The car braked suddenly and came to a stop. Arius, a serious young man, wasn’t the type to randomly pick up a stranger hitchhiking on the side of the road.
The gated community where he lived with his mother was about 15 kilometers from the city. Their house was warm and inviting. Spending the summer there was always a pleasure, and Arius usually left for work around 7 a.m., when the roads were still quiet and the surrounding forest stirred peaceful thoughts and nostalgic memories.
The girl approached the car and, smiling, looked in through the open window.
— Hi, — she said cheerfully. — Could you give me a ride to the city?
— Aren’t you afraid to get into a stranger’s car in the middle of the woods? — Arius asked, smiling.
— Why should I be afraid of you? — she replied. — You’ve got a nice car and kind eyes. I don’t see how someone with eyes like that and a car like this could hurt me.
Arius laughed out loud. It had been a long time since he’d seen such innocent sincerity — he honestly believed it no longer existed.
Izabelle, originally from a small town, was open-hearted and trusting. When Arius proposed to her just three weeks after they met, she didn’t hesitate. He seemed confident and charming.
“Just like Aunt Chlóe predicted,” Izabelle thought silently, holding Arius’s hand and cautiously watching his mother, who reacted to the wedding news like it was a mild earthquake.
After the wedding, Izabelle and Arius moved into his apartment in the city. The country house wasn’t very comfortable. Besides, Arius’s mother, Carly, didn’t show much warmth toward her new daughter-in-law.
— I’m honestly surprised at you, son, — Carly would say during her visits. — Was that country girl really the best option among your acquaintances? — she’d sigh, shaking her head with her ever-perfect hairstyle.
Arius would smile, never arguing. He had no interest in explaining how content and at peace he felt with his small, loving household. Carly was cold and reserved. To Arius, Izabelle — warm, affectionate, and joyful — was the perfect complement to both wife and mother.
Years went by, and Izabelle and Arius had a lovely daughter named Melly. Izabelle never left her side, and over time, Carly began to soften. She observed how Izabelle loved her son, cared for the family, and raised Melly with a balance of tenderness and discipline. Although Carly was a tough and even cynical woman, she knew how to recognize when she was wrong.
So Arius wasn’t surprised when, one day, Carly finally put her pride aside and invited Izabelle and Melly to spend a few days at the country house.
— Ari, I’m scared to go, — Izabelle whispered, making every excuse to avoid visiting her mother-in-law.
— She’s not going to eat you, — Arius laughed, kissing her neck playfully.
— Yes, she will. She’ll eat me… and then Marita for dessert, — Izabelle sighed. — Then you’ll regret it and cry, but it’ll be too late, — she added dramatically, letting a tear slip for theatrical effect.
But nothing could change his mind. Arius grabbed the picnic basket, helped bubbly blue-eyed Marita into the backseat, nudged his reluctant wife into the front, and the whole family — chatting, laughing, and teasing — set off.
Carly was genuinely happy to welcome them. She smiled at Izabelle, and the young woman knew at that moment the war was over. From that day forward, a beautiful friendship blossomed between them. Each day, their bond grew stronger, built on trust and mutual respect.
Izabelle went back to work, and Marita began spending more time with Carly, who read her stories, taught her piano, and gave her English lessons. Carly had once worked as a simultaneous interpreter, and the curious little girl loved listening to her grandmother’s stories about foreign countries and interesting people she had met.
A few more years passed. One day, Izabelle arrived unannounced at Carly’s house, with Marita by her side. She was noticeably thinner, tense, and quiet.
— Izabelle, what’s wrong? — Carly asked, worried. — You’re not sick, are you?
Izabelle sighed, sat down in a chair, and burst into tears.
— Ari hasn’t lived with us for six months, — she sobbed. — At first, he’d come home late and say work was overwhelming. Then he began disappearing for days. He’d show up, change clothes, kiss Marita, ignore me, and leave again. I thought it was just stress. It’s been almost a year since we’ve seen any money from him. But that’s okay — I’m a nurse, I earn enough.
We’re getting by. But then, one day, someone knocked on the door. I opened it, and there stood a woman. Beautiful, elegant, wearing a hat. Her handbag was luxurious — the kind I’d only ever seen on TV. Izabelle paused, took a breath, and continued.
She looked me in the eye and said: “You’re a loser. You’re not worthy of Arius. He’s going to live with me now. Pack your things and take your dumb daughter with you. Arius and I have better things to do — without her.”
— I’m not dumb. And I’m very well-mannered, — said Marita suddenly, turning around, clearly offended. Carly and Izabelle hadn’t noticed she’d gone to the kitchen and had been listening to the adults for several minutes.
— Of course you’re not dumb, — Carly said firmly. — You’re a smart and polite little girl. That’s why we’re going to live together. And your mother is coming with us.
Izabelle wiped her tears, stunned by Carly’s words.
But the iron lady had already made her decision. And when Arius later called to announce he was getting a divorce and hinted that he hoped Carly would soon rewrite the will in his favor, she responded calmly and with grace.
What she didn’t mention was that the will had already been changed.
And now, the official owners of the house were none other than his ex-wife Izabelle… and little Marita, who at that very moment was playing happily, ruffling her grandmother’s perfectly styled hair — the woman she adored most in the world.