My stepmother called at 11:47 p.m. on the first night in the beach house I bought with my own money and told me she and my father were moving in the next day, that they were taking the master suite, that her daughter would get the best ocean-view room – Reading Times

She told me that if I had a problem with the arrangement, I was free to stay somewhere else since I liked being independent. I smiled because I knew she was lying about the entire situation.

“I will make sure everything is ready for your arrival,” I said calmly. She sounded satisfied as the line went dead, believing she had won another battle.

I immediately called my father, Randall, who answered on the second ring. He was seventy-one years old and had made his living in commercial real estate.

“Gillian said you both are moving in tomorrow and taking the best rooms,” I told him. The line went silent as Randall processed the fact that his wife had made a massive decision without his consent.

“Kaitlyn, what are you talking about?” he asked slowly. He explained that Gillian had told him I invited them for a long weekend because I was lonely in the new house.