My mother-in-law asked me for $500 after her “antique” chair collapsed under me – I thought it was my fault until my father-in-law stood up

My mother-in-law, Laura, invited my husband and me to her house for her birthday dinner. We arrived around 5:30. As soon as we walked in, she looked at the flat-screen TV we’d bought her and said, “Oh… I thought you were going to bring me the 110-inch one.” It’s worth noting that we’d bought her a 55-inch Samsung. So I just smiled and started helping prepare the food.

But when we got to the dining room, I noticed something was off. Each seat at the table had a name tag on it, like at wedding receptions. But I let it go until I saw where I’d been seated. I wasn’t next to my husband. I was next to his uncle, Carl.

Meanwhile, my husband was sitting between Laura and my father-in-law, George.

Okay. I sat down.

Then Laura started making a huge fuss about the chair I’d been seated in, saying it was a “family heirloom.” She kept repeating, “That chair belonged to my grandmother. It’s worth a small fortune. But I wanted you to sit in it, darling, because I know how much you love antiques.”

Which was weird, because… I don’t.

The moment I sat down, the chair COLLAPSED beneath me. Literally. I hit the floor so hard I felt it in my teeth.

The room went completely silent. I was deeply embarrassed.

But Laura SMILED arrogantly.

“Well,” she said too loudly, “I think we’ve finally figured out what kind of weight that old chair can’t handle! Maybe it’s time to start controlling portions, dear. We can’t let all our furniture end up like this!”

I blinked. My face felt like it was on fire. Everyone was staring at me. My husband froze.

And then Laura added,

“That chair is priceless because it’s a keepsake from my grandmother. But I’m only asking for $500. I think it’s only fair that you cover the cost. You break it, you buy it.”

I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

Everyone else avoided eye contact.

I sat on the floor, holding back tears.

Out of nowhere, my father-in-law, George, slowly stood up. As if something inside him had finally snapped.

He looked Laura straight in the face and said, “Laura… do you really want me to tell everyone the truth?” To be continued in Comments 👇