One day, during a visit, Rick handed me a folder.
“What’s this?” I asked.
I gasped. “What?!”
“It’s the least I can do. For the years we lost.”
I threw my arms around him. No one had ever cared about me like that before. For the first time in my life, I had my own space.
That joy faded almost instantly.
***
One day, I ran into Kira at the store. I mentioned, almost without thinking, that I had my own house now. Her jaw tightened. She didn’t congratulate me. She just stared, her jealousy plain as day.
A few days later, I left for a business trip. While I was away, my phone rang. My neighbor’s voice was urgent. Two women had moved into my house. I rushed back.
When I stepped inside, I found my mother and Kira living there.
“Oh, Olivia, you’re back,” my mother said without a trace of shame. She didn’t even look up.
“Answer me,” I demanded, my hands shaking.
My mother sighed and finally met my eyes. “I lost my job. I couldn’t pay rent for three months. We got evicted. So, I decided that Kira and I would stay with you.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
Kira smirked. “There are only two bedrooms, so you’ll have to stay somewhere else for now.”
I stared at them in disbelief. “You are not staying in my house!”
Kira rolled her eyes. “Well, you can sleep on the couch if you don’t want to move.”
Something inside me snapped.
“This is my house! I will sleep in my bed! You are leaving right now!”
My mother jumped up, her face twisted with rage.
“Raised me?” I scoffed. “You treated me like a servant! I bought my own groceries! I even paid you rent!”
“You had a job,” she said defensively.
I shook my head. “In the short time I’ve known my real father, he has done more for me than you ever did!”
“If you don’t let us stay here, I will sue you for this house!”
“You have no legal right to it! Either you leave now, or I’m calling the police.”
My mother forced a smile. “Olivia, sweetheart. You’re my daughter. I’ve always loved you. Let us stay.”
Without another word, they bolted out of my house. When the door slammed shut behind them, I exhaled deeply and sank onto the couch. My entire body felt drained.
It hurt knowing that my own mother only remembered me when she needed something. She never cared about me, only what I could give her.
But that moment made one thing clear—I had to cut them out of my life. I changed the locks. Blocked their numbers. That was the last time I saw them.
And I had never felt so free.
