Mom looked me dead in the eye and said, “You’re single. You don’t need all this space. Your brother has a family to think about. It’s selfish of you to hoard the best room.”
That was the moment something inside me snapped. I didn’t yell. I didn’t cry. I just smiled, nodded, and said, “Okay, I’ll handle the living situation.”
They smirked, thinking they had won. They thought I was going to pack my bags. instead, I packed a folder of legal documents.
The next morning, while they were sleeping in until noon, I went to the courthouse. Since they had never paid a dime in rent and there was no lease, they were legally guests who had overstayed their welcome. But to be safe, I paid for an expedited formal eviction process.
When I handed the papers to my brother that afternoon, he laughed and tore them up. “You can’t kick out family,” he scoffed. “Especially a pregnant woman. The law protects us.”
“The law protects tenants,” I corrected him. “You are squatters.”
I gave them the legally required 30 days. They spent that entire month mocking me, eating my food, and telling relatives I was a monster. They didn’t pack a single box. They truly believed Mom’s bullying would save them.
On the morning of Day 31, I didn’t wake them up. The Sheriff did.
The look on my SIL’s face when two officers told them they had 15 minutes to grab their essentials and vacate the premises was worth every penny of the legal fees. She started screaming, “I’m pregnant! You can’t do this!” The officer calmly replied, “Ma’am, that doesn’t give you the right to trespass.”
Mom tried to block the door, screaming that it was her house. I silently held up the deed with my name on it.
They were escorted out to the curb. I paid a crew to change the locks immediately—right in front of them. As they stood on the sidewalk with trash bags full of clothes, furiously texting me insults, I sat on my front porch and ate a fresh cupcake.
It’s been three months. They are staying in a cramped motel because Mom blew her inheritance on “gifts” for the baby. They keep begging to come back.
I just leave them on read. My house is clean, quiet, and finally mine.
