Partner and I were moving this weekend. His parents came up to help us. Partner is relocating out of state to a new apartment while I stay at behind and finish my last month of school at a short term rental. We’re moving things out Saturday night and we decide to call it quits and go back spend the night at my short term rental.

We get to the short term rental and the very first thing I do is put laundry that has been in my trunk into the laundry room. It was maybe only 4 items of clothing, including 2 green sweaters that look almost identical. Next thing, my in laws arrive to stay the night and my MIL whom I adore starts doing laundry to help us out.

Sunday arrives, my partner and his mom pack up the car and move our things to the new rental out of state. I noticed that my MIL had left a folded pile of 2 out of the 4 items of clothing I had first left on the laundry room floor, notably not the 2 green sweaters. Had my partner ask her if she had seen the 2 green sweaters because I thought this was odd I know I put them in there. MIL claims she “didn’t see them.”

Few days later, I find only one of the green sweaters shoved into a basket of things we had moved into the room my MIL was staying in. For context, the other green sweater that was missing my MIL “gave” me—or at least I thought.

After realizing all of this I sent her a text asking if she took it back and implying that she lied when she said she didn’t see it because I know that it was on the laundry room floor and why would I only find one and both both sweaters? I’ll admit this was harsh and I should not have implied my MIL is a liar but I am just confounded.

Despite both my partner and I checking everywhere in both the new out of state apartment and my short term rental, only the one sweater was ever found. She texted my partner multiple times trying to justify why she wouldn’t have taken it until she finally changed the narrative to: she “can’t steal something she paid for” and she’s paid for so much helping us move she must be an awful mother and have done something wrong for us to accuse her and now she doesn’t want to attend my graduation and be accused of stealing or lying.

I’ll admit it was harsh on my part to imply she stole or lied but like I said I am just completely lost and there is really no other explanation. For additional context, I have seen my MIL lie to others and “take” things to punish my SIL’s partners that she doesn’t agree with.

TL;DR: My MIL helped us move and did some laundry at my short-term rental. Afterward, one of two nearly identical green sweaters mysteriously vanished. She denied seeing either, but I later found one stashed in her room. I asked if she took the other and implied she was lying, which escalated into her accusing me of calling her a thief and saying she won’t attend my graduation. I’m feeling guilty but still confused—there’s no other explanation.