“It’s okay, as long as you understand. But please don’t do anything dangerous again,” I said firmly.
Olivia seemed sincere, and I decided to forgive her. I thought the issue was behind us, but I had no idea what would happen next.
A few weeks later, Jerry and I were planning a trip for the upcoming 5-day weekend. One evening, while I was chatting with Jerry about the details, Olivia interrupted.
“Jerry, are you planning to go on a trip?” she asked.
“Yes, we’re going away for the long weekend,” Jerry replied.
“A trip? I want to go too,” Olivia said, surprising me.
This was supposed to be a trip for just the two of us. Sensing my discomfort, Jerry explained, “This trip is to celebrate our wedding anniversary, so it’s only for us.”
“That’s not fair. I want to come too,” Olivia protested.
“Sorry, Olivia,” Jerry said patiently. “We can plan a family trip another time. For now, why don’t you go back home and spend the weekend with Mom? We won’t be around if something happens, and I’d be worried.”
Olivia didn’t look happy, but after Jerry asked her several times, she finally agreed.
We went on our trip, and it turned out to be a wonderful getaway. For the first time in a while, Jerry and I had time just for each other. We visited tourist spots, bought souvenirs, and tried delicious food.
We even picked up some treats for Olivia, hoping it would help her attitude change.
But on our way back home, something unexpected happened. We got into a taxi at the station after our trip, and when Jerry went to pay with his credit card, the driver frowned.
“Strange, your credit card seems to be rejected,” he said.
“That’s odd,” Jerry replied, looking confused.
“Hmm, is the card not working? If so, I’ll just pay in cash. I’ll go get some cash from the house. Could you please wait a moment? I’m really sorry,” I said to the driver, who was still trying to process Jerry’s card.
It seemed the card reader wasn’t working, and since we didn’t have much cash left after our trip, I decided to run home to get some money.
As soon as I opened the front door, something felt off. Nothing seemed out of place, but there was a strange feeling in the air. Pushing aside my unease, I headed to the living room.
Everything looked normal when I carefully opened the door.
“Olivia, are you home?” I called out.
“Yes, I’m here,” came a reply from our bedroom.
I was confused. Olivia was supposed to be at her parents’ house. Feeling worried, I hurried to the bedroom.
“Olivia, what are you doing in here? This is our bedroom,” I said.
But something was very wrong. The room wasn’t just clean. It was nearly empty.
The dresser and desk were gone, and a lot of other things were missing. My pillows and cushions weren’t there. I opened the closet, and all of my clothes were gone, along with my accessories, little keepsakes, and even my graduation album.
My things had vanished.
I turned to Olivia, feeling a growing sense of panic.
“Hey, it looks like only my things are missing. What happened?” I asked.
Olivia laughed loudly, her tone mocking.
“Oh, you noticed. All your stuff was like trash, so I threw it away.”
“Why would you do that?” I asked, shocked.
“I just don’t like you,” she said coldly. “That apology I gave was just for show. It was for my brother’s sake, not yours. I told him that I’m still really angry. It drives me crazy that he spends his money feeding you and taking you on trips, so I decided to kick you out. You’re just a low-income home worker. You don’t belong here.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Olivia was shouting now, her anger spilling out.
I had finally had enough.
“Fine. If that’s how you feel, I’ll leave,” I said, struggling to keep my voice calm. “But don’t regret this.”
“Ha! I won’t regret anything. Just get out,” she snapped. “Oh, and I left your work bag and computer. If I threw those away, it would affect your job, not just you. They’re in the living room. Take them and go.”
I went to the living room, grabbed my work tools, and headed back to the taxi. By chance, I ran into Jerry in the elevator.
“The card finally worked, but you took so long. Is something wrong?” he asked, puzzled.
“Just ask Olivia,” I said quietly, my voice shaking.
I answered calmly, even though Jerry looked shocked. I held my anger back and quietly left the apartment.
I went straight to a hotel and booked a room for the night. Jerry called me several times while I was on my way, but I waited until I was settled in my room before calling him back.
“Laura, I’m so sorry,” Jerry said as soon as he picked up. “Olivia has gone home now. I had no idea things would turn out like this. I think she got upset because I told you the truth. What do we do now? Should we report this to the police since so many of your things were thrown away?”