Seeing my wife was too lazy to get up early, I took her back to her parents’ house, only to be shocked by her father’s words—it turned out to be a trap he had set…
On the day I married Meera, everyone in the village on the outskirts of Udaipur exclaimed, “Arjun is so lucky to have married Mr. Sharma’s beloved daughter.” Indeed, Meera was beautiful, gentle, and a young lady from a wealthy family involved in the silk trade. But few knew that married life was far from the idyllic picture outsiders imagined.

I worked for a company in the city, and every morning I would wake up at 6 a.m., shower, pray, and get ready. But Meera was different. She never woke up early, leaving me to struggle in the small kitchen. One day I reminded her:

“Will you get up with me to make masala tea and prepare breakfast?”

Meera snapped:

“If you’re free, do it yourself. I’m sleepy.”

Time and time again, my heart grew increasingly disillusioned. A wife who doesn’t know how to share, who only knows how to sleep—what kind of family could she possibly nurture?

One morning, utterly frustrated, I decided to drive Meera straight to her parents’ house in the old quarter. I simply thought: Mr. Sharma, being strict and traditional, would surely scold his daughter severely. But this very decision revealed a truth that choked me up.

As soon as we reached the gate of the small villa, Mr. Sharma was waiting under the eaves. I don’t know how, but he had anticipated my bringing my wife home. When I explained my reason, he wasn’t surprised but burst into laughter, his eyes revealing clear sarcasm:

“Ha! I knew you wouldn’t be able to handle it. You thought my son-in-law was so important, but it turns out he’s just like that.”

I was stunned, before I could understand, he turned to Meera:

“Beta, well done. Just do as I told you. A man who can’t handle a little challenge is no longer a pillar of the family.”

I was speechless. So… Meera’s laziness and refusal to get up early wasn’t entirely due to her personality. It was all Mr. Sharma’s doing. He told his daughter not to worry about housework, to sleep in, so that I would gradually lose patience. When I got angry and brought my wife back, he would have an excuse to humiliate me, proving that I wasn’t tolerant enough of his daughter.

While I was still reeling, Mr. Sharma continued, his voice firm but calculating:

“Arjun, do you think getting married is just about having a house and a bed? No! Marrying my daughter means you have to accept both the good and the bad. If you can’t handle a small thing, then you’re not worthy of her. I despise a son-in-law who’s so weak-willed!”

Every word he spoke felt like a knife to my heart. I didn’t know whether to be angry at my wife or at myself. It turned out that, from beginning to end, I was just a pawn in my father-in-law’s power game.

Meera bowed her head, not daring to look at me. I suddenly realized she wasn’t necessarily lazy, but overly dependent on her father, afraid to defy the teachings of a patriarchal figure. For years, she had lived under his control, even her habit of sleeping in was just a tool to test her husband.

I choked out the question:

“What do you gain from this, Dad? Marriage isn’t a game.”

Mr. Sharma just sneered:

“What do I gain? I want to see if a poor boy from a small village like you has the courage and ability to shoulder my daughter’s responsibilities. And if not… sooner or later Meera will come back to this house, she won’t need to rely on you.”

Hearing this, I understood: he had never truly considered me a worthy son-in-law. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a “gold digger,” unworthy of his daughter.

I was furious, not because I was angry at my wife, but because I felt disrespected and betrayed by my wife’s family. I clenched my fists, trying to remain calm. Then I turned to Meera and said, emphasizing each word:

“If you still want to live in this marriage, escape your father’s shadow. Otherwise… I can’t tolerate this arrangement any longer.”

Meera burst into tears. Mr. Sharma just stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes defiant. I knew the real battle for my marriage had only just begun.