Up next in 10
[FULL STORY] He Broke Up With Me… Then Found Out the House Was MINE 💅| Aita Stories By Mary
0 views
Jul 12, 2025
[FULL STORY] He Broke Up With Me… Then Found Out the House Was MINE 💅| Aita Stories By Mary #reddit #redditrelationship #redditstories #redditstorytime #relationshipstories #redditfamilydrama #telltales #redditfamilytales #redditrelationshipadvice #entitledparents #aita #aitareddit Keywords :- reddit stories boyfriend cheating, reddit stories infidelity, reddit cheating stories open relationship, reddit relationship revenge stories, reddit stories open relationship, aita reddit stories relationships, the messiest relationships on reddit, crazy reddit relationship stories, aita reddit stories storytime, relationship advice reddit stories, reddit stories compilation tiktok, reddit stories compilation, female dating strategy reddit, reddit stories cheating girlfriend, reddit stories surviving infidelity, reddit stories boyfriend, reddit stories ex girlfriend, relationship drama reddit, reddit infidelity stories on youtube, cheating in relationships stories, reddit stories girlfriend, reddit reconciliation stories, reddit open relationship regrets, entitled parents give my birthday to my sister, entitled sister reddit, the wedding day betrayal full movie, cheating in a relationship stories, infidelity and cheating reddit stories, reddit cheating stories complications, reddit relationships cheating revenge, reddit cheating stories updates, reddit stories cheating husband, cheating spouse reddit stories, best reddit love stories, reddit out loud relationships,
View Video Transcript
0:00
Hey everyone, I'm here to tell you a
0:01
story about a breakup that was so
0:03
ridiculous, it's almost unbelievable.
0:05
It's about how my boyfriend of six years
0:07
dumped me for the dumbest reason
0:08
imaginable after I supported him for
0:10
years, but he forgot one crucial detail.
0:12
The house we lived in was in my name,
0:15
and now he's living in his car. Let me
0:18
preface this by saying I've been with
0:19
Finn for 6 years. 6 years of what I
0:22
believed was love, loyalty, and
0:24
definitely a whole lot of patience. And
0:25
when I say patience, I mean I've been
0:27
the one supporting him financially while
0:28
he bounced between passion projects.
0:30
There was the YouTube channel that never
0:32
took off despite him insisting he'd be
0:34
bigger than PewDiePie. The NFT craze he
0:36
swore he was ahead of the curve on.
0:38
Spoiler, he wasn't. And his brief stint
0:40
trying to make it big in crypto where he
0:42
lost most of his savings. During all of
0:44
this, I held us down. Mortgage, me,
0:47
utilities, me, groceries, also me. Car
0:50
payments, you guessed it, me. Finn was
0:52
the dreamer. And I was, well, I guess I
0:55
was the fool who kept believing in those
0:56
dreams. Every time he'd come to me with
0:58
a new idea, eyes bright with enthusiasm,
1:00
I'd push down my doubts and support him.
1:03
This time will be different, he'd say.
1:05
And like an idiot, I believed him.
1:07
Things started getting weird about 2
1:09
weeks ago. Finn began acting distant,
1:11
spending more time than usual on his
1:13
phone, and making these odd comments
1:14
about needing space to grow and finding
1:16
himself. I didn't think much of it at
1:18
first. He tends to get philosophical
1:20
when he's about to start another
1:21
project, but then he started making
1:23
these comments about the state of the
1:24
house, which was new. He'd point out
1:26
unwashed dishes or unfolded laundry with
1:28
this weird judgmental tone I'd never
1:29
heard from him before. Then last week,
1:31
he sat me down at our kitchen table
1:32
after I got home from work. He had this
1:34
serious look on his face that I'd only
1:35
seen a few times before, usually when he
1:37
was about to announce another failed
1:38
venture. But what came out of his mouth
1:40
made me question if I was living in some
1:42
parallel universe. I think we should
1:44
break up, he said. You don't do enough
1:47
around the house. I actually laughed. I
1:50
thought he was joking. But when he
1:52
didn't crack a smile, I felt something
1:54
inside me just shift. This man, who I've
1:57
basically been mothering for 6 years,
1:58
was accusing me of not contributing
2:00
enough. When I asked him to clarify,
2:03
because surely, surely he wasn't
2:04
serious. He doubled down. You never
2:07
clean up after yourself, and I feel like
2:08
I do all the emotional labor around
2:10
here. I'm always the one who has to
2:11
point out when things need to be done.
