I received the keys to the mansion I inherited, and my husband’s family came in choosing rooms as if I didn’t matter anymore until I held up the papers and said something that wiped the smiles off their faces.

Maya clenched her jaw as Martha went straight to the master bedroom on the first floor. She sat on the double bed to test the mattress with her hands and made a loud announcement.

“This room is absolutely perfect for us because I don’t go up and down stairs like I used to, so I will stay right here.”

“No, Mom, that is the main bedroom,” Austin said in a conciliatory tone, not to defend his wife’s space, but merely to negotiate the layout. “There is another very good room upstairs with a dressing room and a terrace that you would like just as much.”

Meanwhile, Austin’s younger brother, Shane, was already inspecting the second-floor rooms with his wife.

“This room has very good light, and my girls could sleep here when we move our things in,” Shane’s wife remarked.

Maya felt like she couldn’t breathe as she realized what was happening. “When exactly are we moving?” she asked, but her voice was drowned out by their excitement.

On the terrace, her father-in-law, Bill, contemplated the view with his hands behind his back.

“This place is perfect for some top-notch barbecues, and I can already imagine Sundays here with the whole family.”

Maya felt invisible, as if the house had magically appeared in Austin’s hands and her mother’s inheritance was a community prize for his relatives. Austin returned to her side with a proud smile and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Did you see it? It turned out perfect, and I thought the big upstairs room could be for my parents while Shane and his family take the other one.”

He kept talking without noticing her expression, suggesting that Bridget could move into the guest room once she left her apartment.

“That way we all help each other out, and it is only logical since the house is so big.”

Maya pulled away from his arm and looked at him slowly. “Logical for whom, Austin?”

Finally, there was a heavy silence in the room as everyone turned around to look at her. Austin frowned and asked her what was wrong with the plan.

Maya looked up and fixed her eyes on each of them, asking with a calmness that was more frightening than a scream who told them the house was for them to live in.

“What do you mean by that? It is your house, isn’t it?” Martha exclaimed in shock.

“Are you suddenly afraid to share with your family?” Bridget added while crossing her arms.