ethan, and no unsupervised contact with Carol.

Outside court, neither of them spoke. But I didn’t care. My kids were waiting.

I took their hands, and we walked out — together, finally safe.