I never imagined my day would start like this. I’m 57, a widow, and live in a quiet neighborhood. My son, Derek (28), and his wife, Lindsay, moved in with me last year, supposedly temporarily, until they found their own place. But here we are, still sharing the same roof. Derek’s great, but Lindsay and I have never seen eye to eye.

Two days ago, Derek left for a business trip, leaving me alone with Lindsay. This morning, I woke to the sound of a loud thud outside. Rushing out, I found my car with a dented bumper, shattered headlights, and a wing mirror lying on the driveway.

Confused and upset, I turned to see Lindsay casually sipping her coffee. “Good morning,” she said, indifferent to the damage.

Lindsay glanced at the car. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“You noticed? What happened?”

“I took it out last night. The brakes were acting up. Probably why it got banged up.”

“You took my car without asking?” I was incredulous.

“You weren’t using it. And I had somewhere to be,” she replied, unfazed.

“Where could you possibly need to go in the middle of the night?”

“That’s none of your business,” she snapped. “And I’m not paying for repairs.”

Stunned, I reminded her that taking someone’s car without permission and causing damage was wrong. But Lindsay was dismissive, saying, “It’s your car, your problem.”

Derek had told me not to argue with her and that he’d handle it when he got back, so I tried to stay calm. I called Derek, explaining the situation. He asked me to hold off on arguing and promised to deal with it when he returned.

Later, Lindsay left the house, saying she was meeting a friend. Suspicious, I called Derek again. I told him Lindsay had been acting oddly and I didn’t trust her. Derek revealed that one of his colleagues mentioned a girl from a dating site had canceled a meeting, claiming she’d been in an accident. From the description, Derek suspected it was Lindsay.

Derek asked me to pack Lindsay’s things and have her out by the time he returned. I started packing, feeling a mix of relief and sadness. When Lindsay arrived and saw what I was doing, she was shocked and furious.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Kicking you out. Your lies are over,” I said firmly.

Lindsay threatened to call Derek, but when the call ended, she left. Derek came home and, after a difficult discussion, decided to file for divorce. The betrayal was too deep to mend.

Sometimes, even family relationships can unravel in unexpected ways. It was a painful but necessary decision to protect Derek from further heartache.