2:13
Let me paint you a picture. I work
2:15
insane hours to keep us afloat while
2:16
he's at home brainstorming his next big
2:18
move. Yes, sometimes I'm too tired to do
2:20
the dishes right away or fold laundry
2:22
immediately. Sometimes I leave my coffee
2:24
mug on the counter or forget to put my
2:25
shoes away. But you know what I do? I
2:28
pay every single bill that keeps a roof
2:29
over our heads and food in our fridge.
2:31
Meanwhile, Finn's biggest contribution
2:33
to our household has been reorganizing
2:34
the bookshelf by genre three times and
2:36
throwing out my perfectly good
2:38
Tupperware because it didn't spark joy
2:39
anymore. This is the same man who has a
2:42
meltdown if the Wi-Fi goes out for more
2:43
than 5 minutes. Guess who calls the
2:45
provider every single time? Me. Every
2:48
birthday, holiday, or weekend activity
2:50
planned by me. He won't even order
2:52
takeout without asking for my input
2:53
three times and then still managing to
2:55
get my order wrong. But here's where it
2:56
gets truly bizarre. After his little
2:59
breakup announcement, Finn started
3:01
acting like the house was already his.
3:03
He made this smug comment about how this
3:05
will be a good reset for both of us and
3:07
suggested I could move back in with my
3:09
mom or something. He even started
3:10
talking about how he was going to turn
3:12
the guest room into his office once I
3:13
was gone and how he might get a dog
3:15
since there won't be anyone to complain
3:16
about the hair anymore. That's when it
3:18
hit me. He genuinely seemed to have
3:21
forgotten or maybe never realized whose
3:23
name is actually on the deed to this
3:24
house. Hint, it's not his. Not even
3:28
close. This house was my inheritance
3:30
from my grandparents and I'm the sole
3:31
owner. Every mortgage payment, every
3:33
repair, every utility bill, it's all in
3:34
my name. I excused myself, went
3:36
upstairs, and locked myself in our
3:38
bedroom. I wasn't going to argue with
3:40
him or try to change his mind. No, I was
3:43
going to let him sit in his little
3:44
delusion for as long as he wants. Let
3:46
him think he's winning this breakup. Let
3:48
him think I'm packing my bags and
3:50
heading out the door. Because here's the
3:52
thing, Finn has no idea what's coming.
3:54
He has no clue that he's about to lose
3:56
everything. And honestly, I can't wait
3:59
to watch him realize just how badly he
4:00
screwed up. So, I mentioned in my last
4:03
post that Finn broke up with me,
4:04
claiming I didn't do enough around the
4:06
house. This, of course, was hilarious
4:08
because I've been the one paying for
4:09
literally everything, mortgage,
4:11
utilities, groceries, while he's been
4:13
working on himself for the past 6 years.
4:16
Oh, and let's not forget, I also cooked,
4:18
cleaned, and did every chore that wasn't
4:20
somehow attached to his beloved gaming
4:21
setup. But here's the kicker. After the
4:24
breakup, Finn acted like he owned the
4:26
place. Literally, I think it took him
4:28
all of 5 seconds to decide this house
4:30
was his now. He didn't say it outright,
4:32
but the way he carried himself made it
4:33
obvious. He started lounging around like
4:35
the king of a castle he hadn't even
4:37
built, leaving messes everywhere and
4:38
playing his games until 4:00 a.m. like
4:40
nothing had changed. He even started
4:42
telling me what I needed to pack up so I
4:43
could leave in an orderly way.
