Uncover the Conspiracy of the Evil Mother-in-law

The commotion woke Hugh from his sleep. As soon as he stumbled out of the room while rubbing his eyes, Gloria immediately rushed over to him and wrapped herself around his legs, while wailing dramatically.

"No one wanted me! Even my daughter-in-law scolded me! I'm so pitiful!"

Without a hint of shame, she got ahead of me, complaining as she clung to her son. Then she dropped herself to the floor with a loud thud and her eyes squeezed shut.

I met Hugh's confused eyes and for a split second, I felt a wave of disbelief. My hand shook as I held up the evidence. My face was burning red because of anger and embarrassment.

"Hugh, please ask your mother to explain herself. Why was she sneaking around in the middle of the night with my underwear? If she doesn’t give me a good explanation, this isn’t over!"

Both of them froze at my outburst. From their reactions, I was even more certain that Gloria had something to do with all my other underwear that had gone missing.

Gloria's eyes darted around. Suddenly, it seemed an idea popped into her head. She puffed out her chest and her expression turned casual, as if none of this mattered at all. She opened her mouth and started shouting, her tone full of disdain.

"It’s just a few sets of underwear! They’re nothing special. I’ll give you the money and you can buy new ones."

"Why are you making such a fuss? I’m your elder! Is this how you speak to your elders?"

"Your father didn’t raise you right!"

That last insult was too much for me. How dare she insult my family? Without thinking, I grabbed her collar. My face contorted with rage.

It was late and I was tired of her antics. As I was gripping her clothes, I yanked her up, forced her to look me in the eye and glared down at her.

"Start speaking! Or I’ll throw you out of this house right now. Don’t forget, this house is mine!"

For the first time, I let my temper explode in front of them. Gloria’s smug expression froze, but when she regained her composure, she raised her hand to slap me. Before she could make contact, I dodged out of the way.

Her face turned beet red with frustration because she did not manage to slap me. So, she stood up and tried to strike me again, but I pushed her to the floor with all my strength. Hugh finally reacted and instinctively rushed over to help his mother.

"Oh, heaven help me! What kind of daughter-in-law hits her own mother-in-law? I’ve been cursed with bad luck!"

"And what about a few pieces of underwear, huh? Is there anything I can’t take? Let me tell you, each pair of those panties sells for seventy-five dollars! You can’t even beg for them at that price!"

"They were old anyway! What’s the big deal about selling them for money? Earning a hundred and fifty a day is way better than working!"

The room fell silent. I stood frozen, watching Gloria huddled in Hugh’s arms, ranting nonstop. At that moment, something inside me snapped.

What did she just say?  Seventy-five dollars for a pair of old underwear. Did she say sold? Did she mean she had been stealing my underwear to sell? 

Was this really something that a mother-in-law would do?