After My Mom’s Death, My Aunt Adopted Me to Get My Inheritance — on My 16th Birthday, a Stranger Came and Told Her, ‘It’s Time for You to Pay for What You Did’
When my aunt took me in after I lost my mother, a single mom, I believed she was my savior. However, I had no idea that living with her would turn into a nightmare until a stranger showed up on my sixteenth birthday and completely changed my life!
My world fell into a million pieces two years ago when my mother died. My rock, my greatest friend, and my cheerleader, she was my hero. When I was just fourteen, cancer took her from me, leaving me with only my Aunt Cheryl as my immediate family. Cheryl offered to “graciously” take me in, but she had other plans. She came in nearly too fast.
“You’re family, Jenna,” she whispered, a tight smile curling her lips. “And family takes care of their own.”
I initially believed I was fortunate. After all the turmoil, I believed I would finally have some stability when I moved into Aunt Cheryl’s and her family’s large, lovely home. However, I was gullible. The fact that my aunt didn’t adopt me out of love was unknown to me at the time.
She misled me about something far more sinister.
Lucas, the whining, pampered nine-year-old; Dylan, the thirteen-year-old prankster; and Maddie, the “perfect” seventeen-year-old, were my aunt’s three children. When I moved in, they began to live in luxury, with the newest phones, designer clothes, and monthly family dinners at fancy restaurants.
In the meantime, I was squeezed into the dusty, unfinished attic, surrounded by crates of old rubbish, a sagging twin mattress, and a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling.
“Why can’t I stay in the guest room downstairs?” On my first night, I inquired.
Cheryl gave me a glance. “Jenna, don’t begin. There isn’t room for us. You ought to be appreciative that I’m housing you.”
Feeling thankful? I was supposed to microwave every remaining plate from every meal! Despite being lectured about how “money doesn’t grow on trees,” Maddie always left the mall with a brand-new pair of shoes or a sparkling new piece of jewelry.
I was working on my homework one afternoon when I heard Cheryl’s voice drifting up to the attic.
“I promise you, Eric, that the money is benefiting all of us. Half of it is not even necessary for the girl. She is merely perched on it.
Cheryl’s husband, Eric, murmured something, but her words—the money—stayed like glue. I didn’t understand it at the time, but when karma appeared on my sixteenth birthday, I would understand it.
When my special day finally arrived, I had given up on much, but I secretly hoped my aunt would at least recognize it. Instead, Maddie was unwrapping a shiny silver MacBook as I came downstairs!
“Oh my god! Mom, thank you so much. Maddie hugged Cheryl and squealed.
I cleared my throat. “Isn’t today my birthday?”
My aunt seldom raised her head. “This was necessary for Maddie’s education. It’s crucial, yet you’re not even enrolled in advanced courses.”
As I said, “But…” my voice cracked. “What about me?”
Cheryl stared at me with icy eyes. Do you believe I don’t go above and above for you? Jenna, thank goodness I remembered at all! You are provided with food and housing.
I wasn’t even given a happy birthday greeting by that aloof mom and her pampered kids.
My eyes were burning with tears, but I fought the need to cry. I pivoted and strode back to the attic, slamming the door behind me. I thought angrily, “Happy birthday to me.” My uncle, who occasionally listened to me and showed sympathy, was gone on a work trip, so I was unable to even voice my complaints to him.
Cheryl and her kids went later that day for Maddie’s “birthday lunch” (after all, Maddie had one even though it wasn’t her birthday). A harsh knock reverberated through the deserted house, and I felt alone and heartbroken.
I opened the door with a knotted stomach.
A tall, self-assured woman with piercing gray eyes and a briefcase in one hand stood there. She said, “Are you Jenna?”
I gave a wary nod. “Who are you?”
“My name is Olivia,” she added in a composed yet solemn tone. “I worked with your mother long before she passed.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You knew my mom?”
Olivia said, “Yes,” and entered. “I also made a vow to her. Shall we take a seat? I have some things to tell you.
I was never permitted to sit on the white couches in Cheryl’s immaculate living room, where we made our home. Olivia took out hefty documents from her briefcase.
