When he arrived home that evening, the house felt colder than usual. His wife did not greet him with a smile, or even a neutral glance. Instead, she looked at him with eyes filled with frustration and irritation. Before he could even take off his coat, she spoke sharply:
“I’ve had enough of your mother. Either you put her in a nursing home, or I’m leaving.”
Her words sliced through the air like a blade. He stood there silently, heart heavy, head lowered. He knew deep inside that this should not even be something to debate. His mother — the woman who raised him, fed him, protected him, sacrificed everything — had now become a problem in the eyes of the woman he married.
“I… I’ll take care of it,” he whispered, even though he did not truly mean it. His wife smirked with satisfaction. That smile hurt more than the demand itself.
The next few days were filled with tension. His wife did not stop with that one moment. She invited her parents over to help pressure him. The atmosphere in their living room became toxic.
“Your mother in a home, or you lose my daughter!” her father yelled.
His mother-in-law sat comfortably on the sofa, smirking, adding fuel. “Your mother is old, useless, and a burden. A nursing home is the best place for her.”
He listened, hurt and stunned. He looked at his mother — frail, quiet, sitting with her hands folded gently in her lap — and then back at the people demanding he throw her away like an unwanted responsibility.
Finally, he stood up.
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice shaking. “I can’t stay silent any longer. You insult my mother under my own roof and expect me to betray her? This has gone far enough.”
He looked directly at his wife. “Tell me — what if one day you become old and your own child decides you are a burden? Would you want to be thrown away the same way you are suggesting I do to my mother?”
His wife froze, speechless.
He reached into his pocket, removed his wedding ring, and placed it on the table. His eyes were no longer soft — they were cold, clear, and determined.
“If you cannot respect my mother,” he said firmly, “then it is better if you leave this house. Because I will never abandon the woman who gave me life.”
Some decisions define a person’s character more than anything else. This man chose loyalty, honor, and gratitude — not convenience.