To avoid harassment from my ex-boyfriend, I planned to stay at my brother’s apartment for a few days. I didn’t expect to be blocked at the door by my brother’s girlfriend, who then slapped me hard across the face. She spoke to me in a sarcastic tone, “Wow, what a boundary-less sister-in-law! How dare you stay in your brother’s place?” “A total deadbeat, not working hard to help Nathan earn a dowry, just sleeping in all day.” “You must be messing around out there, which is why your boyfriend dumped you…” Seriously?! What a psycho! This property title is in my name, okay? My brother Nathan Freitt is seven years younger than me and currently in college. Six months ago, he asked if he could borrow my two-bedroom apartment in Chapel Hill because his roommate snores and keeps him up at night. Since the place was sitting empty, I gave him two spare keys and told him to stay in the guest room and not to enter my room. He eagerly agreed. A couple of days ago, I discovered that my ex-boyfriend cheated on me. After the breakup, he kept showing up outside my office building and my apartment complex every day. To get some peace, I handed over my work to my assistant and decided to stay at my brother’s place for a while. On Thursday afternoon at 4 PM, Nathan should still be in class, so I didn’t tell him and just dragged my suitcase over. But to my surprise, I found that no matter how hard I tried, my key wouldn’t unlock the door. Could Nathan have changed the locks without telling me? Just as I was about to pull out my phone to ask Nathan what was going on, the door suddenly clicked open. Standing there was a girl with perfect makeup, wearing a cute, fuzzy pink bunny onesie. That onesie looked familiar; it seemed like something I had bought as a spare. But right now, I didn’t have time to figure out why this girl was wearing what looked like my pajamas. What I really needed to know was why she was in my home! As I frowned at her, she looked me up and down with an expression that was anything but friendly. “Hi…” I tried to ask what was going on, but she interrupted me. “Are you serious?! You’re here trying to break into my house? Do you think I won’t call the cops and have you arrested?” ??? I stood there, confused and taken aback. Just as I pulled off my scarf to show my face and understand what was happening, I felt a sharp sting on my left cheek. At the same moment, the door slammed shut, sending a breeze across my burning face. I was seething with anger as I took out my phone. My gut told me this was all Nathan’s doing. [Me: Nathan, what did you do with my house?!] [Nathan: Sis? What’s wrong?] [Me: I just got slapped by a woman in my pajamas who’s in my house.] [Nathan: Why did you show up so suddenly?] [Me: You better explain this to me quickly.] Nathan seemed surprised and panicked, taking a few minutes to respond. [Nathan: Sis, there’s probably a misunderstanding. I had my girlfriend open the door for you. I’ll explain when I get back from class; don’t be mad.] Don’t be mad? How am I supposed to not be mad after being slapped and locked out of my own house? Wait… girlfriend? Nathan is dating someone? And they’re living together? In my house?!
I waited outside for another ten minutes, but Nathan’s girlfriend still didn’t come to let me in. As a graduate from a prestigious university who started a successful business with my best friend, I was now a bona fide female CEO. With my impressive grades and affluent background, I had always been pampered growing up. It was the first time someone had disrespected me like this, and I couldn’t just let it go. Unfortunately, I really couldn’t get into the house, so I dragged my suitcase to a coffee shop downstairs to wait for Nathan. During this time, Nathan kept sending me apology messages. [Nathan: Sis, she definitely didn’t mean it; don’t be mad.] [Nathan: There must be some misunderstanding; just calm down.] I ignored him. An hour later, a disheveled Nathan rushed into the coffee shop, scanning the room until he quickly spotted me in the corner. He approached me with a smile plastered on his face. “My lovely, charming sister, I knew you wouldn’t be upstairs, so I figured you’d be here!” Nathan grabbed my suitcase, saying, “Let’s go, Sis.” I shot him a glare, my anger bubbling under the surface, and followed him upstairs. In the elevator, Nathan kept trying to charm me. “Sis, I just got back and had a talk with Amber. Don’t be mad; don’t stoop to her level.” Seeing him like this, I could understand; after all, they were supposed to be enjoying their time together as a couple, and me showing up probably made things awkward for them. But this girl was taking it a bit too far. I decided that if she apologized sincerely, I could overlook this whole incident. Nathan quickly agreed. Once we entered the apartment, I found Amber lounging on the sofa, her bare feet propped up on the coffee table I had meticulously chosen during renovations. She was munching on sunflower seeds and watching some reality show, laughing out loud from time to time. Sunflower seed shells were scattered everywhere, and there were piles of orange peels and several empty soda cans on the table. The elegant artwork that once hung in the living room had been replaced with posters of boy bands I didn’t even recognize. I couldn’t believe this was the apartment I had handed over to Nathan. “Amber, this is my sister, Jessica,” Nathan said, giving her a knowing glance before turning to me with a nervous smile. “Jessica, this is my girlfriend, Amber Johnson.” I regarded the girl before me, who was practically the definition of rude. “Hi, sister,” Amber said, barely looking at me. “I asked you to let my sister in; why didn’t you?” Nathan asked her, glancing nervously at my expression. “And about that misunderstanding, hurry up and apologize to my sister!” Only then did Amber glance my way. After scanning between me and Nathan, she smirked, “I didn’t realize your sister liked to wear matching scarves with you!” That’s when I noticed Nathan was wearing the scarf I had given him. I hadn’t purposely given him that scarf; it was a mix-up when I ordered a couple online. The seller mistakenly sent me two, and since I didn’t want to deal with returning it, I just kept both. I had planned to give the extra one to my best friend, but Nathan had seen it and said he needed one, so I just handed it over. Siblings wearing matching scarves isn’t that strange, right? And because of this, I was slapped and locked out of my own home? Unbelievable…