“Your mother left you a trust fund, Jenna,” she said. “A substantial sum of money for the future. She was worried, though. Given the kind of sister Cheryl is, she didn’t think she could take it. Your mother wanted me to monitor things before she died away.
“What are you saying?” I muttered as a knot started to grow in my chest.
Olivia’s face grew softer. “Jenna, your aunt has been wasting your money. The trust was intended for you, for your life, for college. However, Cheryl has been using money to pay for her way of life.
My head whirled. Had my aunt been defrauding me? Years? She therefore spent it on her kids, automobiles, private school, and far-flung trips rather than putting it aside for my future! In the meantime, I lived in the attic, ate leftovers, and wore hand-me-downs!
Cheryl’s SUV arrived in the driveway with screeching tires before I could say anything. I felt a chill of fear creep in.
The front door sprang open a few seconds later! The sound of my aunt’s words echoed throughout the home. “Who are you, and why are you here?!”
Olivia quietly got to her feet as Cheryl rushed in, followed by Maddie, Dylan, and Lucas. Then my aunt noticed Olivia and froze. It was obvious that she recognized her.
“It’s time for you to pay for what you did, Cheryl,” Olivia remarked sternly. “I’m here to talk about Jenna’s inheritance—and how you’ve been spending it.”
My aunt’s face turned ghostly pale. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
After extracting the documents, Olivia placed them on the coffee table. “Bank documents. withdrawals from the trust fund that Jenna has. holidays. automobiles. tuition for private schools. Everything.
“That’s a lie!” Cheryl’s voice shook as she yelled.
I got to my feet, clenching my hands. I responded, “You used me,” in a trembling voice. “Didn’t you spend everything? “Even the college funds Mom left?”
My aunt’s disguise came off when her gaze strayed to her kids. “I had to pay for things! You have no idea how difficult it is to raise four children.
“FOUR?” I spit. “I am not your child! To you, I was simply a paycheck.
“You ungrateful little—” Olivia interrupted Cheryl as she began.
“Enough,” said Olivia. “You broke the trust’s conditions. Cheryl, this is fraud. Additionally, it isn’t going away.
Maddie started crying. “What’s going on, Mom? Will everything be lost for us?
Wild-eyed, my aunt turned on me. “You are to blame for this! If only you weren’t so self-centered—”
“My fault?” I yelled. “YOU stole from ME!”
With everyone yelling simultaneously and Cheryl’s kids sobbing, the room seemed to be on fire—until Olivia’s stern voice broke through the confusion. “I think you should sit down, Cheryl. A lawyer will be necessary for you.
The disintegration of everything happened quickly. Cheryl’s spending binge was revealed to be a scam after Olivia filed a report. Legal action was taken, and the trust was frozen. Despite my aunt’s tears and pleading, the harm had already been done.
Olivia was the same person who told my aunt about my mother’s passing and my trust, so she knew her. She also explained to her the dangers of spending my money on anything other than me, but it’s obvious Cheryl ignored her advice.
In front of my aunt’s eyes, her idyllic life fell apart. I was evicted from her home in a matter of weeks. Olivia assisted me in settling into a foster home where I was accepted by a loving family as if I had always been there.
I didn’t miss Maddie’s arrogance or Cheryl’s icy stares. I felt protected and wanted for the first time in two years.
Maddie’s enrollment at a private school was canceled, the cars were repossessed, and my aunt’s house was confiscated. I didn’t care that I had heard rumors that Cheryl held me responsible for everything. Even though she had stolen years of my life, she was unable to ruin my future!
Olivia sat across from me with a pile of papers between us on my eighteenth birthday. “Jenna, the remaining funds are finally yours.”
As I signed the final form, my eyes hurt with tears. “Thank you,” I said in a whisper.
Olivia grinned broadly. “Your mom would be so proud of you.”
I spent that evening gazing up at the sky from the veranda of my foster family’s house. I sensed my mother’s presence for the first time in a long time. I pictured her whispering, Jenna, you made it. You’re at liberty.
Karma can be slow to come, but when it does, it strikes with a vengeance. Cheryl’s avarice caused her to lose everything. For my part, I felt hopeful once more—a new beginning, the future my mother had always hoped I would have.
And I will always be thankful for that.
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