As Lila was ready to celebrate her 17th birthday, she received an unexpected and creepy gift from her stepmother: a pink funerary urn. Like the type you keep ashes in? Yes, that’s the one. But that’s not all! Lila learns that her college fund was given to Monica to open her salon. What will Lila do?
Let me tell you, I’ve been sitting on this one for a few days, just trying to make sense of what went down.
I always thought my stepmom, Monica, was the worst, though not Disney villain evil. She was the kind of person who talks over you, forgets your birthday, and calls you “kiddo” when you’re practically an adult.
A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
But, what she pulled on my 17th birthday? It shattered whatever shaky truce we had.
At least, that’s what I thought. Turns out, things weren’t exactly what they seemed.
Here’s how it all went down.
My mom, Sarah, died when I was ten, and after that, it was just Dad and me. We were a solid team. The type of team that has pizza for dinner half the week, late-night movies, and this unspoken agreement that we’d always have each other’s backs.
Two boxes of pizza on a coffee table | Source: Midjourney
Then came Monica, about three years ago.
At first, she wasn’t horrible; she was just… there. Like a stray cat that never leaves, so you have no choice but to adopt it. Monica moved into our house, took over the bathroom with her fifty bottles of face serums and creams, and slowly pushed her way into my dad’s world.
Monica had big dreams of opening a hair salon, which was fine. I wasn’t against people having dreams. I had my own dreams waiting for me, but she treated me like I was just this annoying piece of furniture that came with the house.
A woman’s vanity | Source: Midjourney
Honestly, I was counting down the days until I could escape to college.
Dad had promised me since middle school that there was a college fund waiting for me.
“Don’t worry, sweet girl,” he told me. “Your mom and I put together the fund when you were five. There’s more than enough, and every year on your birthday and Christmas, I add more.”
A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney
“Thank you, Dad,” I said. “I just want to study and make something of myself, like Mom said.”
“You only have to worry about your grades, Lila,” he said. “I’ll handle the rest.”
Naturally, I worked my butt off in school, knowing that in a few years, I’d be out of here.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
College was my golden ticket, and no one — not even Monica — would stand in my way.
At least, that’s what I thought.
On the morning of my 17th birthday, I came downstairs expecting the usual lukewarm effort. By lukewarm, I mean a sad card, some pancakes, and Monica forgetting my favorite syrup. Dad was at work, so it was just Mon and I.
A plate of pancakes and a card on a table | Source: Midjourney
She handed me a gift bag, which was already weird because Monica wasn’t exactly the thoughtful or sentimental type.
“Happy Birthday, kiddo,” she said, flashing one of her tight-lipped smiles.
I wasn’t expecting much, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting this.
I reached inside the bag and pulled out… an urn.
A shocked teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
A funerary urn.
You know, the kind that people store ashes in. Cold, heavy, and, well, pink. It was pink.
I just stared at it, my brain short-circuiting.
“What the hell is this?” I asked, holding the urn like it was cursed.
A pink funerary urn | Source: Midjourney
Monica leaned against the kitchen counter, smug as ever.
“It’s symbolic,” she said as if that explained anything.
“Symbolic of what?”
Monica’s grin widened.
A smiling woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“It’s time to bury your dreams of college, kiddo. Your dad and I talked about this, and we decided to put the college fund to better use.”
“Better use?” I asked, a cold shiver running through me.
“Yep. We’re investing it in my hair salon. College is a gamble, Lila. A business? That’s something real, sweetie.”
A hair salon being renovated | Source: Midjourney
She sipped her coffee like she’d just said the most reasonable thing in the world.
I was frozen in place, trying to make sense of what I’d just heard. Had they really taken my future, everything I’d worked for, and sunk it into Monica’s salon dream?
“How could you do this?” I whispered.
Monica just smiled, a little too pleased with herself.
A shocked teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
“Life’s full of disappointments, kiddo. Better get used to it now,” she said.
Wow.
That was it. I was done. I ran upstairs, slamming the door behind me so hard that the walls shook.
