My mother-in-law brewed a tonic for me, saying it would help me have a son. But I secretly swapped it for my mother-in-law and husband. Unexpectedly, tragedy struck just a few days later…
My name is Priya, I’m 27, and I’ve been married for almost two years. My husband, Arjun, is 30, an electrical engineer, kind but very obedient to his mother. My husband’s family lives in the suburbs of Delhi. My mother-in-law, Kavita, 56, is famous in the family for constantly emphasizing the need for a grandson to carry on the family line.

I was pregnant once but miscarried early. Since then, Kavita has become increasingly anxious. At every meal, she looks at me as if she’s sizing up every bite I take. If I cough even slightly, she sighs:

“So thin, how can you give birth to a healthy son!”

One rainy afternoon, she called me down to the kitchen. On the stove was a pot of Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) emitting a strong, pungent smell and thick smoke. Kavita said confidently,

“This tonic was prepared by a renowned doctor from the village next door. Drinking it will improve your health, make it easier to conceive, and guarantee you’ll have a son.”

I hesitated,

“Mom, I’m afraid this unfamiliar medicine won’t suit my body…”

She snapped, her spoon clacking on the table, “You have to drink it! This family only needs a grandson to be perfect!”

Arjun sat beside me, not saying a word to help me, only gently saying,

“Just drink it to make Mom happy… it’s just a tonic, what’s the harm?”

I looked at the dark brown, bitter-tasting medicine. After two days, I started feeling nauseous, dizzy, and burning hot all night. I tossed and turned restlessly every night. I told Arjun, but he just patted my head reassuringly, “It’s probably just that your body isn’t used to the medicine yet.”

But on Tuesday evening, I overheard Mrs. Kavita whispering to her neighbor in the yard:

“This medicine has to be taken at the correct dosage… the more you take, the more effective it is. Women who want to have a son have to put in a little extra effort.”

I froze. My heart felt like it was turning to ice. I didn’t know what the medicine really was, nor did I believe in the idea of ​​“taking medicine to have a son.” But I was certain of one thing: she was forcing me to drink some shady, unknown concoction.

That night, I opened the pot of medicine, and a pungent smell assaulted my nostrils. A thought flashed through my mind: If the medicine was really effective, why should I be the only one drinking it?

And a reckless, daring thought began to well up inside me.

The next morning, I still picked up the cup of medicine, bowing my head and obediently saying yes. But when I went back into the kitchen, my hands were trembling… I secretly poured my medicine into Arjun’s water bottle, and the rest… I poured into my mother-in-law’s morning milk, saying softly:

“I think you should drink some too, Mom, you’ve been staying up late worrying about me so much lately.”

Mrs. Kavita smiled contentedly. Arjun didn’t suspect anything.

I didn’t expect that… that was the beginning of a series of tragedies. For the first two days, I felt much relieved. I didn’t have to take that terrible medicine anymore, and I felt less tired. But that peace was short-lived.

On the third day after I swapped the medicine, Arjun started acting strangely.

He came home later than usual. His face was flushed, and he was sweating profusely despite the cool weather. When I asked him what was wrong, he just vaguely replied:

“I’m just a little tired.”

That evening, during dinner, he suddenly put down his chopsticks and clutched his stomach:

“Why do I feel so uncomfortably hot all of a sudden…”

My mother-in-law, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She looked… noticeably younger. She talked more, laughed more, moved around more nimbly, and even actively did housework as if to show off her good health. But then something happened that sent chills down my spine: she became inexplicably irritable.

Just because I forgot to wipe the table, she yelled:

“You didn’t even notice the tablecloth, what kind of mother are you going to be!”

Arjun heard this, frowned, and mumbled:

“Mother, that’s going too far…”

I was startled. Arjun rarely reacted to his mother before. I looked at him and noticed his dark circles under his eyes; it felt like a fire was burning inside him.

That night, Arjun tossed and turned, unable to sleep, breathing heavily, occasionally getting up to drink water. I lay still, my heart pounding. I started to feel scared… not scared of being discovered, but scared that the medicine was actually problematic.

The next morning, my mother-in-law called me down to the kitchen to prepare the medicine again. She looked at me and ordered:

“Drink another cup today, and you must drink it regularly.”

I pretended to nod in agreement. But in my heart, I was determined: I had to find out what that medicine was.

While she went upstairs to change, I secretly opened the paper packet containing the herbs. Inside were all roots, dried bark, and some strange seeds. I didn’t know much about Ayurveda, but one thing startled me: a small, sealed packet, scrawled in ballpoint pen: “Energy Booster – 2 packets/time.”

My hands trembled. “Energy booster”—what was that? What kind of tonic was packaged and used in such a dosage?

I remembered what she had told the neighbor: “the more, the stronger.”

I’m starting to understand why I feel nauseous and dizzy after drinking. And why Arjun has been so irritable and restless these past few days, as if something is triggering him.

That afternoon, Arjun unexpectedly took the day off. He sat listlessly in the living room, staring at his phone and sighing. I asked,

“What’s wrong?”

Arjun spoke softly, his voice strained and strained:
“I don’t understand… I’m so restless and uncomfortable. I can’t concentrate. And…”
He paused, then blushed and continued,

“I feel… very uncomfortable physiologically.”

I was speechless.

I didn’t want to hear the details, but that was enough for me to know that the medicine wasn’t just a simple tonic.

