Chapter 1 — My mother-in-law made a will to steal my property, leaving the whole family empty-handed

My mother-in-law made a will to take all my dowry? I turned around and went to get it notarized, letting her dream beautifully during the day. While cleaning the room, I accidentally discovered a will that my mother-in-law left on the cabinet. The name is yours. But the content... made me read it over and over again, thinking I was reading it wrong. All the “assets” in there — are all my dowry. My parents gave me jewelry. The car is in my name. The dowry house also bears my name. I held the will and stood in front of her.

“Mom, you made a will… why did you take my dowry?”

She did not panic. On the contrary, he smiled very calmly.

"You have married into this house, your things, of course, also belong to our family."

I nodded. Then, slowly say a sentence. The smile on her face... immediately froze. My name is Hua Tinh. Having been married for three years, I have always considered myself a good enough wife and not a bad daughter-in-law. Today is the weekend, my husband Ly Hao went to the company for team building. There was only me left in the house, taking advantage of the general cleaning. While arranging the wardrobe in the master bedroom, a heavy wooden chest suddenly slid down from above. Falling with a "bang" right in front of me. Those are things belonging to her mother-in-law, Chu Cam. She always said that inside was her dowry, as precious as gold, and had never been touched by anyone. The fall dislodged the lock. The contents were scattered all over the floor. There was no gold or jewelry like I thought. There are only stacks of old papers — red books, savings books. And a brand new file wrapped in a parchment bag. On it were written two words: Will. I was stunned. The mother-in-law is only fifty-five years old, her health is still very good, why did she make a will? For some reason, I still bent down to pick it up. Before opening it, I still felt a little guilty. But when I opened it... The feeling of guilt disappeared, replaced by a cold fantasy. The content of the will is very simple. Just dividing assets after her death. The old house was in her name and left to my husband Ly Hao. 200,000 yuan in savings, left to her daughter - my brother-in-law, Ly Vy. Very fair. I have no opinion. But when I read down... My breath suddenly caught. In the appendix, there is a section called “additional family assets”. The lines are neat and clear, chilling. Item one: Apartment 801, unit 1, building 12, Thien Duyet area, inherited by daughter. Item two: A Mercedes C260, license plate Kinh Axxxxx, inherited by daughter. The blood in my body... instantly turned cold. Thien Duyet apartment - is my pre-marital property. My parents paid in full as my dowry. That Mercedes — also my dowry car. Everything is in my name. But now... In Chu Cam's will, they turned into "family assets" that she could divide at will. And the beneficiary — is her daughter, Ly Vy. From beginning to end... I never mentioned Hua Tinh, not even a single word. As if I never existed. There were only my things, which she clearly listed as spoils of war. I held the paper, my hands shaking. I thought I was looking at it wrong. I read it again and again three times. Each word, like a steel needle, stabbed straight into my eyes. At that moment, Chu Cam returned from the market. As soon as she entered the house, she was humming and singing, her expression relaxed. She saw the will in my hand. His facial expression did not change. I put the will in front of her. My voice is very calm calm, so calm that even I felt strange.

“Mom, you made a will, I have no opinion.”

“But what does it mean to use your dowry house and car…?”

She did not accept. Just laugh. That smile was full of naturalness. Even with a bit of pity... like looking at a fool.

“Tieu Tinh, do you still not understand?”

"If you marry into the Ly family, you are a member of the Ly family."

"My things, of course, also belong to the Ly family."

“I'm an elder, I'll help you make arrangements first, what's wrong?”

Take my house and car… Make arrangements for your daughter. Call it an arrangement? I looked at her face full of "natural sense". The past three years… were like a movie, exploding in my head. My salary card, on the first day of marriage, was confiscated by her. The reason is “centralized management”. My car, she always wanted to give Ly Vy to work. The reason is "it's not safe for girls to ride the bus". My dowry house is empty. She repeatedly wanted Ly Vy to move in, saying that "letting it go for nothing is a waste." Before, I thought it was just family differences. She just has no boundaries. But today I understand. In her eyes... Me, and everything I bring with me... are just dependents of the Ly family. It's something that can be taken at will. Feel free to give it away to others. I took a deep breath. Try to suppress the underground waves in your heart. I don't argue anymore. Just nodded slightly, saying a very light sentence.

“Okay, I understand.”

Having finished speaking, I turned around and went upstairs. Go back to your room, close the door. Chu Cam was downstairs pouting. Probably thought I was "in the clear". I took out my phone. Call Ly Hao. This is the last chance… I have for him, and for this marriage. The phone rang for a long time before someone picked up. The other end was noisy, with music, laughter, and someone calling, "Mr. Hao, come over and drink quickly."

“Hello, wife, what's going on?”

Ly Hao's voice carried a bit of discomfort.

"I was cleaning the house and accidentally saw my mother's will."

My voice was very calm. The other end of the line was silent for half a second. Then, his voice immediately rose.

"Why are you touching her things? I told you, don't touch that chest!"

His first reaction was to blame me. My heart… sank a little.

“The chest fell down on its own, the lock popped out.”

"In the will, my house and car... are left to Ly Vy."

I say every word clearly. I expected him to be surprised, angry, and on my side. Just one sentence "how can this be possible"... is enough. But he doesn't. The other end of the line fell silent for a long time. So long that I could clearly hear his heavy breathing.

“…It's no big deal, what do you think?”

He finally spoke, his voice light.

"Isn't it just a will? Mom is still healthy, it's a long way from that."

“Besides, you just wrote that, it has no legal value.”

"Why are you comparing this? It'll still make her unhappy."

My heart... sank a little more. From beginning to end, he never thought his mother was wrong. In his eyes, I was "comparing", that I was "making her uncomfortable".

"Ly Hao, that's my pre-marital property."

“On what basis did you write in your will?”

“You don't have that right.”

“Okay okay, I know!”

His voice became more and more impatient.

"Isn't it just a house and a car? Do I need to do that much?"

“We are people One family, what's the point of dividing it so clearly?

"Your mother also knows, she loves Tieu Vy, I just wrote this to make her happy."

“Don't think too much, just turn around and tell her.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone called him on the other side.

“No more talking, we're busy here, hang up.”

The call was abruptly interrupted.