I cried so hard it hurt. What else could I do? Everything I had been holding onto was gone, and the only person I thought I could count on, Dad, had let this happen.
An upset teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
My mom wanted me to get out and make something of myself. And now? It was all over.
The next few days were a blur. I didn’t speak to Monica or my dad unless I absolutely had to. Every time I looked at that stupid urn sitting on my desk, my stomach twisted.
I couldn’t even bring myself to throw it out. It felt like some kind of morbid evidence. Like proof of the betrayal I didn’t see coming.
A pink funerary urn on a desk | Source: Midjourney
At school, my friends tried to cheer me up.
“Maybe she thought it was funny, Lila,” my friend Kira said. “Like, who really knows what Monica is thinking?”
“And anyway, there’s nothing stopping you from throwing it out! Just do it! Don’t overthink it,” Mel said.
Three teenage girls | Source: Midjourney
But still, I couldn’t focus on anything other than the fact that Monica was prancing around, acting like she was the queen of the house, while I sat there with no future.
Then, a few days later, something strange happened.
When I got home from school, there was a note on my desk. Not in an envelope, just folded, with my name written in Monica’s messy handwriting.
A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
Meet me at the salon at 6 P.M. tonight. No questions. Just trust me. -M.
I almost laughed out loud. Trust her? Yeah, right.
But something about the note gnawed at me. Maybe it was the fact that I wanted to confront her one last time, tell her exactly what I thought of her.
Against my better judgment, I decided to go.
A note on a table | Source: Midjourney
When I got to the salon, the lights were off, and the front door was unlocked.
I hesitated for a second, wondering if this was some elaborate prank. But curiosity got the best of me.
I stepped inside, and there they were. Monica and my dad, standing side by side, both grinning widely.
“Surprise!” Monica shouted, throwing her arms up like this was the happiest moment of her life.
The entrance to a salon | Source: Midjourney
I just stared at them, completely lost.
“What is this?”
Monica stepped aside, and that’s when I saw it — a shiny, brand-new sign mounted on the wall.
Dream Cuts: A Scholarship Fund in Honor of Sarah
I blinked, feeling like the room was tilting on its axis.
A hair salon | Source: Midjourney
“What… what is this?”
Monica smiled, but it wasn’t her usual smug grin. This one was softer, almost real.
“We didn’t use your college fund, kiddo. It’s all still there. The salon? It’s not just for me. It’s for you, too. For other kids like you, too.”
I couldn’t breathe.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
“But then, why would you make me think otherwise?” I asked.
Monica winced, putting her hand on her head.
“Yeah, so, the urn thing… That was not my best idea. I thought it’d be motivational, like, bury the past and embrace the future. You know? But it turns out that it was just creepy.”
A woman with her hand on her head | Source: Midjourney
I stared at her, speechless.
My dad stepped forward, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“We’ve been planning this for months, Lila,” he said. “Your mom always wanted to help kids get to college. This salon is going to fund scholarships. For you and for others in her name.”
“The salon has been my dream, Lila,” Monica said. “But it was never going to come at your expense. This way, a great portion of all our profits in the future will go to the fund.”
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t know what to say.
Or what to think.
Just that I felt a warm haze take over me.
Monica laughed softly.
“I’m not a monster, darling,” she said. “I just didn’t want you to think that I was trying to take over your mom’s role.”
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
For the first time in a long time, I smiled.
It wasn’t perfect, but things with Monica probably never would be. But, at that moment, standing in the middle of a salon named for my mom’s dream, I realized that she wasn’t trying to ruin my life.
She was trying to build something bigger than any of us.
A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney
And somehow, against all odds, it felt like a new beginning.
And yeah, I kept the urn. But I planted white peace lilies in it, thinking it would be symbolic after all. And who knows, maybe I’ll take the urn to college.
What would you have done?
