Anna was eight months pregnant and barely sleeping through the night. The doctors had advised her to rest as much as possible — dizziness and stomach pain were already making every morning a struggle. But her mother-in-law, Tamara, refused to show even a shred of compassion.
At six in the morning, Tamara barged into the room, ripped the blanket off Anna, and barked, “Get up, you lazy thing! I’m hungry! How long are you going to lie around?”
Anna’s body ached, and the cold air made her shiver. She tried to explain, “I feel light-headed… I need a moment,” but Tamara only rolled her eyes.
“You’re just pretending,” she hissed. “My generation worked in the fields while pregnant.”
Anna forced herself out of bed, tears in her eyes. Her husband, Sergei, had already left early for work, unaware of how cruel his mother had become. Anna spent the morning cleaning, cooking, and nearly fainted twice — each time Tamara accusing her of being dramatic.
But the next day, everything changed.
Sergei unexpectedly came home early after one of the neighbors called him about seeing Anna collapse in the yard. Panicked, he rushed home — and found his wife on the sofa, pale and trembling, while his mother stood over her complaining about unwashed dishes.
He exploded. “Mom, WHAT are you doing? She’s pregnant, she can barely stand!”
Tamara froze, shocked that her son dared to raise his voice.
Sergei immediately drove Anna to the hospital. The doctor told him that Anna was dangerously dehydrated and exhausted; another day of stress like that could have harmed both her and the baby.
When Tamara arrived at the hospital expecting sympathy, Sergei met her in the hallway. His voice was cold.
“You will NOT treat my wife like this again. If you want to stay in our lives, you change. Starting now.”
Tamara’s face crumbled — for the first time realizing the consequences of her cruelty.
And from that day on, she never woke Anna rudely again.
In fact… she started helping. Quietly. Awkwardly. Imperfectly.
Because sometimes the harshest people only change when life finally confronts them with their own reflection.
