My Ex-daughter-in-law Moved Her New Boyfriend Into My Late Wife’s Bedroom While I Was Away. She Called Me “senile” And Tried To Sell My House Behind My Back. Am I The Jerk For Teaming Up With Her Sister To Kick Her Out?
She had the same dark hair as her sister but softer features and kind eyes. “She called me tonight,” Emma continued. “You’re evicting her. She made it sound like you were being cruel and unreasonable.”
“But then I remembered something she said last month about how you were mentally declining and how she was taking care of the house for you. She made it sound like you couldn’t manage on your own.”
“I’m many things,” I said dryly. “But mentally declining isn’t one of them.”
Emma laughed, a warm sound. “I’m starting to see that. Look, I know this is awkward, but I need you to know that not everyone in Lauren’s life thinks what she did was okay.”
She was visiting for the week, staying at a hotel in town rather than at the house, which showed good judgment. When we parted ways, she handed me her card.
“If you need anything, or if Lauren causes any trouble with the eviction, let me know. I know some good attorneys up here if Patricia Morrison needs backup.”
“Patricia’s your competition,” I said. “Wouldn’t you rather I hired you?”
Emma smiled. “Patricia’s excellent. And besides, I try not to mix family with business. But I can consult behind the scenes if needed.”
The next three weeks were tense. Lauren barely spoke to me, communicating through pointed silences and passive-aggressive notes.
Brad, to my surprise, actually apologized one morning when we were alone. “Hey, Robert,” He said, catching me in the garage. “I just want you to know that I didn’t know the full situation. Lauren told me you’d agreed to all of this, that you were happy to have us here. If I’d known you weren’t on board, I wouldn’t have moved in.”
I studied him carefully; he seemed genuine, if deeply embarrassed. “I appreciate that, Brad.”
“And for what it’s worth, I’m looking for a new place for me and the boys. Lauren and I, we’re, uh, we’re taking some space. This whole thing has made me realize I don’t really know her as well as I thought.”
“That’s probably wise,” I said. Brad and his boys moved out 2 days later.
I helped him load his truck, and the boys gave me shy hugs goodbye. I pressed $200 into Brad’s hand when he wasn’t looking, tucked into a children’s book about engineering for Kyle, who’d expressed interest in how buildings stood up.
With Brad gone, Lauren’s facade crumbled completely. She stopped pretending to be civil.
The day before her 30 days were up, I came home to find Emma sitting on my porch steps. “Lauren called me,” Emma said. “She’s not leaving tomorrow. She’s going to make you go through formal eviction proceedings. She thinks she can drag this out for months, make it expensive and miserable for you.”
“I expected as much,” I told her. “Robert, I know I said I don’t mix family with business, but I’m going to make an exception. Let me help you.”
I invited her inside and showed her my documentation: photos, recordings, the timeline of events, and Lauren’s attempt to sell the house. Emma went through everything with a professional eye.
“This is thorough,” She said, impressed. “Very thorough. You’ve built a solid case for expedited eviction based on her exceeding the scope of tenancy and attempting fraud.”
“With this evidence, we can get her out much faster than the standard timeline.” “How fast?” I asked. “Two weeks, maybe three. I’ll file an emergency hearing request first thing Monday morning.”
The Final Hearing and New Beginnings
Emma was as good as her word. The hearing was scheduled for the following Thursday.
Lauren showed up with a lawyer she’d clearly borrowed money to hire, but her case fell apart under Emma’s methodical presentation of evidence. The judge, a stern woman in her 60s, listened to Lauren’s lawyer argue.
He argued that she’d been living in the house for years, that she’d contributed to its maintenance, and that removing her would cause undue hardship. Then Emma presented the photos of Lauren taking over the master bedroom.
She played the recordings of her calling me a pushover and saying the house was essentially hers. She presented the real estate agent’s statement about Lauren’s attempt to sell property that wasn’t hers.
The final blow was Brad’s written testimony, stating that Lauren had misrepresented the living situation to him. The judge didn’t deliberate long.
“Miss Hendricks,” She said, addressing Lauren. “You were a guest in Mr. Hendricks’ home. You not only exceeded the bounds of hospitality but actively attempted to defraud him of his property.”
“You have 7 days to vacate the premises. If you’re not out by then, the sheriff will remove you and your belongings.”
Lauren’s face went white. Her lawyer tried to argue, but the judge was done. “Seven days. That’s generous given the circumstances. This hearing is concluded.”
In the hallway afterward, Lauren confronted Emma. “How could you? You’re my sister!”
“I’m also an attorney who swore an oath to uphold justice,” Emma said quietly. “What you did was wrong, Lauren. You tried to steal from a grieving widower who’d shown you nothing but kindness.”
“That’s not the sister I grew up with,” Lauren snapped. She left without another word.
True to the judge’s order, Lauren was gone within a week. Emma helped me change the locks, and for the first time in months, I walked through my home feeling like it was truly mine again.
Emma stayed in town an extra few days helping me sort through the damage. Lauren had taken some things that weren’t hers: a set of china that had been Sarah’s mother’s, some of our photo albums, even some of my tools from the garage.
Emma made a list and said we could pursue it legally, but I told her not to bother. I wanted Lauren out of my life, not tied to it through more court proceedings.