Peace lilies planted into a pink funerary urn | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
I Transferred $24K to My Daughter for Her College Tuition, Only to Discover She Never Enrolled — What She Spent It On Made Me Pale
Caroline had been saving for her daughter’s college fund since Angela was born. But after a classmate of Angela’s reveals that Angela is not actually enrolled in college, Caroline must uncover what her daughter is doing and what she used the money for.
Children are always going to break your heart. This was something that I learned the hard way after trusting my daughter, Angela, completely.
A close-up of a smiling girl | Source: Midjourney
Since Angela was born, I have been saving for college. I needed to know that irrespective of what life threw my way, I would be able to educate my child.
“I think you can wait until she’s a little older,” my husband, Holden, said. “We can do it together.”
“You can add to her college fund later,” I said, looking at my baby girl. “But I’m going to start from next month. I wasn’t able to study, Holden. And it was because we didn’t have the opportunity to do so. Angela is going to get that opportunity.”
A smiling baby girl | Source: Midjourney
“Okay, Caroline,” my husband said. “You start it now, and I’ll add to it in a year. The house will be paid off, and I’ll be able to put that money into the fund.”
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Our Daughter Tried to Turn Our 40th Anniversary Trip into Her Free Vacation with Babysitting Service — So I Taught Her a Lesson
Ahead of our biggest wedding anniversary, my wife and I couldn’t wait to celebrate with a marvelous romantic trip for two. However, our daughter tried to wrangle herself and her family along, making all sorts of demands, and that’s when I finally put my foot down.
My wife and I had been planning our 40th-anniversary trip for years. It was going to be a dream vacation to celebrate four decades of love and partnership, just the two of us. But then Jane, our daughter, got wind of our plans, and everything changed for the worse.
A happy couple | Source: Midjourney
My wife, Maggie, and I had booked a cozy little inn on the coast of Maine, the kind of place where you sip coffee on the deck and watch the sunrise over the ocean. It felt perfect—a romantic getaway to relive the early days of our marriage.
But when Jane discovered our plans, she rushed over to our house unannounced! She tried manipulating my wife into allowing her, her husband, and their two children to join!
An upset woman at the front door of a house | Source: Midjourney
“Mom, I just don’t understand how you could leave us out,” Jane said that evening over dinner after her oldest brother, Frank, had let it slip that we were going away on holiday.
“The kids adore and look up to you so much! Imagine how hurt they’d be if they found out you went on this amazing trip and didn’t want them there.”
I frowned but kept quiet. Our lastborn child had always been good at working her mother, and I wanted to see how this played out. My wife hesitated, the way she always did when Jane played the guilt card.
An upset couple having dinner | Source: Midjourney
Seeing her floundering as she tried to find the right words to get our daughter to back off, I decided to take control of the situation.
“Well, sweetheart, it’s not that we don’t want you there. This is a special trip for us,” I said, trying to reason with Jane.
Our daughter dramatically clasped her hands over her heart, and in my mind, I rolled my eyes just like I’d seen her do before.
“Exactly! That’s why it’s so important for my whole family to be part of it. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us to bond! You’re always saying how important family is, aren’t you, Dad?”
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
I took a deep breath to steady myself, determined to stick to my guns.
“Jane, this trip is for us—just your mom and me. It’s our anniversary.”
Jane’s sigh was so dramatic that she deserved an Oscar for her performance.
“Dad, come on! We hardly ever get to do things like this as a family. You’re always preaching about how family is everything, and now you’re ditching us—and your grandkids? How is that fair?”
An upset woman | Source: Midjourney
The conversation didn’t end there. Over the next few weeks, Jane ramped up her efforts. She called my wife, and sometimes roped me in, almost daily, each time with a new angle.
“Mom, you’ll regret not including us when the kids are older and too busy to spend time with you.” Or, “Dad, don’t you want the kids to remember you as fun, involved grandparents?”
Eventually, her persistence wore my wife down. “Maybe we should consider it,” Maggie said one evening as we sat on the couch. “Jane might have a point. Family is important.”
A couple sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Family IS important,” I agreed, “but so are we. This was supposed to be our time.”