4:45
Meanwhile, I was just sitting there in
4:47
shock, waiting to see how far this
4:48
delusion would go. Spoiler, it went very
4:50
far. About a week after the breakup,
4:52
Finn told me he was having a friend
4:54
over. This was during one of his moments
4:55
where he barely looked at me, muttering
4:57
something about how I needed to respect
4:58
his space. Respect his space in my
5:00
house? Sure, buddy. I just nodded,
5:04
thinking, "Okay, let's see who this
5:05
friend is." When the doorbell rang, I
5:07
opened it to find a woman standing there
5:09
with a bright smile and a bottle of
5:10
wine. Her name was Mila, and let me tell
5:13
you, she was perfectly nice, polite
5:14
even. But it didn't take a detective to
5:16
figure out this wasn't just a friend.
5:18
The way she looked at Finn, they were
5:20
very much together. Finn didn't even
5:22
introduce us properly. He just breezed
5:24
past me like I was the maid, giving Mila
5:25
a little tour of the house. My house,
5:28
and oh, did he sell it like he was some
5:29
kind of real estate mogul. This is the
5:31
living room. I've been thinking about
5:33
getting a new couch in here. Something
5:34
more modern, you know. This is the
5:36
kitchen. I love the open layout. It's
5:38
great for hosting. This is my office.
5:40
It's where I do most of my work these
5:42
days. I almost choked when he said that
5:43
last one. Work. The man hasn't had a job
5:47
since 2018.
5:49
The office he was referring to is the
5:51
spare bedroom I set up for him to maybe
5:52
do some freelance projects, but it's
5:54
mostly just where he plays Fortnite.
5:56
Mila was eating it up, though. I could
5:58
see her imagining herself living here,
6:00
settling into a life of Pinterest
6:01
perfect bliss. Meanwhile, I was standing
6:04
there in the kitchen, gripping my coffee
6:05
mug so hard I thought it might crack. At
6:08
this point, I had two options. Blow up
6:10
and let them both know exactly how I
6:11
felt, or play it cool and let Finn dig
6:13
himself into a hole. I chose the second
6:16
one. Honestly, I wanted to see how far
6:18
he'd take this little charade. The
6:20
entire evening, Finn acted like he'd
6:22
already moved on and was just graciously
6:23
allowing me to stay until I figured
6:25
things out. He even had the nerve to
6:27
pull me aside and say, "I think it's
6:30
best if we start working on a timeline
6:31
for when you'll be out. No rush, of
6:33
course, but Mila and I need to start
6:34
planning." Planning what? A housewarming
6:37
party in my living room. I just smiled
6:39
and said, "Oh, don't worry about me. I'm
6:41
handling everything." You should have
6:43
seen his face. So smug. He really
6:46
thought he'd won. The next morning, I
6:48
made my move. While Finn was still
6:49
asleep, I called a locksmith and had all
6:51
the locks changed. The locksmith was in
6:53
and out in under an hour. I paid him,
6:55
thanked him, and sat down with a cup of
6:56
tea to wait. When Finn finally woke up
6:59
and strolled into the kitchen like he
7:00
owned the place, I casually told him,
7:03
"By the way, I had the locks changed
7:05
this morning. You'll need to grab your
7:06
things and leave by the end of the day,
7:08
you guys." The panic on his face, he
7:10
went pale. What do you mean you change
7:12
the locks? You can't do that. Oh, I
7:15
absolutely can. This is my house,
7:17
remember? It's in my name. You're not on
7:19
the deed. You're not on the mortgage.
7:21
And now you're not welcome here. He
7:23
tried to argue. He tried to plead. At
7:26
one point, he even tried to guilt trip
7:28
me, saying, "I thought you loved me. I
7:30
thought we were building something
7:31
together." Mila came over during all of
7:34
this, probably expecting another cozy
7:35
evening with her man. Instead, she got
7:38
to witness Finn packing his things while
7:40
I stood there, arms crossed, reminding
7:42
him not to forget his gaming chair. She
7:44
looked so confused and kept asking,
7:46
"Wait, this isn't your house?" Finn
7:49
didn't even try to answer her. By the
7:51
end of the day, Finn was gone. Mila was
7:53
gone. I poured myself a glass of wine,
7:55
sat down on the couch Finn had wanted to
7:57
replace, and thought about how close I'd
7:59
come to losing everything because I was
8:00
too generous with my time, my money, and
8:02
my patience. Never again. Oh, and in
8:05
case anyone's wondering, Finn is now
8:06
couch surfing with friends. I heard from
8:09
a mutual acquaintance that Mila dumped
8:10
him, too, when she realized he was
8:11
unemployed, broke, and basically
8:13
homeless. Karma is a beautiful thing,
8:15
isn't it? I thought that was the end of
8:17
it, but apparently Finn wasn't done
8:19
embarrassing himself yet. A few days
8:21
after Finn left, I got a call from our
8:23
mutual friend, Caleb, who wanted to
8:25
check in. I could tell from his voice
8:27
that he was fishing for something, so I
8:29
asked him outright, "Did Finn send you?"
