After my dad passed, my husband Jason, our daughter Emma, my stepmother Lorraine, and I all lived together in his house.

A few weeks ago, I was putting Jason’s clothes away when I spotted a box hidden in his closet. Inside was a sheer lace robe. I thought it was a surprise for me and didn’t say anything.

Fast forward to last weekend. Lorraine called me into her room, grinning smugly. “Oh, sweetheart, you won’t believe what MY NEW BOYFRIEND got me,” she said.

When I walked in, my jaw hit the floor. She was wearing the lace robe from Jason’s closet.

“You like it?” she asked, smirking. “He has exquisite taste.” Her eyes sparkled with malice.

I froze, my head spinning. Was Jason che:ating on me? With HER? I managed to stammer, “Where did you get that?”

Lorraine’s smirk deepened. “Oh, my boyfriend gave it to me,” she said. “I just told you, Calla! You’re not listening to a word I say, sweetheart! Don’t you worry, maybe you’ll get one too… Anyway, he’s discreet.”

I stumbled out of her room, her laughter echoing behind me. My heart was pounding, my hands shaking.

“Jason,” I began, my voice trembling. “I need to ask you something, and I want the truth.”

“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked. “Hang on, let me pause this movie.”

“Did you… Did you give Lorraine a robe? The lace one I found in your closet?”

“What? No way! What are you talking about?”

“She showed me a robe before dinner tonight,” I said, tears threatening to spill. “The same one I found in your closet.”

“You think I’d buy her something like that? Are you serious right now?”

“Then how did she get it?” I demanded.

“I don’t know,” he said, running his hand through his hair.

“I don’t know what to say,” I said.

Doubt gnawed at me.

“I swear, I didn’t give her anything! Seriously, Calla. The only thing I’ve given Lorraine today was a piece of garlic bread at dinner.”

Over the next few days, I couldn’t shake the unease.

Then, one afternoon, as I organized Emma’s art supplies in the dining room, I heard Lorraine on the phone.

“Yes, Kerry, of course, I planted it,” she whispered. “That idiot husband of hers didn’t even notice. It’s only a matter of time before they’re at each other’s throats. Once they leave, this house will finally be mine. I’m telling you, that’s why they moved in. They want my house.”

She had planned this! She’d planted the robe in Jason’s closet to make it look like they were having an aff:ai:r. She wanted to drive us out of the house my dad had left behind.

That night, I told Jason everything I’d overheard. His face darkened with anger,

“She’s trying to ruin our marriage,” he said. “And to think that we uprooted Emma for this? This ends now.”

My husband and I hatched a plan.

The next morning, during breakfast, I casually mentioned to Lorraine that Jason and I were considering moving out. Her face lit up

“Oh, well, if you think that’s best…” she said, barely containing her glee.

That evening, we invited a lawyer friend over for dinner, someone Lorraine didn’t recognize. We said to her he was a “realtor” helping us look for new homes, but we just wanted to figure out where we stood. Lorraine spent most of the dinner talking about how much she preferred to live alone.

“I’m old now,” she said. “I need my space. And I’m sure you kids need yours. Don’t you want to give Emma a baby brother or sister?”

Jason had persuaded me to fight.

“Come on, honey,” he said. “It’s important for you to have a piece of your father’s legacy. You are his legacy, yes. But he built this with his hands. This home has been around since you were a child. You want Lorraine to have it, really?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Honestly, I’m not sure what I want.”

7 days later, we called a “family meeting” in the living room.

Jason handed Lorraine a stack of papers.

“What’s this?” she asked, flipping through the pages.

“It’s the deed to the house,” Jason said calmly. “We had it reviewed, and it turns out that Calla and I are the primary beneficiaries. You don’t own this house, Lorraine. We do.”

Lorraine’s face went pale.

“That’s not possible. Calla! What did you do? Your father would never leave me with nothing…”

“He didn’t leave you with nothing, Lorraine,” I said. “He left you with a lot of money. But this is my childhood home. Of course, he’d want me to have it.”

Lorraine started to protest.

“And before you think about pulling another stunt, know this: we’re not going anywhere. But you might want to start packing.”, Jason said.

“Or you can see if your boyfriend will take you in?” I said nonchalantly.

Lorraine stammered.

“What? There’s no boyfriend?” I asked.

“I planned that! I staged the entire thing! There is no boyfriend, Calla. There is no che:ating, which is what I wanted you to think. I wanted you to see the robe and know that… or think that something was going on.”

“I know,” I said. “I overheard you. But look, you have a week. I’ll give you that because it’s what my father would expect from me.”

“I’ll be better. I’ll do everything—the cooking, the cleaning, homework with Emma, you name it!” she begged.

“I don’t want my child around you,” I said simply. “I’m sorry, but that’s just how I feel.”

Within a week, Lorraine was gone. And I finally had peace in the home my dad had loved so much.