Keywords: family conflict, entitlement, property dispute, mother-son relationship, marriage tension

Living in a bustling city in the USA, I, Victoria, had worked hard to secure a comfortable life for myself and, by extension, my family. My son, Brandon, had recently married Heather, a woman who, at first, seemed to blend perfectly into our family. However, time has a way of revealing true colors, and Heather’s were far from the harmonious palette we had initially perceived.

The apartment in question was a quaint, yet spacious two-bedroom place in a desirable part of the city. It was an investment I had made years ago, thinking it might serve as a good start for Brandon and his future family. The idea of transferring the apartment to Brandon had been floating around in my mind, especially since he and Heather seemed to be struggling to find a place of their own that was both affordable and comfortable.

One evening, I invited Brandon and Heather over for dinner to discuss the possibility of transferring the apartment to them. The night was pleasant until the conversation turned towards the future of the apartment. That’s when Heather’s demeanor shifted dramatically.

“If it’s not my place, I won’t lift a finger!” Heather declared, her voice laced with an unexpected venom. The room fell silent. Brandon looked at me, his eyes apologetic, but he said nothing.

The following weeks were a whirlwind of tension and awkward encounters. I tried to discuss the matter further with Brandon, hoping it was just a misunderstanding, but Heather’s attitude remained unchanged. She seemed more interested in what the apartment could do for her than what it meant to our family.

The final straw came when I learned that Heather had been looking into how she could redecorate the apartment without my consent, planning changes that were not only expensive but would strip the place of its character. It was clear that her vision for the apartment did not align with mine, nor did it respect the sentimental value it held for our family.

After much deliberation, I decided against transferring the apartment to Brandon. Instead, I chose to keep it as a rental property. The decision caused a rift between Brandon and me, one that, unfortunately, has not healed to this day. Heather’s declaration had revealed a side of her that I could not overlook, and it had cost me more than just the peace of my home—it had cost me a part of my relationship with my son.