My MIL deliberately gifted my daughter a kitten for her birthday—knowing full well that I’m allergic to fur. She wanted me to be the bad guy, forcing me to take the kitten away so my daughter would hate me for it.
I swear, this was planned. She could have asked. She could have picked a different gift. But no—she chose a kitten, just to make me look LIKE A MONSTER.
Honestly, I have the strongest urge to take the kitten and leave it right on her doorstep. Let’s see how she deals with it. What would you do in my place?!
I stood there in the middle of our living room, watching my daughter, Maddie, cradle the tiny gray kitten like it was the most precious thing in the world. Her eyes were wide with joy, her smile as bright as a summer morning. My heart clenched.
I was allergic. Not mildly allergic—not the kind where a few sneezes and some Benadryl could fix it. No, I was the “hives, swollen eyes, struggling to breathe” kind of allergic.
My husband, Daniel, sat frozen on the couch, clearly uncomfortable. He knew. He had to have known.
I turned to him, voice low. “Did you know about this?”
He shook his head, looking helpless. “I swear, I didn’t.”
Maddie nuzzled the kitten, giggling. “Mommy! Look! She loves me! Can I name her Luna? Grandma said she’s mine forever!”
Oh, that woman. “Forever” was a carefully chosen word. If I took the kitten away, I would be the evil stepmother from every fairytale, the villain in my daughter’s story. MIL knew exactly what she was doing.
I inhaled deeply—bad idea, because my throat immediately felt itchy—and forced a smile. “Luna is adorable, sweetheart. But—”
“But nothing, right?” Maddie interrupted, her excitement bubbling over. “We get to keep her, right?”
Daniel shot me a look that said, Please don’t crush her right now.
I was about to respond when my phone buzzed. A message from MIL.
Hope Maddie loves her new best friend. I know you’ll do the right thing.
Oh, I bet she was smirking as she typed that. I could practically hear the condescension in her voice.
I looked back at Maddie, who was already making a bed for Luna out of an old shoebox and some socks. My stomach twisted. I had to think.
The first night was rough. I barely slept, my throat scratchy, my nose clogged. Even after banishing Luna to the guest room, my symptoms persisted. This wasn’t sustainable.
By morning, I knew I had to do something.
I sat down at the kitchen table with Daniel, rubbing my temples. “We need to talk.”
He sighed. “I know. I just don’t know how to fix this without breaking Maddie’s heart.”
“I’m not the bad guy here,” I said firmly. “Your mother knew exactly what she was doing. And she thinks I won’t fight back.”
Daniel hesitated. “What if we try allergy meds? Or maybe keep Luna in just one room?”
I shot him a look. “That’s not how allergies work, and you know it. I’d still be miserable.”
We sat in silence.
Then, an idea struck me. It was risky, but it might just work.
That afternoon, I called MIL. “You know, the kitten is adorable,” I began sweetly. “Maddie loves her. But I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“Oh?” she said, feigning innocence. “Thinking about what?”
“Well, you were right. I do need to do the right thing. And I realized Luna deserves more attention than we can give her. So, I made a few calls…”
There was a pause. “Calls?”
“Yes,” I continued, my voice laced with satisfaction. “A woman at Maddie’s school runs a cat rescue. She found the perfect home for Luna—a big house, two kids who’ve been dreaming of a kitten, and best of all? The mom isn’t allergic! Isn’t that wonderful?”
Silence.
Then, MIL practically spat, “You gave the kitten away?!”
“Not yet,” I said smoothly. “But I’ll be dropping her off tomorrow. I know Maddie will be heartbroken, but I’ll explain how sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the good of others. She’ll understand. Eventually.”
I could hear her struggling to come up with a response. I knew exactly what she was thinking. If I rehomed Luna, she could paint me as the villain. But if she stepped in…
“Well, that’s just… You know, I’d hate for Maddie to lose her new friend,” MIL finally said, her tone changing. “Maybe I could…”
“Oh, Mom, are you offering to take Luna?” I said, feigning surprise. “That would mean so much to Maddie! You’d be her hero!”
A long, begrudging sigh. “Yes. Yes, fine. I’ll take her. But only because I don’t want Maddie to be upset.”
“Of course,” I said sweetly. “You’re so generous.”
That evening, I sat Maddie down. “Sweetheart, Grandma loves Luna so much, and she was so sad when she heard we might have to find her another home. She asked if she could keep Luna, so she’ll still be in the family!”
Maddie pouted. “But I wanted to keep her.”
I nodded. “I know, baby. But you remember how Daddy can’t eat peanuts because they make him sick? Well, kittens make me sick like that. If I could change that, I would. But guess what? You can visit Luna at Grandma’s anytime!”
She sniffled but nodded. “You promise?”
“I promise. And you know what? We can go pick out a special toy for Luna to take to Grandma’s house. So she won’t forget you.”
That got a little smile out of her.
Two days later, we took Luna to MIL’s house. Maddie handed over a tiny pink mouse toy, whispering, “Don’t forget me, Luna.”
MIL was stiff and clearly bitter. But she had no choice now. She had set the game, and I had flipped the board.
As we drove home, Maddie was quiet. Then, she looked up at me. “Mom?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“You did the right thing.”
I smiled, blinking away the sting in my eyes. “I tried.”
And in the rearview mirror, I saw her little smile.
Lesson? Sometimes, people try to set you up to fail. They want you to react, to explode, to fall into their trap. But the best revenge? Outthinking them. Playing the game better. And in the end, doing the right thing for the ones who truly matter.
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