8:32
Caleb hesitated, but eventually spilled
8:33
the beans. Turns out Finn had been
8:35
planning this breakup for months. He'd
8:37
been telling everyone, friends,
8:39
acquaintances, even his family, that he
8:41
was about to take over the house and
8:42
start a new chapter. He painted himself
8:44
as the long-suffering boyfriend who had
8:46
put up with my nagging for years.
8:48
According to him, the house was
8:49
basically his because of all the work
8:51
he'd put into making it a home. I had to
8:53
pause Caleb there because I nearly
8:55
choked laughing. What work? The man
8:58
barely did his own laundry, let alone
9:00
anything to maintain the house. I asked
9:03
Caleb if Finn ever mentioned the small
9:04
detail about the house being in my name.
9:06
He said he figured you'd just leave when
9:08
he asked, and if you didn't, he'd figure
9:10
it out. Oh, Finn. Sweet, delusional
9:12
Finn. Apparently, Finn was so confident
9:14
that I'd roll over and give him the
9:16
house that he threw himself a little
9:17
victory lap before the breakup. He told
9:19
people he was finally free to focus on
9:21
his life and even made plans to host a
9:22
housewarming party again in my house.
9:25
The audacity. Caleb also told me
9:27
something that really pissed me off.
9:28
Finn had been downplaying everything I
9:30
did for him. He told people I was barely
9:32
paying the bills and that he was the one
9:33
holding it all together. This was the
9:35
guy who didn't even know how much the
9:36
mortgage was every month. The lies were
9:38
just so bold and bizarre that I couldn't
9:40
help but laugh. I thanked Caleb for the
9:42
info and started thinking about how I
9:43
could wrap this up in a way that Finn
9:44
would never forget. At first, I thought
9:46
about just letting it go. Finn was gone,
9:48
the house was mine, and I could finally
9:50
move on. But then I remembered all the
9:52
crap he put me through. Years of
9:54
emotional manipulation, financial
9:56
freloading, and now this ridiculous
9:58
smear campaign. No, I wasn't going to
10:00
let it slide. I decided to hit Finn
10:02
where it hurt most, his ego. First, I
10:06
sent a polite but firm group message to
10:07
our mutual friends, clarifying a few
10:09
things. The house was in my name 100%.
10:12
Finn never paid a dime toward the
10:13
mortgage or bills. Any claims that he
10:16
built our life together were outright
10:18
lies. I kept it factual and unemotional,
10:21
but I made sure to include screenshots
10:22
of our old leases and utility bills with
10:24
my name on them. I even included a photo
10:26
of the deed with only my name. I wasn't
10:28
about to let him twist the narrative.
10:30
Second, I reached out to a local charity
10:32
that helps people furnish their homes. I
10:34
donated all of Finn's leftover junk, his
10:36
old desk, a couch he never sat on, and
10:38
even the gaming chair he left behind in
10:40
his rush to leave. They were thrilled to
10:42
take it, and I was thrilled to see it
10:43
go. Lastly, I decided to let Finn's
10:46
parents know what had really been going
10:48
on. They'd always been kind to me, and I
10:51
felt like they deserved to know the
10:52
truth. I didn't go into every detail,
10:55
but I told them enough to make it clear
10:56
that Finn's victim narrative was a
10:58
complete fabrication.
