They could tell I was serious. Mom started crying harder. «Fine, but this isn’t over, Vivian. If something happens to Melissa, it’s on your head.»
«And if something happens to my financial security because I bail out her bad decisions, that would be on my head too. At least this way, only the person who made the mess deals with the consequences.»
Dad pointed his finger at me. «You’re going to regret this. Family is supposed to stick together.»
«You didn’t think that five years ago.»
After they finally left, I called the realtor I’d been talking to about maybe selling my house to move in with Sebastian. «Hey, it’s Vivian. Remember we talked about putting my house on the market? I need to sell it as fast as possible. I’m willing to take a 5% discount if that helps move things along.»
«Well, that’s interesting timing. I actually have a buyer who’s been looking in your area. With that kind of discount, I think he’d be very interested.»
Three days later, he called me back with an offer. It was lower than I’d hoped, but fair considering the quick sale. I accepted immediately.
Sebastian was confused when I told him. «Why the rush?»
I explained about my parents showing up at my house uninvited, their threats, their refusal to leave when asked. «I don’t trust them, Sebastian. I think they’re going to keep harassing me, maybe even do something crazy. I’d rather sell the house and get the money somewhere safe where they can’t see it or use it as leverage against me.»
«That’s probably smart. And hey, this means you can come stay with me sooner than we planned.»
That made me smile for the first time in days. «Are you okay with me staying at your place while I look for a new house in your area?»
«Are you kidding? I’ve been hoping you’d move here. This just speeds up our timeline.»
The closing happened fast. Within a week, all the paperwork was done, and the house was officially sold. Sebastian drove out to help me pack everything up and move it to his place. It felt good to have him there, to not be dealing with the stress alone.
As we were loading the last of my boxes into the moving truck, I looked back at the house one more time. I’d been genuinely happy there. I’d worked incredibly hard to afford it, but I felt good about my decision to sell.
I was starting a new chapter with Sebastian, and my family couldn’t use my house as emotional blackmail anymore.
«You okay?» Sebastian asked, putting his arm around me.
«Yeah, I’m good. Let’s get out of here.»
We drove off together, and I felt this huge weight lift off my shoulders. Whatever happened with Melissa and her debt problems, it wasn’t going to involve me or my money. I was finally free of their drama for good.
Living with Sebastian turned out to be incredible. His place was comfortable and welcoming, and working remotely meant I could settle into a routine pretty quickly. We spent our evenings looking at houses online, planning our future together. For the first time in months, I felt genuinely happy and completely stress-free.
I’d been living with Sebastian for about a month when my phone rang one Tuesday morning. The caller ID showed a number I didn’t recognize, but it had my old hometown area code.
«Is this Vivian Smith?»
«Yes. Who’s calling?»
«This is Officer Hughes with the Lincoln Police Department. I’m calling about an incident involving your parents, Wade and Susan Smith.»
My blood went cold. «What kind of incident?»
«They were arrested last night for breaking and entering and destruction of property. The homeowner wants to press charges.»
I was completely confused. «Breaking and entering where?»
«The address they broke into is listed as your former residence. Is 847 Maple Street a house you used to own?»
«I sold that house a month ago. What were my parents doing there?»
«That’s what we’re trying to figure out. They caused significant damage to the interior of the home. Destroyed furniture, broke windows, spray-painted obscenities on the walls. The new owner came home to find them in his living room, smashing his coffee table with a baseball bat.»
I sat down hard on Sebastian’s couch, my legs suddenly unable to support me. «Are you serious?»
«Very serious. The damage is estimated at around $40,000. Your parents claimed they thought it was still your house and that you’d wronged them somehow. They said they were getting back at you for abandoning your family.»
I told Officer Hughes everything: about Melissa’s debts, about them showing up at my house uninvited, about the whole five-year family drama that had led to this moment. He listened patiently and took detailed notes.
«So they didn’t know you’d sold the house?»
«Obviously not. They probably went there to vandalize my property as revenge for not giving Melissa money. Instead, they destroyed some innocent person’s home.»
«That’s exactly what it looks like. The problem is, they destroyed someone else’s property instead of yours.»
After I hung up, I told Sebastian what had happened. He was as shocked as I was. «That’s insane, Vivian. They could have been shot. What if the homeowner had been armed and thought they were dangerous intruders?»
I hadn’t even thought of that. My parents could have been killed over this stupid vendetta, this pathetic attempt at revenge.
Over the next few weeks, I got regular updates from the police and from mutual friends back home about what was happening with my parents’ case. The legal proceedings were moving forward, and the reality of their situation was becoming clear. Mom and Dad were facing serious criminal charges, but their lawyer managed to work out a plea deal.
They admitted guilt in exchange for avoiding jail time, but they had to pay full restitution to the homeowner they’d terrorized. $40,000 for property damage, plus legal fees, plus court costs. It ended up being close to $60,000 total.
My friend Katherine called me with the complete story a few weeks later. «Vivian, your parents had to sell their house. They couldn’t afford the restitution any other way.»
The irony was absolutely staggering. They had sold the house they claimed was their only asset, the one they said they were too old to replace. And here’s the kicker, Katherine continued: «After paying everything they owed to the court and the homeowner, they gave the remaining money to Melissa for her debt problems.»
So they had ended up doing exactly what they demanded I do, but with their own house instead of mine.
«That’s not even the best part,» Katherine said. «Melissa’s creditor problems? Turns out they weren’t as scary as she made them sound. The ‘dangerous people’ were just a legitimate investment firm that was threatening to sue her.»
No broken kneecaps, no mysterious accidents, just regular legal action. So Melissa had lied about being in physical danger. She had manipulated everyone, including our parents, into thinking her life was at risk when really she was just facing a completely normal lawsuit.
«Where are Mom and Dad living now?» I asked.
«They’re renting a small apartment with Melissa and Andrew. All four of them crammed into a two-bedroom place. From what I hear, it’s not going well. Lots of fighting, lots of tension.»
A few months passed, and I heard through the grapevine that my family was trying to contact me through mutual friends. They wanted to apologize, to explain themselves, to somehow rebuild our relationship. Every time someone brought it up, I said no.
Katherine called me one more time about it. «Your mom asked me to tell you she’s sorry. She said they realized they handled everything wrong, that they made terrible mistakes.»
«It’s too late for sorry,» I told her. «They spent five years not caring whether I was alive or dead. Then they demanded I bankrupt myself for Melissa’s mistakes. Then they committed actual crimes because I wouldn’t do what they wanted. I’m done.»
«But they’re family, Vivian…»
«No, they’re not. Family doesn’t abandon you for five years and then show up demanding money. Family doesn’t hire private investigators to stalk you. Family doesn’t break into houses with baseball bats because they don’t get their way.»
Sebastian had been listening to my side of the conversation. When I hung up, he took my hand and squeezed it gently. «You okay?»
«I’m perfect, actually.»
And I was. We’d found a house we both loved and were preparing to make an offer. I was doing incredibly well at work and had even gotten a significant promotion. Most importantly, I didn’t have to deal with their endless drama anymore.
He smiled at me with that look that still made my heart skip. «Speaking of the house we love, I was thinking about making an offer that’s bigger than just on the house.»
He got down on one knee right there in his living room and pulled out a ring box that took my breath away. «Vivian, will you marry me? We can buy that house together and start our real life, the one we’ve been dreaming about.»
I started crying happy tears for the first time in what felt like forever. «Yes, absolutely yes.»
We got engaged that day and put an offer on the house that weekend. Our offer was accepted immediately, and we’re planning to get married next year in the backyard of our new home.