Over the next few days, every time Lori saw me, she either gave me a cold look or made sarcastic remarks.
"Some people are really shameless, staying in someone else's house, eating for free every day, and refusing to leave no matter what. They think they're so likable, but they don’t realize that everyone actually despises them."
I had to listen to comments like these every single day.
Normally, with my temper, I would have snapped back long ago. But I remembered what my dad said that he would handle the situation so I forced myself to swallow my anger.
I trusted my dad. I also trusted Carol.
But I still underestimated Lori’s ability to stir up trouble.
That night, I had a gathering with some old classmates I hadn’t seen in a long time and ended up coming home quite late.
To avoid disturbing my family, I didn’t turn on the lights and quietly took my newly bought toiletries into the bathroom.
My bedroom was the master bedroom on the second floor, complete with a private balcony and an en-suite bathroom. However, the bathroom light had been broken for a while and hadn't been fixed.
As soon as I opened the bathroom door, under the faint moonlight, I suddenly saw a bare body, followed by a sharp scream.
I quickly stepped back and immediately turned on the room's light.
Under the bright light, I saw Lori wrapped in a towel, shivering as she walked out of the bathroom.
I looked at her in shock. "Loei, what are you doing in my bathroom?"
She glared at me. "Do you not have eyes? Obviously, I was taking a shower."
I was a bit confused. "Doesn't your room have its own bathroom? Why did you come to mine to shower?"
Lori snorted coldly. "This is my home. I can shower wherever I want. Do I need your permission?"
At that moment, Carol also arrived. She shot a glance at Lori before smiling and trying to soothe me. "Jacelyn, I forgot to tell you. Lori moved into your room. This afternoon, while you were out, she complained that her room didn’t get enough sunlight. The doctor said pregnant women need plenty of sunshine for the baby’s development."
It was only then that I noticed everything in my bedroom was gone.
In its place were unfamiliar furnishings.
This bedroom indeed had great natural lighting. Every morning, I would wake up bathed in sunlight. It was the happiest part of my day.
It was understandable to take care of my pregnant sister-in-law, but the fact that she took over my room without my permission genuinely made me uncomfortable.
Seeing me frown and remain silent, Carol sighed. "Jacelyn, we were wrong not to ask for your permission first. But Lori is in a special condition, and we had no other choice but to act first and inform you later. I hope you can understand."
I could understand that pregnancy made her emotionally sensitive, but did she really not even have time to give me a heads-up?
And why did she choose to move in now, right after I had been staying here for a few days? Not earlier, not later, just when I returned? Was she deliberately disregarding me as her sister-in-law?
Just then, my dad arrived. Seeing Lori, his face was full of anger. "So what if you're pregnant? Does that give you the right to take over Jacelyn’s room? Move out immediately!"
Seeing Carol's awkward expression, I quickly waved my hand. "No need, Dad. I'll just sleep in another room. Our house has plenty of rooms. Or, I can sleep in Lori's old room."
My dad sighed. "Jacelyn, I'm sorry for this."
I waved my hand again. "We're all family, no need to be so formal."
At this moment, Carol hesitated and said, "Lori's old room is filled with baby supplies. It's not suitable for anyone to stay there for now."
The corner of my mouth twitched. "Then where exactly am I supposed to sleep?"
Carol pointed to the small maid’s room in the farthest corner of the second floor. "I've already moved your things into that room."
This maid’s room was barely bigger than a bathroom, with tiny windows that let in almost no light, let alone good sunlight.
Noticing my dissatisfaction, Lori started making sarcastic remarks again. "If you don’t like the lighting in this room, why don’t you move up to the attic? It’s quiet, gets plenty of sunlight, and I’m sure you’ll love it."
I was speechless. "Lori, if the attic is so great, why don’t you move up there yourself?"
Seeing the situation, Carol quickly tried to smooth things over. "Jacelyn, it’s so hot right now. How could we let Lori stay in the attic? There’s not even an air conditioner up there."
I chuckled. "Exactly. The attic is so hot, who would even think of letting someone live there?"
Realizing she had misspoken, Carol fell silent and said no more.
My dad also shot her a fierce glare before coming over to comfort me, saying that it was just a temporary arrangement for me to stay in the maid’s room for a few days.
This time, I endured it again.
After all, harmony in the family brings prosperity.
But I never expected that what happened next would completely shatter my worldview.