11:00
The group message blew up almost
11:01
immediately. Most people were shocked
11:03
but supportive, saying they had no idea
11:06
Finn was spinning such a ridiculous
11:07
story. A few of his closer friends tried
11:09
to defend him, saying he was going
11:10
through a lot. But I shut that down
11:12
quickly. We all go through things, I
11:14
said. But that doesn't give you the
11:15
right to lie and steal. Finn, of course,
11:18
found out about the message and called
11:19
me furious. He accused me of ruining his
11:21
life and said I had no right to air our
11:23
dirty laundry. I told him calmly that
11:25
he'd been doing that himself for months.
11:27
I just corrected the record. Then I hung
11:29
up and blocked him. As for his parents,
11:32
they were horrified. They apologized
11:34
profusely and said they had no idea Finn
11:36
had been treating me so poorly. His mom
11:38
even offered to pay me back for some of
11:39
the bills he racked up, but I declined.
11:42
I wasn't interested in money. I just
11:44
wanted them to know the truth. The real
11:46
cherry on top came a few weeks later
11:47
when I ran into Ma at a coffee shop. She
11:49
approached me clearly embarrassed and
11:51
apologized for getting involved. She
11:53
said Finn had lied to her about
11:54
everything, including how the house
11:55
situation was mutual. Then she told me
11:57
the funniest thing I've heard all year.
12:00
Finn was living in his car. Apparently,
12:02
none of his friends wanted to take him
12:03
in after learning the truth. And his
12:05
parents weren't interested in bailing
12:06
him out either. He burned too many
12:08
bridges and now he was reaping the
12:10
consequences. I don't wish homelessness
12:13
on anyone, but in this case, I can't say
12:15
I feel too bad. He made his bed, or in
12:18
this case, his back seat, and now he has
12:20
to lie in it. So, remember how I
12:23
mentioned Finn wasn't done trying to get
12:24
his house back? Well, grab your popcorn
12:27
because this story just got even more
12:28
ridiculous. Last week, I was having
12:31
lunch with my sister Nora when she
12:32
started acting weird. She kept checking
12:35
her phone and giving me these strange
12:36
looks like she wanted to tell me
12:38
something but couldn't figure out how.
12:40
Finally, I just asked her what was up.
12:42
Don't be mad, she started, which is
12:44
never a good sign. But Finn reached out
12:47
to me last week. I nearly spat out my
12:49
drink. What? Turns out Finn has been
12:52
going around telling everyone who will
12:53
listen that we had some sort of verbal
12:55
agreement about the house. According to
12:57
him, we were practically married. We
12:58
weren't. And he contributed
12:59
significantly to the household. He
13:01
hadn't. But here's the real kicker. He
13:04
asked Nora for money. Not just a little
13:06
money either. He wanted enough to get
13:08
back on his feet and fight for what's
13:10
rightfully his. And she gave it to him.
13:13
Before you grab your pitchforks, let me
13:14
explain. Nora and I have always been
13:17
close, and she's usually the smartest
13:18
person I know. But Finn apparently fed
13:21
her this soba story about how he'd
13:22
invested everything in our relationship
13:24
and was now homeless because of me. He
13:26
even showed her screenshots of some
13:27
bills he'd paid years ago, conveniently
13:29
leaving out the fact that he'd paid them
13:30
with my money. "I felt bad for him,"
13:32
Norah admitted, looking guilty. "He was
13:34
living in his car, and he seemed so sure
13:35
about everything. He said he just needed
13:37
enough to get started again." I sat
13:39
there trying to process this betrayal.
13:41
"How much did you give him?" "$2,000,"
13:44
she mumbled into her coffee. "$2,000.
13:46
I was about to lose it. But then Norah
13:49
pulled out her phone and showed me their
13:50
text conversation. As I read through it,
13:52
I realized something. My sister might be
13:55
smarter than I thought. See, Norah
13:57
hadn't just given him the money. She'd
13:58
made him sign a proper IOU, complete
14:00
with repayment terms and interest. She'd
14:02
even gotten him to put his car up as
14:04
collateral. When I asked her why she
14:06
went to all that trouble for a small
14:07
loan, she just smiled.
