It was closure. At the station, her parents tried to talk their way out of the situation. Her father claimed it was “a misunderstanding.”
Her mother insisted they were “just trying to talk.”
But the security footage told the truth: they had intentionally destroyed someone else’s property. When the police asked Olivia if she wanted a restraining order, she hesitated only a moment before agreeing. The following days were strange—neighbors whispered, rumors spread—but Olivia stayed focused on rebuilding her own peace.
Therapy helped her finally say aloud what she’d known for years: her family didn’t love her, they used her. “I didn’t lose a family,” she told her therapist. “I just accepted what they really were.”
Her parents and Tessa were charged with breaking and entering, destruction of property, and trespassing.
Patrick, the homeowner, refused to drop charges—and Olivia felt oddly relieved when he told her, “They didn’t ruin your house. They ruined mine. They need to face it.”
Unexpectedly, she and Patrick became friends.
Coffee meetups, quiet conversations—small but meaningful reminders that not every connection had to be painful. On the day she gave her final statement in court, she stepped outside feeling lighter. A text buzzed from Patrick.
“You handled that really well. Coffee?” Continue reading…
