Living with My Mom, Brother, and SIL Wasn’t What I Expected

While I was brushing my fingers over Dad’s framed picture, the old grandfather clock in the hall struck midnight. His smile was the same as always: steady, calming, and proud. We buried him a year ago, yet the sadness still feels fresh, like it happened yesterday.

“Dad,” I murmured, my voice quivering, “I miss you so much.”

At that time, Mom strolled in, and her expression was as cold as it has been since the will reading. Half angry, half sorry.

“Don’t be sad, Katie. He is gone, and crying won’t bring him back.

Her words cut like glass. I could still see the lawyer reciting the will. Dad had given me the house, the land, and 90% of everything else. My brother Tyler and mom barely made a little bit of money. Dad made his choice on purpose to protect me. But they always reminded me of it.

I told myself I would let them be mad without saying anything. But I would learn that being quiet only makes wolves stronger.

The Assault
On a rainy May afternoon, the front door sprang open, and the sound of rolling luggage hitting the hardwood floor that Dad had put up himself filled the house.

“Surprise!” Tyler smiled from the door, and Gwen was plastered to his side. Their luggage were pouring out like a flood.

I paused. “What’s going on here?”

“Our lease is up. We believed we would stay here. There is a lot of space, right?

I looked at Mom and hoped she would tell him to stop. But her smile said it all.

“I told them it was a good idea,” she said.

My throat got tight. “This isn’t your house to give.”

The room got colder. Her eyes got smaller. Tyler laughed. Gwen smiled.

“Come on, Katie,” Tyler said softly, but he still brought in the bags. “Don’t be stupid.” This is where the family lives. “We’re family.”

They moved upstairs as if I were a stranger who had come into the wrong room. And just like that, the attack began.

Months went by in my prison life. I couldn’t recognize my house. The laundry smelled bad in the dryer, food went missing from the fridge, and the dishes were piled up like monuments to how spoiled they were.

When Gwen told me she was pregnant one morning, she held up the test kit like it was a trophy. “I guess we won’t be moving out anytime soon,” she said in a quiet voice.

I tried to set some rules. Tyler laughed at them. Mom told me I was being selfish.

I wasn’t just offering them a place to stay. I was their maid. The person who received Gwen’s nighttime desires woke up at dawn to buy McMuffins, which she threw away, cleaned, cooked, and accepted every insult because the word “pregnant” made everything okay.

No one even recognized that it was my birthday. When I returned home, Gwen patted her tummy with satisfaction because my friend Zoe had given me cupcakes. “The baby wanted them.”

That night, I got a lock for my little fridge. By dawn, Mom had used her spare key to open it.

“Family doesn’t keep each other out,” she remarked.

“No,” I answered softly. “Family doesn’t steal either.”

But they never paid attention to what I said.

The Point of No Return
The day everything went wrong, I hadn’t eaten since sunrise. I worked for eight hours and felt light-headed from hunger. Then I dragged myself home to make Dad’s mushroom cream pasta, which is like a bowl of comfort food. Before I could even take a bite, I was on the phone. When I came back ten minutes later, Gwen was at the counter with my fork and my food was gone.

“Gwen? That was mine!

She shrugged. “I was starving.”

“I haven’t eaten anything all day!”

Like she had done before, her eyes filled with tears right instantly. “I’m going to have a baby!”

Tyler burst in, looking angry and protective. “What the hell is wrong with you?” “Yelling at a woman who is pregnant?”

His mom’s voice was sharper than his. “Your dad would be so embarrassed by you.”

That made me cry. Dad was the only one who ever saw me, kept me safe, and believed in me. To hear his memory used as a weapon? Something inside me broke.

“This is MY home!” I yelled, and my voice shook.

They didn’t care what I said, though. Gwen cried even more. Tyler said I should go. Mom swore. Three angry faces looked at me with anger.

And at that point, I knew I was gone.

A Call
I shut myself in my room and contacted my uncle Bob, who is my dad’s brother. He answered on the third ring.

“Katie? Are you okay, my love?

The wall fell down. I cried, and words flowed out. “Uncle Bob, they have taken over. They want me to get away from my house. I can’t keep on like this.

There was a long wait, and then his voice dropped like steel under silk. “Your father had faith in you for a reason. Do you recall when I said I would buy the house? That offer is still great.

I stared at the walls of the room where I grew up. It still sounded like Dad was reading me bedtime stories. I clung on to memories like they were my only hope.

“I’ll sell it,” I said softly. “But they all have to go.”

“Let me handle that,” Uncle Bob said.

The Showdown
The next morning, I stood in the living room and saw them lounging around like they owned the place. My heart raced, but my voice kept steady.

“I need to say something.”

Tyler didn’t even look up. “Do it fast.”

I turned off the TV. “I sold the house.” To Uncle Bob. You all have two days to get your things together and leave.

The quiet was like a loud noise.

“You’re kidding,” Mom remarked in a quiet voice.

I handed her the papers. “No.” Work on the upgrades will start on Saturday. “At noon, the locks change.”

“You can’t do that!” Tyler’s face turned red. “Gwen is going to have a baby!”

I said coldly, “I’ve heard that too.” “Pregnancy isn’t a lease extension.”

Mom’s voice was shaking with rage. “You selfish girl.” You caused us to lose our home.

“No,” I said, and my voice was steady now. “The moment you forgot what respect was, you became homeless.”

Gwen tried to get my attention by rubbing her stomach. “This baby is one of us.”

I looked her straight in the eye. “Family doesn’t treat me like trash.” No more.

Liberty
For the next two nights, I remained at Zoe’s. When I arrived back on Saturday afternoon, they were gone. There was simply the smell of stale clothes and a cupcake wrapper that was empty.

The deal was done. Uncle Bob offered me a check for $2 million that would change my life. I have enough money to buy my own little, sunny cottage that has a lot of promise.

My phone buzzed with a last message from Mom while I stood on my new porch on the day I moved in:

“You’ve fouled us up. I hope you’re pleased, you greedy beast.

I stopped the call.

I looked around my modest cottage while holding the keys in my hand. I told the air:

“Dad… I hope you’re proud.” I finally stood up for what I believed in. “

And I felt free for the first time in years.

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