I never imagined my day would start like this. I’m Sandra, 57, a widow, and I live alone in a quiet neighborhood—at least, I used to. Last year, my son Derek, 28, and his wife Lindsay moved in with me. It was supposed to be temporary—just until they found a place of their own.
But here we are, still under the same roof. Derek has always been a good boy. Hardworking, caring, and kind. He does everything he can to keep peace in the house. Lindsay, though… well, she’s a different story. We’ve never gotten along. There’s always tension, like walking on eggshells, never knowing when it might snap.
Derek left for a business trip two days ago, leaving me alone with Lindsay. I could feel her annoyance even without her saying a word. She doesn’t hide her feelings toward me. I tried to avoid her, sticking to my routine and letting her have the space she seemed to want.
Then, this morning, everything changed.
A loud thud jolted me awake. My heart jumped. I scrambled out of bed, threw on my robe, and ran to the front door. My eyes fell on my poor car sitting in the driveway with a crumpled bumper and shattered headlights. One of the wing mirrors had completely broken off.
“What in the world?” I gasped, my hands trembling as I touched the twisted metal. How did this happen? It was fine last night!
Then I heard the front door creak. I turned to see Lindsay strolling out, sipping her coffee as if nothing was wrong.
“Oh, good morning,” she said, her tone casual, almost mocking.
“Morning? Look at my car, Lindsay! It’s wrecked!” I felt my blood pressure spike.
She glanced at it lazily. “Yeah, I noticed that.”
“You noticed? What do you mean, noticed? Do you know what happened?”
She shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. “I took it out last night. The brakes were acting up. Probably why it got banged up.”
“You took my car?” I couldn’t keep the rising anger inside. “Without asking me?”
“Well, you weren’t using it. And I had somewhere to be,” she replied, completely unbothered.
“Somewhere to be? At that hour? What could possibly be so important in the middle of the night?”
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped, her eyes narrowing. “And don’t start on me about money. I’m not paying for anything just because your old car’s falling apart.”
I clenched my fists, trying not to scream. “Lindsay, you can’t just take someone’s car without permission! That’s not how it works!”
“Oh, please. Stop acting like it’s a big deal. It’s just a car. And like I said, I’m not paying for it. It’s your car, your problem,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You damaged it! You should be responsible!” I shouted.
“Not happening. I’m not spending my money on that piece of junk,” she said defiantly.
I wanted to scream, to hit the roof, but I remembered Derek’s words before he left. “Don’t argue with her, Mom. It’s not worth it. I’ll handle things when I get back.”
I took a shaky breath. “Lindsay, you need to understand this is wrong. You can’t just—”
My phone rang, cutting me off. Derek. Relief washed over me. Maybe he could fix this.
“Hello, Derek?” I answered.
“Mom, what’s going on? Lindsay just texted me saying you’re giving her a hard time.”
“Derek, she took my car without asking and crashed it! And now she refuses to pay for repairs!” I blurted out.
“Mom, calm down,” he said, his voice tired. “Look, I’ll take care of it when I get back. Just… don’t fight with her. Please.”
“But Derek, she—”
“I know, Mom. I know. Just let it go for now. I’ll deal with it.”
I sighed, defeated. “Alright, Derek. But something needs to be done.”
“I promise, Mom. Just hang in there.”
The call ended, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Lindsay was hiding something deeper. The unease crawled under my skin, refusing to leave. I decided to wait, watch, and gather proof.
That evening, Lindsay announced she was “meeting a friend.” I didn’t believe her. As soon as she left, I called Derek.
“Derek, something’s wrong,” I said urgently. “She’s been acting strange. I overheard her on the phone, and it didn’t sound good.”
“What do you mean, strange?” Derek asked, concern in his voice.
“I’m not sure, but it’s like she’s hiding something. And now she’s gone out, supposedly to meet a friend. I don’t trust her.”
He sighed. “Mom, I’ve been getting weird vibes from her too. But I didn’t want to think the worst. Do you think she’s…?”
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know, Derek. But something’s off. We need to find out what.”
“Okay, but let’s not jump to conclusions yet. Keep an eye on her. I’ll be back tomorrow night. We’ll talk then.”
I hung up, but sleep was impossible. I paced the house, listening for any sign of her return. When she finally walked in late that night, she froze at the sight of me sitting in the living room.
“You’re still up?” she asked, trying to sound casual.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I said, eyes fixed on her. “How was your evening?”
“It was fine,” she replied quickly, avoiding my gaze. “Just caught up with a friend.”
“Which friend?” I pressed, knowing she was lying.
“Just… a friend from work,” she muttered and hurried to her room.
The next day, Derek called with urgency. “Mom, I just got a call from a friend at work. He told me something strange. A girl from a dating site was supposed to meet him last night but canceled, saying she had an accident.”
My heart dropped. “Derek, what are you saying?”
“The girl he described sounded like Lindsay. He didn’t know it was her, but from what he said, I’m almost sure of it. She’s been sneaking around behind my back.”
Everything clicked—the late-night outings, the secretive calls, the car accident. It wasn’t just carelessness. It was deception.
“What do we do?” I whispered, trembling.
“Mom, pack her things and put them outside. When I get back tonight, she has to be gone. I’m done with her lies.”
I obeyed, my heart heavy. This wasn’t easy. I had loved Derek, and seeing him hurt like this broke me. But it had to be done.
When Lindsay walked in and saw her belongings stacked near the door, her face went pale.
“What are you doing?” she hissed.
“Kicking you out. Your lies are over,” I said firmly.
“You’ll pay for this!” she snapped. “I’ll call Derek right now!”
I didn’t flinch. Soon after, she left, and Derek returned home that night. After a long, painful conversation, he decided to file for divorce. It was heartbreaking, but the betrayal was too deep to ignore. There was no turning back.
The house finally felt quiet again, but the memory of the betrayal lingered. My son was free from lies, and I was determined to make sure it stayed that way.
