Arjun and I have been married for eight years, and we have a six-year-old son named Vivaan. In the eyes of everyone in our Mumbai apartment complex, I was lucky to have a successful husband who drove a luxury car and spoke sweetly. But only I knew that behind that ostentatious facade, Arjun had been cheating on me for four years. He had a mistress—a girl seven years younger than me, named Riya.

This wasn’t revealed to me through a phone call or text, but by accident from a neighbor:

— I saw Vivaan’s father with a very beautiful girl, and she was even holding a baby!

I was stunned to hear this. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the “beautiful girl” was Riya, and the “child” was the illegitimate child Arjun had never acknowledged. My heart felt like it was pierced by a knife. For the past four years, I’ve been living next to that man, caring for my family while he’s raising another family in the dark.

I cried and cried all night. The next morning, I told my mother-in-law, Mrs. Suman, who was gentle and calm by nature. I thought she would get angry and scold her son. But no, she just sighed and took my hand:

Son, pretend you don’t know anything. Don’t blow this out of proportion now.

My throat choked:

Why did I tell you to be patient? You’ve been deceived and cheated for so many years!

Mrs. Suman looked at me with deep eyes:

I understand your pain. But believe me, in just a month you’ll see his true face.

I had my doubts, but I’ve always respected my mother-in-law’s wisdom. She never said anything unnecessary. Thinking this, I gritted my teeth and listened as if I knew nothing, even though my heart was burning.

During that month, my mother-in-law acted secretly. She often invited Arjun home for dinner, using the excuse of ill health and caring for her son. Once, she even deliberately called while Arjun was with Riya, which made him nervous. She didn’t scold him, but instead said softly:
— I wish you’d remember: there’s still a wife in this house, there are still children.

At that very moment, Mrs. Suman somehow reached Riya. No one knew what they said, but one day, I overheard neighbors gossiping:
— I heard that the elders of her husband’s family were talking to the mistress. So she broke down in tears and went back home.

I was stunned. When I asked again, my mother-in-law just smiled slightly:
— There are some things women shouldn’t do. Just let me handle it.

At this, Arjun panicked. Riya left, the child was taken back to her home, and relatives gossiped about him. I don’t understand how my mother-in-law did this, but she certainly knew many things I didn’t expect.

One night, when we were alone in the kitchen, she gently explained…

— Son, when a man makes a mistake, if his wife makes a fuss, it sometimes has the opposite effect. They become more stubborn and cling to each other. I want you to be patient for a while, so my son can forget the insult and see his mistakes for himself.

To be honest, after a few weeks, Arjun had completely changed. He went out less often, took the initiative to take Vivaan out, tried to reconcile with me, and even installed cameras in the house, as proof: “I’ve changed.” Seeing him still hurt my heart, but I secretly thanked my mother-in-law.

If it weren’t for her, my family would have disintegrated in chaos and embarrassment. Mrs. Suman’s tact—gentle and decisive—filled me with family warmth, and also made Arjun bow his head and look back.

A month that felt like a century has passed. I don’t know what the future holds, but I understand: there are times when women need to exercise understanding and patience, and they need a strong adult to stand behind them and show them the way. For me, that person is my mother-in-law—Mrs. Suman.