That dinner was the first time I’d seen my husband’s family in such turmoil.

My mother-in-law had only eaten half a bowl of rice when she suddenly clutched her chest, gasping for breath, her face pale. She slammed her bowl down on the table:

“My heart… why is my heart beating so fast…”

Arjun, who was picking up food, also jumped up, his face flushed:

“I’m so dizzy…”

I stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen. A second later, Arjun stared straight at me, his voice unusually harsh:

“That medicine… who took it?”

I stammered:

“I… I took it.”

But at that moment, Mrs. Kavita turned to me, her eyes blazing, and said something that sent a chill down my spine:

“What did you take? I’m the one who took it! I’ve been taking it for you for the past few days!”

I froze.

Arjun looked at his mother, then at me. The atmosphere in the kitchen became thick with tension.

I knew… the truth was about to be revealed.

And I never expected that Arjun would be the one to find out first.

That night, my house was in utter chaos. Arjun took his mother upstairs to rest, and used his father’s old blood pressure monitor to check her blood pressure. Mrs. Kavita’s blood pressure had skyrocketed, and her pulse was rapid. She gasped for breath, muttering:

“Ungrateful… you forced me to take it, and now I’m in this state!”

Arjun turned around, his voice icy:

“Tell me clearly, Mother. What medicine did you give me?”

Mrs. Kavita avoided his gaze:
“A tonic. Medicine to help you have a son!”

Arjun slammed his hand on the table:

“What kind of tonic is it that almost made you faint, and you’ve been acting like you’re going crazy these past few days?”

I stood huddled by the kitchen door, my hands ice-cold. I knew I couldn’t hide it any longer. I spoke softly, my eyes stinging:

“I… I didn’t dare take it anymore. I was scared. I… secretly switched the medicine.”

Arjun spun around to look at me. The familiar gentleness was gone from his eyes, replaced by anger and confusion:

“Who did you switch it for?”

I didn’t dare look him in the eye, my voice hoarse:

“For… you and Mother.”

The air was deathly silent. I could clearly hear the ticking of the clock as if it were pounding against my temples.

Arjun stood still for a few seconds, then he went straight down to the kitchen, searching for the medicine bag. I ran after him, my heart pounding. He tore open the paper bag and pulled out the medicine. His hand stopped right where I’d seen the small packet.

He picked it up and read aloud:

“‘Energy booster – 2 packets/time’… What is this?”

I choked:

“I don’t know.”

Mrs. Kavita came down from upstairs, her legs still trembling, but her voice still firm:

“Give it to me! What do you know about this?!”

Arjun didn’t give it to her. He looked at his mother, his eyes reddening:

“Where did you get this medicine?”

Mrs. Kavita was silent. After a moment, she said, as if throwing stones:

“The matchmaker recommended it. They say if you want to ‘have a son,’ you have to drink this. Their son drank it and already has a grandson!”

Arjun laughed, but it was a bitter laugh:

“You believe those rumors so much that you made my wife take this random medicine?”

Kavita raised her voice:

“Without a son, who will carry on the family line? Do you want our relatives to laugh at us?”

I burst into tears:

“I don’t want to argue with you, Mom. But I’m scared… I’m really scared. I’m young, I want to have children, but not this way…”

Arjun looked at me, then suddenly his voice softened. He sighed, as if just recovering from his agitation:

“Tomorrow, we’ll all go to the hospital. All three of us will go.”

Kavita yelled:

“Go to the hospital? It’s so embarrassing!”

Arjun growled:

“If you want to die at home, that’s up to you. But I won’t let my wife take another drop of this medicine.”

The next morning, Arjun drove me and my mother-in-law to the hospital. The doctor asked very detailed questions about the medicine used. When he heard the description “Ayurveda medicine with a vitality-boosting packet,” the doctor frowned and requested a sample of the medicine for testing.

The results shocked my whole family: the “vitality booster” package contained an unknown stimulant that could cause heart rhythm disturbances, increased blood pressure, internal heat, endocrine disorders, and, with long-term use, could lead to dangerous complications.

Kavita slumped into a chair, her face pale. For the first time, I saw her without her usual fierce demeanor, only utter panic.

Arjun said nothing. He went out into the hallway to make a phone call. After a while, he returned, looked at his mother, and said slowly:

“Mother, never mention the matter of sons and daughters again. My children, my wife’s health… I’ll take care of them myself.”

Kavita pursed her lips. Her eyes were red, but she still tried to maintain her composure:

“Mother… I only wanted what was best for you all.”

I looked at her, no longer feeling the anger I had felt before. But I couldn’t forget the days I was forced to take the medicine, treated like a “baby-making machine.”

That evening, Arjun personally cooked a pot of plain rice porridge and brought it to me. He said softly,

“I’m sorry. I left you to suffer alone.”

I looked up and saw that he was also tired and ashamed.

“I’m also at fault… for being so secretive.”

Arjun shook his head,

“You did it because you weren’t protected.”

In the days that followed, Arjun took the initiative to have a frank conversation with his mother. He even made a condition: if she forced me to drink anything again, we would move out.

Kavita finally fell silent. Not because she had fully understood, but because she feared the real consequences.

As for me… after this incident, I understood one thing clearly: a child, whether a boy or a girl, should never be a reason for someone to control my life and my body.