The Strangers in My House
That Saturday morning, Emily decided to visit her parents’ old house. Only three months had passed since her mother’s death, and all this time, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to sort through her mother’s belongings. The house stood empty, neglected. The neighbours—mostly elderly—had either moved in with children or rented their homes out. The Millers had once lived nearby, their children Emily’s childhood playmates, but now their house too was occupied by unfamiliar faces. There was no one left to ask for help.
Her husband had left at dawn for a fishing trip, and her teenage daughter, lost in her headphones, waved her off when Emily suggested they spend the day together. So she made up her mind: no more delays. She’d go, look around, maybe start clearing things out, then pop by Charlotte’s—her old friend had been inviting her for tea. She called a cab and waited outside, thinking of her childhood street—cozy, quiet, with its own scent and light. With each passing mile, her chest tightened—she missed her parents so much it hurt.
A few streets away, Emily got out, deciding to walk the rest. The closer she got, the uneasier she felt. At the garden gate, she froze.
“What the—,” she whispered.
The window was ajar, curtains half-drawn, though she knew she’d locked everything tight. The front door lock was broken. Someone had clearly been inside. Worse—someone might still be there.
She dialed her husband—no signal. The street was deserted, a crisp autumn afternoon, everyone gone. For a moment, she considered calling the police, but then a chilling thought struck her.
“What if… it’s James?”
He’d been acting strange lately—distant one moment, oddly cheerful the next. Maybe “fishing” was just a cover, and he was here with another woman? The idea burned through her. She couldn’t imagine it, but the suspicion wouldn’t leave.
For ten minutes, Emily stared at the windows. Then—a woman’s laughter. Bright, carefree, like someone was having the time of their life… in her parents’ house. Her stomach twisted.
A door slammed. Out stepped a slender woman in a short robe, towel in hand, heading toward the garden sauna.
“Darling, come with me! It’s boring alone!” she called inside.
Emily went cold. Young, pretty… Of course he’d trade her for someone like that. It all made sense now.
Gritting her teeth, she marched to the gate, found a thick branch, and wedged it against the sauna door—just in case. Then, on the porch, she spotted her father’s old belt—heavy, with a solid buckle. *Perfect.*
Inside, she found a set table, a bottle of sparkling wine, the TV blaring. And on the sofa—a man, asleep.
“You bastard! Our daughter’s grown, and you—!” she yelled, swinging the belt.
“Ahhh! What are you doing?! Em—it’s me, Harry!”
She froze. Not James. Harry—her husband’s nephew.
“What are you doing here? How did you get in?”
“Christ! The door was like paper! I’ve got nowhere to live! Thought the place was empty, so… figured I’d crash here with my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend?!” Emily went pale. “You thought that was fine? This isn’t a hotel!”
“Relax, Em, have some tea, we’ll be out soon.”
“No! Pack up now! And you’re fixing that lock. Yourself!”
“Sophie…” Harry groaned. “Where is she?”
“In the sauna. Locked in. I made sure she wouldn’t interfere. Next time, she’ll think twice before trespassing!”
Sophie soon burst in, flushed and furious.
“This is *my* house, Harry, tell her! I already transferred you the money for furniture!”
“Yours?” Emily scoffed. “This house belongs to my mother, love. You’ve been swindled by a scheming nephew.”
Sophie shrieked, “Give me back my money, you con artist! I’ll report you!”
“Oh, not you too…” Harry muttered.
By evening, Emily was at Charlotte’s, recounting everything—the fear, the sauna, the belt. Charlotte laughed until she cried.
“Emily, you absolute legend! I’d have called the cops straight away. But you—sorted it yourself!”
“At least it wasn’t James,” Emily sighed in relief. “But that lock—I’m changing it. And the door. Steel!”
“To brave women!” Charlotte toasted, raising her glass.
“To us!” Emily smiled.