14:10
Because I knew he was full of it, she
14:12
said. I wanted proof of exactly how
14:14
desperate he was getting. Plus, I
14:16
figured having a document showing he had
14:18
to borrow money come in handy later. I
14:20
could have hugged her right then. But
14:22
the story gets better. Remember Caleb,
14:24
our mutual friend who spilled the beans
14:25
about Finn's pre-breakup plotting? Well,
14:28
he sent me screenshots of Finn's social
14:29
media posts where he's been painting
14:31
himself as this victim of a calculated
14:32
gold digger who trapped him in a
14:34
relationship just to steal his future
14:36
earnings. Yes, you read that right. He
14:39
thinks I spent 6 years supporting his
14:40
unemployed self because I was after his
14:42
future money. the money he was
14:44
definitely going to make from all those
14:45
failed projects I funded. The posts are
14:48
full of vague accusations about how I
14:50
manipulated him and took advantage of
14:51
his trusting nature. According to Finn's
14:54
new version of events, he was the one
14:56
who supported me emotionally while I was
14:57
unstable and unable to maintain healthy
14:59
relationships. This from the man who
15:02
once had a three-hour meltdown because I
15:03
bought the wrong brand of energy drink.
15:05
But here's where it gets really
15:06
interesting. My friend Zoe has been
15:08
keeping track of everyone Finn's reached
15:09
out to, and apparently he's been telling
15:12
different stories to different people.
15:13
To some, he's the victim of a
15:15
manipulative ex. To others, he's a
15:18
generous partner who gave up everything
15:19
for me. And to a few, he's even claiming
15:22
we had some sort of business partnership
15:23
that I betrayed. The stories keep
15:25
getting more elaborate, too. Last week,
15:28
he told someone I had promised to put
15:29
his name on the deed as a birthday gift,
15:31
but then changed my mind out of spite.
15:32
Pretty creative for someone who once
15:34
forgot my birthday entirely because he
15:36
was too busy trying to become a Twitch
15:37
streamer. Yesterday, I got a series of
15:39
increasingly unhinged messages from him
15:42
about how he's going to expose me to
15:44
everyone we know. He's threatening to
15:46
tell people about all my secrets,
15:48
though. I'm really curious what secrets
15:50
he thinks he has, considering I'm the
15:52
one who knows about his failed
15:54
cryptocurrency investments and that time
15:56
he tried to become a professional dog
15:57
photographer with my camera. I haven't
15:59
responded to any of his messages, but I
16:01
did save them all. Something tells me
16:04
this isn't over yet. Finn's never been
16:06
good at accepting reality, and now that
16:08
he's burned through Norah's money,
16:09
probably on another get-richqu scheme,
16:11
I'm sure he's cooking up some new plan
16:12
to try to get what he thinks he
16:13
deserves. So, last Sunday, I was doing
16:16
my weekly grocery shopping when I
16:17
literally ran into Finn's mom at the
16:18
store. I tried to just smile and walk
16:20
past, but she grabbed my cart and said,
16:22
"We need to talk now." His mom has
16:24
always been sweet to me, even after
16:26
everything that happened. But this time
16:27
she looked different. Worried but also
16:29
kind of angry. She asked if we could get
16:31
coffee and something in her voice made
16:33
me agree. Once we sat down, she took a
16:35
deep breath and said, "I need to tell
16:37
you what Finn's been up to because this
16:39
has gone too far. Turns out Finn showed
16:41
up at his parents house last week with
16:42
this elaborate story about how he was
16:44
getting the house back. According to
16:46
him, he had evidence that I had somehow
16:48
tricked him into putting all the bills
16:50
in my name. He even claimed he had proof
16:52
that he'd given me cash for the down
16:54
payment. His mom stopped him right there
16:56
and reminded him that she and his dad
16:58
had been there when I bought the house
16:59
before Finn even moved in. But Finn just
17:01
talked over her, going on about how he
17:03
was building a case and needed to borrow
17:05
some money to set things right. When his
17:07
parents refused to give him money, he
17:08
completely lost it. Started throwing
17:10
around accusations about how they never
17:12
supported his dreams and were choosing
17:13
my side over their own son. His mom
17:16
looked so tired as she told me this.
