{"id":116498,"date":"2025-03-07T11:10:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T04:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/?p=116498"},"modified":"2025-03-07T11:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T04:10:49","slug":"my-mother-in-law-faked-a-call-to-avoid-dinner-but-she-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/my-mother-in-law-faked-a-call-to-avoid-dinner-but-she-made\/","title":{"rendered":"My Mother-In-Law Faked A Call to Avoid Dinner \u2013 But She Made&hellip;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>My Mother-In-Law Faked A Call to Avoid Dinner \u2013 But She Made a Big Mistake&hellip;\n<p>I had always sensed that my mother-in-law, Denise, didn\u2019t care for me.\n</p><p>She was never outright rude, but there was always an unspoken distance\u2014like she saw me as just a passing phase in her son\u2019s life.\n</p><p>So when my husband, Julian, invited her over for dinner, I wasn\u2019t shocked when, right before we ate, she suddenly received a \u201cwork call.\u201d\n</p><p>\u201cOh, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d she sighed theatrically, holding up her phone. \u201cIt\u2019s my manager\u2014I have to take this.\u201d\n</p><p>Julian looked a little disappointed but nodded. \u201cOf course, Mom.\u201d\n</p><p>She stepped away, phone pressed to her ear. \u201cYes, I understand. No, that\u2019s totally fine. I can leave now if you need me to.\u201d She threw us an exaggeratedly regretful glance as if she truly hated to miss dinner.\n</p><p>But I wasn\u2019t convinced.\n</p><p><img fetchpriority='\"high\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"aligncenter' size-full wp-image-116501 src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/legendstitch.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2025%5C/03%5C/mil-avoid-dinner.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"640\"' height='\"799\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mil-avoid-dinner.webp' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><p>Then I saw it.\n</p><p>As she tapped her phone, there was no call screen, no active timer, no missed call alert. Instead, her front camera was open, reflecting her own slightly confused face.\n</p><p>She quickly fumbled to close it, but it was too late\u2014I had already seen.\n</p><p>I glanced at Julian, but he hadn\u2019t noticed. Now, I had a choice to make.\n</p><p>I could have called her out on the spot. I could have laughed, made a sarcastic comment, or simply given her a knowing look. But instead, I smiled sweetly.\n</p><p>\u201cOh no, Denise, are you sure you have to go? We made your favorite\u2014lemon herb chicken.\u201d\n</p><p>She hesitated for just a second, her fingers tightening around her phone. She knew I had caught her. I saw it in the way her gaze darted away, in how she shifted on her feet, like a child caught sneaking an extra cookie.\n</p><p>But she was already committed to the lie. \u201cYes, unfortunately,\u201d she said, forcing a regretful tone. \u201cWork emergency. You know how it is.\u201d\n</p><p>I exhaled slowly. I wasn\u2019t angry\u2014just tired of the games. But this? This was a new level of avoidance.\n</p><p>Later that evening, I casually brought it up with Julian.<br>\n\u201cDid you notice anything weird about your mom\u2019s call?\u201d\n</p><p>I hesitated, not wanting to stir up conflict. But he needed to know. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t actually on a call. Her front camera was open.\u201d\n</p><p>For a moment, Julian\u2019s expression was unreadable. Then, he let out a small chuckle. \u201cI don\u2019t know whether to be irritated or impressed.\u201d\n</p><p>I smiled, relieved he wasn\u2019t upset. \u201cSo, what now?\u201d\n</p><p>Julian drummed his fingers on the table, thinking. Then a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes. \u201cWe invite her over again.\u201d\n</p><p>The following week, we went all out\u2014her favorite meal, a beautifully set table, and even a dessert she loved. I wanted to see if she\u2019d pull the same stunt.\n</p><p>And sure enough, just as we were about to sit down, her phone \u201crang.\u201d Barely glancing at the screen, she stood up. \u201cOh dear,\u201d she sighed. \u201cIt\u2019s work again. I really hate to do this, but\u2014\u201d\n</p><p>This time, Julian smoothly interrupted. \u201cNo worries, Mom. We\u2019ll wait.\u201d<br>\nShe hesitated, clearly caught off guard. \u201cUh\u2026 well\u2026 it might be a long call.\u201d\n</p><p>An awkward silence followed before she finally sighed and set her phone down. \u201cAlright, fine. You got me.\u201d\n</p><p>Her face flushed slightly. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I don\u2019t want to be here. It\u2019s just\u2026 I\u2019m used to it being just Julian and me. And now things feel different. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes it feels like I\u2019ve lost my son.\u201d\n</p><p>Julian reached for her hand. \u201cMom, you haven\u2019t lost me.\u201d\n</p><p>She nodded slowly. \u201cI know. And I know you love her. I guess I just felt like if I stopped coming, eventually, you\u2019d stop inviting me.\u201d\n</p><p>I placed my hand over hers. \u201cDenise, you don\u2019t have to pretend. If you need time, that\u2019s okay. But just know\u2014you\u2019re always welcome. Not out of obligation, but because we truly want you here.\u201d\n</p><p>That night, for the first time, we had a real conversation. She still wasn\u2019t overly warm, but she made an effort. And, for once, it felt like maybe\u2014just maybe\u2014she saw me as more than a temporary part of Julian\u2019s life.\n</p><p>Relationships aren\u2019t always simple. They take patience, honesty, and sometimes a little strategy. But in the end, everyone just wants to feel like they belong.\n</p><p>&nbsp;\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>My Mother-In-Law Faked A Call to Avoid Dinner \u2013 But She Made a Big Mistake&hellip; I had always sensed that my mother-in-law, Denise, didn\u2019t care for me. She was never outright rude, but there was always an unspoken distance\u2014like she saw me as just a passing phase in her son\u2019s life. So when my husband,\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[818],"class_list":{"0":"post-116498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moral-story","8":"tag-moral-touching-stories"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mil-avoid-dinner.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116498"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116502,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116498\/revisions\/116502"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></strong></p>