After hearing that explanation, I could somewhat understand Amber’s actions; she probably thought I was a homewrecker. She was just a bit petty, being in the honeymoon phase of her relationship, so I forced myself to be understanding. I turned to Nathan and asked why he had changed the locks. If my key had worked, none of this would have happened, and I wouldn’t have gotten slapped for no reason. Nathan hesitated before explaining, “Well… I forgot my keys at school the other day and had to call a locksmith. For safety’s sake, I had the locks changed.” Amber chimed in sarcastically, “Who would feel safe knowing someone else has a key to our place?” The only keys to this apartment, besides Nathan’s, are mine. Not even our parents have a key. This is my house; am I an outsider? She really doesn’t see herself as an outsider? Seeing I was about to explode, Nathan quickly jumped in to defend Amber. “Hey, sis, don’t think too much about it. Amber just meant the locksmith.” Looking at Nathan’s panicked defense of Amber, it was clear he really liked her. Nathan was twenty years old, and this was the first time I realized he was dating someone. Oh well, as long as he likes her. Amber probably just had low emotional intelligence and a lack of manners. Besides, it’s not like I’d be living with her; if Nathan can handle it, that’s all that matters. I didn’t say anything and pulled my suitcase toward the master bedroom. The door was open, revealing a messy space filled with signs of life. Before I moved out, I had left an entire set of unopened La Mer skincare products on my vanity, but now it was all used up. The clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry I had prepared in the closet had all been used, and given that Amber was wearing my pajamas, it was clear that Nathan and Amber had moved into my room. “Amber, since Nathan calls you that, I’ll call you that too,” I said, peeking into the master bedroom with a polite smile. “If you need skincare products, clothes, shoes, bags, or jewelry, just let me know. I can give you some that suit you, but using my things without permission—how am I supposed to use them when I arrive?” Surprisingly, Amber didn’t show any sign of remorse or intent to apologize. Instead, she looked at me and said, “You’re so calculating.” “Well, you’re not married yet. No matter how much you earn, it’s all for Nathan’s wedding. I’m his girlfriend, so everything here technically belongs to me, right?” I swear I’ve never met someone as shameless as Amber. Not a person, but a whole different species! Nathan rushed over to pull me into the master bedroom, whispering, “Sis, Amber’s upbringing is rough. Her family favors boys over girls, so she’s a bit starved for love. Don’t take it too personally!” I held back my frustration and ordered Nathan, “Quick, gather your things and move them to the guest room!” Nathan nodded eagerly, “Okay, okay!” As Nathan moved their things from the master bedroom to the guest room, Amber repeatedly tried to say something but was stopped by Nathan’s glare. She then plopped down on the sofa and started rolling her eyes dramatically. I was worried she might actually flip herself over.
I thought Amber would finally calm down. After all, I was only planning to stay a few days. If I weren’t allergic to pet hair, I would’ve gone to my best friend’s place directly, but her boyfriend’s dog was temporarily staying there, so I had to come here. I didn’t mind Nathan dating; I was too busy to keep tabs on them. With my relentless encouragement, Nathan had developed impressive cooking skills, so naturally, he prepared dinner. The table was filled with all my favorite dishes: Southern-style pork, sweet and sour ribs, roasted chicken, stir-fried chives and eggs, cauliflower with ham, braised lamb, and my favorite spicy shrimp! “Eating so heavy at night? No wonder you got dumped!” “Why are there chives? They get stuck in your teeth!” “Nathan! Why did you make lamb? The smell is unbearable!” As soon as the dishes were served, Nathan hadn’t even had a chance to take off his apron when Amber started picking food off the plate and shoving it into her mouth. While we weren’t a rich family, we still had decent manners. I frowned slightly at Amber’s behavior but said nothing. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, and lifestyle habits vary; those can change over time. Hearing Amber complain, I thought maybe Nathan overlooked her tastes since he wanted to impress me and had ignored what she liked. Just as I was about to reprimand Nathan for his lack of etiquette, he spoke up. “Didn’t you ask for at least two meat and two vegetable dishes for dinner? It’s been a while since my sister ate my cooking, so I made a few extra dishes.” “Didn’t you say eating chives is good for your health and you should have them every day?” “Didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to eat braised lamb?” Oh, great! So this whole dinner was a subtle attack aimed at me! Under Nathan’s silent pleading, I decided not to stoop to Amber’s level and put on some disposable gloves to start peeling shrimp. Maybe I hadn’t given Amber the reaction she was hoping for because, after just a few bites, she started acting up again. “Nathan, I want shrimp!” Nathan patiently peeled a few shrimp and placed them on her plate. “This girl needs peeled shrimp; peeling shrimp herself is too low-class!” Was that a direct jab at me? If I cater to you, I might as well take your last name! But before I could swallow my shrimp and say anything, I witnessed something that shocked me to my core.
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