After Brendan, my husband, and I decided to split, he turned into a completely different person overnight. The man I once knew, the one I shared years of my life with, had vanished altogether.\n\n\n\n
In his place stood someone bitter and spiteful.
\n\n\n\n
A couple arguing | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re complaining about how I behave? About how I speak?\u201d Brendan shouted.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m just saying that you need to calm down when you\u2019re talking to me. Screaming won\u2019t make your point come across better,\u201d I said, holding my head.\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, please, Gina,\u201d he bellowed louder. \u201cYou made me this way! All of your ridiculous demands and constant whining. Please, just go live your life.\u201d\n\n\n\n
An angry man | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
And so I did.\n\n\n\n
But as the divorce was in process, Brendan and I tried to sort out our things, ready to make a clean break.\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust let me pack these things up, Gina,\u201d Brendan said one day as he was going through my bookshelf.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll just take my things with you,\u201d I countered. \u201cI have to settle my own things first.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cSuit yourself,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\n
An angry woman standing in front of a bookshelf | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
But things only got uglier. And the emotional rollercoaster had me in a constant state of nausea and uneasiness. So, I decided that I would spend the weekend at my parents\u2019 house to clear my head.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, run away to your parents,\u201d Brendan said snidely as I packed an overnight bag.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re better than you,\u201d I said, walking out the door.\n\n\n\n
An angry woman standing in a doorway | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
And honestly? It was the right call. I needed space to process everything, including the fact that I was going to be alone for the first time in twelve years. As much as Brendan and I needed to be apart, I couldn\u2019t see my future clearly.\n\n\n\n
I also just wanted my parents to baby me for the weekend.\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, Gina,\u201d my mother said as she took out a tray of delicious roast lamb. \u201cAll you need to do is eat and rest. Whatever you want to eat, just tell me and I\u2019ll make it. And if you want anything from the store, just tell Dad. He\u2019ll do a quick run for you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
A tray of food | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I exhaled slowly. I was exactly where I needed to be.\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you sure a divorce is the way to go?\u201d my father asked me over dinner.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said sadly. \u201cI think that if there was a time to reconcile, it was a long time ago. And we definitely missed it. Brendan and I can\u2019t see eye-to-eye anymore. I don\u2019t think that there\u2019s any more love left.\u201d\n\n\n\n
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou do what you need to do, baby,\u201d my mother said. \u201cIf your mental health is screaming for a clean break, then that\u2019s exactly what you need to do.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I allowed myself to take long walks, taking Pippy, my parents\u2019 dog, with me. I just wanted to clear my head and allow myself the space I needed to breathe.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re doing the right thing,\u201d I told myself. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with a fresh start.\u201d\n\n\n\n
A woman walking a dog | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
But as I pulled into our driveway on Monday morning, ready to find Brendan and his things gone, I found something even more shocking.\n\n\n\n
All my furniture, everything that I had collected from before I met Brendan and some things while we were together, was scattered all over the lawn. A large, hand-painted sign that read \u201cFree Stuff!\u201d stood proudly in front of the chaos, inviting anyone passing by to help themselves to my belongings.\n\n\n\n
Furniture scattered on a lawn | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat the actual hell is this?\u201d I muttered, slamming the car door shut.\n\n\n\n
This just couldn\u2019t be real. I stared at my coffee table, the couch I found at a flea market, and even my grandmother\u2019s old rocking chair. All of it, just sitting there, baking in the sun, waiting to be snatched by strangers.\n\n\n\n
I kicked the sign so that it lay flat. And then I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking wildly as I dialed Brendan. The phone rang three times before he finally picked up.\n\n\n\n
A woman holding a phone and frowning | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, what\u2019s up, Gina?\u201d he answered, his voice casual, almost smug.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d I echoed. \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, that\u2019s what I asked,\u201d he said.\n\n\n\n
\u201cAre you kidding me? Why is all my furniture on the lawn? Are you absolutely out of your mind?\u201d\n\n\n\n
There was a pause before he replied.\n\n\n\n
An annoyed woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were going to sue for all my money anyway,\u201d he said. \u201cI heard you on the phone with someone. I know that you wanted everything. Or at least half of everything! So you might as well know how it feels to lose what\u2019s yours.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I was speechless.\n\n\n\n
Sure, I had thought about taking him for a ride and having my share of his money, but the weekend away with my parents taught me to just let it go.\n\n\n\n
A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re absolutely unbelievable,\u201d I finally managed to say. \u201cYou think this is going to solve anything? You\u2019re just making things worse for yourself.\u201d\n\n\n\n
He scoffed loudly.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhatever. It\u2019s your problem now. Maybe you should charge people for your things instead of letting them take it for free.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I wanted to scream, but I knew that it wouldn\u2019t do any good. Brendan had made up his mind, and like any dog with a bone, there was no reasoning with him.\n\n\n\n