17:18
"He's not the boy I raised," she said.
17:20
"I don't know what happened to him, but
17:22
here's where it gets really interesting.
17:24
She started telling me about all these
17:26
things Finn had done that I never knew
17:27
about. Like how he'd been telling his
17:29
younger sister that he bought me out of
17:31
the house months ago and that's why he
17:32
needed to borrow money from her to
17:33
renovate his property. His sister being
17:36
19 and trusting her big brother gave him
17:38
her savings or how he'd been going
17:40
around to all their relatives, telling
17:42
different versions of the story to
17:43
whoever would listen. To some, he
17:45
claimed we were secretly married. To
17:47
others, he said I had promised him the
17:49
house in exchange for sweat equity. His
17:51
words, not mine. He even told his
17:53
grandmother that I was holding his
17:55
gaming equipment hostage, the same
17:56
equipment I donated to charity months
17:58
ago. His mom pulled out her phone and
18:00
showed me screenshots of a GoFundMe page
18:02
he'd made. The title, help local man
18:04
reclaim his home from manipulative ex. I
18:06
almost choked on my coffee. The page was
18:09
full of completely madeup stories about
18:10
how he'd invested his life savings into
18:12
the house, what savings, and how I had
18:14
manipulated the paperwork to cut him
18:15
out. He even posted pictures of my
18:17
house, claiming he'd done all these
18:18
renovations himself. The only renovation
18:21
Finn ever did was rearranging the
18:22
furniture when he was procrastinating on
18:23
job applications. But the craziest part,
18:26
people were actually donating. Not a
18:28
lot, but enough that Finn thought his
18:29
plan was working. He'd raised about $800
18:32
before his mom reported the page and got
18:34
it taken down. I had to do something.
18:36
She said he needs to face reality. She
18:39
told me Finn had been sleeping in his
18:40
car in their driveway for the past week,
18:42
refusing to come inside unless they
18:43
supported his cause. Every morning, he'd
18:46
leave, claiming he had meetings about
18:47
getting the house back. Every evening
18:49
he'd return with some new story about
18:50
his progress. His mom had finally had
18:52
enough when she overheard him on the
18:54
phone trying to convince Mila remember
18:55
her to be a character witness about how
18:57
the house was really his. Mila, to her
19:00
credit, had apparently laughed and hung
19:01
up on him. I'm not telling you this to
19:03
get sympathy for him, his mom said. I'm
19:06
telling you because I want you to be
19:07
prepared. He's not going to stop until
19:09
he has no choice. She then did something
19:11
that surprised me. She handed me a small
19:13
photo album. Inside were pictures of
19:15
Finn from the past few years. Pictures
19:17
of him at family events, holidays,
19:20
casual moments. In every single one, he
19:22
was on his phone or laptop, supposedly
19:25
working on his next big thing while
19:26
everyone else was actually living their
19:28
lives. I should have seen it sooner, she
19:30
said. How he used people, how he always
19:32
had an angle. I enabled him for too
19:35
long, and I'm sorry you got caught up in
19:36
it. I tried to give the album back, but
19:38
she shook her head. Keep it. Maybe
19:41
someday he'll want to see the person he
19:43
used to be. But for now, I need to do
19:45
what I should have done years ago. She
19:47
told me she and Finn's dad had made a
19:48
decision. They're changing their locks
19:50
and cutting off his access to their
19:51
Wi-Fi. No more sleeping in their
19:53
driveway. No more enabling his
19:54
delusions. They've arranged for him to
19:56
stay with his uncle in another state
19:57
who's offered him a real job. No
19:59
computers, no schemes, just honest work.
20:02
He either takes the offer and gets his
20:04
life together or he figures it out on
20:05
his own. But we're done watching him try
20:07
to tear down other people's lives
20:08
because he refuses to build his own. As
20:11
we were leaving, she hugged me and
20:12
whispered, "Thank you for showing him
20:14
there are consequences. I just wish he'd
20:16
learned from them." I watched her walk
20:18
away and felt this weird mix of
20:19
emotions. Relief that his own family
20:21
finally sees him for who he is.