An angry man on the phone | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I hung up the phone and looked at objects from my life scattered across the lawn. There was no way that I could haul all the furniture back inside by myself. Defeated and frustrated, I kicked the bedside table that I had gotten and repainted months ago.\n\n\n\n
As it hit the ground, I heard a jingling noise.\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat now?\u201d I sighed, crouching down to open the drawer.\n\n\n\n
Hand-painted bedside tables outside | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Inside, I found something that made me smirk despite my anger.\n\n\n\n
\u201cStupid Brendan,\u201d I said, seeing that he had forgotten to take his things out of the bedside table.\n\n\n\n
Nestled among the loose change, random pens, and receipts was Brendan\u2019s father\u2019s watch. It was a family heirloom that he loved and cherished and barely wore for fear of losing or breaking it. It had also been passed down through generations, finally landing with Brendan.\n\n\n\n
A vintage watch | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
But now, I had it hostage.\n\n\n\n
\u201cCheckmate,\u201d I said to myself.\n\n\n\n
I couldn\u2019t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction as I tucked the watch into my pocket. After all, he was the one who had put it out there for free. I wasn\u2019t stealing anything.\n\n\n\n
Then, I texted my friend group, asking everyone who was available to come and help me take everything back into the house.\n\n\n\n
A woman using her phone | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cBrendan is the worst, Gina,\u201d my friend, Jenny, said holding a lamp. \u201cThis is a new low.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah, I agree with you there,\u201d I said. \u201cBut don\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve got a way to get back at him.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I told her all about the watch and how I had it safely tucked away in my car. I knew that it was just a matter of time before Brendan realized that the watch wasn\u2019t with him.\n\n\n\n
A woman holding a standing lamp | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
Later that evening, as I was arranging the last of the furniture, my phone buzzed. It was him.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHey, Gina,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I might have left something important behind. Can I come by and grab it?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know,\u201d I said, grabbing another slice of pizza from the box in front of me.\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just the bedside tables.\u201d\n\n\n\n
A box of pizza | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cLook, the neighbors came over and took a few things. The bedside tables are gone, too. But if you\u2019re polite enough, I\u2019m sure Cathy will sell it back to you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
There was a long pause.\n\n\n\n
\u201cGina, it\u2019s my dad\u2019s watch. My granddad\u2019s watch. I really need it back.\u201d\n\n\n\n
I let the silence stretch out for a moment before saying anything.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI see. Well, like I said, it\u2019s with Cathy. But I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll be reasonable. You know, for the right price.\u201d\n\n\n\n
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
He knew I was bluffing. I could hear it in his voice. But there was no way that he could prove it, and I wasn\u2019t about to let him off the hook easily. Nope. Brendan needed to fight for it.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d he asked.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow much do you think it\u2019s worth?\u201d I asked. \u201cA few hundred dollars, maybe?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cFine,\u201d he said through gritted teeth. \u201cJust get it back.\u201d\n\n\n\n
An upset man | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll do my best, but no promises.\u201d\n\n\n\n
After hanging up, I held the watch and turned it over in my hands. If we had a son, he would have been handed the watch. But thankfully, we were splitting before we had a chance to think about kids.\n\n\n\n
The next morning, Brendan showed up while I was sitting on the porch and drinking a cup of coffee.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHere,\u201d he said, giving me an envelope. \u201c$500. But you know how priceless it is.\u201d\n\n\n\n
A woman sitting on a porch | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
I nodded.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThanks. You can leave now,\u201d I said.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll get in touch with you about the divorce. My lawyer has some things to discuss with us.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cCool,\u201d I said simply.\n\n\n\n
Brendan did a double-take, but he took the watch from me and walked away slowly, almost as if he wanted to say something but just couldn\u2019t get the words out.\n\n\n\n
A man walking down the driveway | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n
What would you have done?\n\n\n\n
If you enjoyed this story, here\u2019s another one for you |\n\n\n\n
For five years, Andy and Sarah had given up their guest bedroom, turning it into a storage room for her parents\u2019 belongings. But once the couple discovered that they were pregnant, they asked the older couple to remove their things, causing unnecessary friction and a surprise reward.\n\n\n\n Five years ago, my in-laws just wanted to downsize their house. So, they set out to look for the perfect little house just for the two of them.\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have too much space and too many things,\u201d my father-in-law, Greg, said.\n\n\n\n A cozy living room | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n So, naturally, they asked if they could store some of their stuff in our house for a while.\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s just the things that we want to keep, darling,\u201d Greg told my wife, Sarah.\n\n\n\n We both didn\u2019t mind it, and we had a guest room that we didn\u2019t use.\n\n\n\n A stack of cardboard boxes | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n \u201cSure, Dad,\u201d my wife said. \u201cThe guest room is all yours temporarily.\u201d\n\n\n\n The key word here is temporarily.\n\n\n\n But guess what? They never took their stuff back. Instead, they just kept bringing more.\n\n\n\n A growing stack of boxes | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n For a while, Sarah and I used to joke about the guest room and how it had turned into a storage unit in our own home.\n\n\n\n A person using a vacuum cleaner | Source: Midjourney\n\n\n\n