Still, I could see the doubt in her eyes, and I knew I was outnumbered. To keep the peace, I reluctantly agreed to change our plans. We swapped the charming inn in Maine for a family-friendly resort in Florida.
Jane and her husband, Nick, only had to cover their airfare, while we footed the bill for the resort and the grandkids’ tickets. It wasn’t what I wanted, but I convinced myself it might still be fun.
An unhappy man on a computer | Source: Midjourney
But as the trip approached, my daughter’s entitlement grew. It started with little things.
“By the way, don’t forget to pack plenty of snacks for the kids,” Jane said one afternoon during a phone call to her mother. “You know how picky they are and I don’t trust resort food.”
My wife glanced at her packing list. “We can manage snacks, but—”
“And you and Dad will take them to the pool, right?” Jane cut in. “Nick and I could really use some uninterrupted relaxation. It’s not like you guys are doing much else.”
A rude woman on the phone | Source: Midjourney
I could feel the frustration bubbling inside me, but I bit my tongue.
Then came the final straw. Two nights before the trip, Jane called with another demand.
“Oh, one more thing,” she said casually. “Can you guys handle bedtime for the kids at least three or four nights? Nick and I want to check out the nightlife. You’re the pros, after all, having raised four children. And it’s your anniversary trip too, so… bonding time, right?”
That’s when it hit me. This wasn’t going to be a family trip. It was going to be Jane and Nick’s vacation while we played full-time babysitters! Our romantic anniversary getaway was slipping through our fingers…
A stressed man deep in thought | Source: Midjourney
The next day, I decided to confront my daughter. I called her while sitting in our bedroom, surrounded by brochures of the original trip we’d planned.
“Jane, we need to talk,” I began. “Your mom and I had a vision for this trip, and it didn’t include us acting as babysitters for you and Nick.”
She let out an exaggerated groan. “Dad, you’re being dramatic. It’s not like we’re asking you to take care of them the whole time. You’ll get to have your fun too.”
“Jane, you’re asking us to do bedtime, pool time, and probably everything in between,” I shot back. “We’re not your personal vacation staff!”
An angry man on the phone | Source: Midjourney
Her tone grew sharper.
“Do you hear yourself?! It’s like you don’t even want to spend time with your grandkids!”
“It’s not that,” I said, trying to stay calm. “But this trip was supposed to be about your mom and me, not you or the kids. We’ve been looking forward to it for years!”
“Fine,” she snapped. “Cancel it then! I’ll tell Nick we’re not going, and we’ll just sit at home while you and Mom gallivant around.”
I didn’t respond. I knew that whatever I said would only add fuel to the fire because Jane had gone too far.
Instead, I made up my mind…
A serious man | Source: Midjourney
After ending my call with Jane, giving her the impression that she’d won, without telling anyone, I called the airline and switched our tickets back to the original destination.
The day before our flight, I told my wife the truth about what I did. She blinked at me, stunned. “You did what?!”
“We’re going to Maine,” I said firmly. “Just the two of us. Like we planned.”
“But Jane—”
“Jane will figure it out,” I said. “We deserve this trip. And if we don’t take it now, we never will.”
An unhappy couple | Source: Midjourney
The next morning, we boarded our flight. As the plane soared into the sky, my wife squeezed my hand.
“You know, I think you were right,” she said softly. “I’m just worried about Jane’s reaction.”
“She’ll be fine,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure myself.
When we landed, I called our daughter.
“Jane, I need to let you know we decided to stick to our original plans. We’re not going to the family resort.”
There was silence on the other end. Then Jane’s voice exploded. “WHAT?! You left us? How could you do this? We were COUNTING on you!”
An angry woman on a call | Source: Midjourney
“For what, Jane?” I asked calmly.
“For HELP, obviously!” she snapped. “How do you think we’re supposed to manage the kids on our own? This trip was only doable because of you and Mom!”
Before I could respond, Nick grabbed the phone.
“This is unbelievable!” he shouted. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?! You’ve ruined our vacation! We can’t afford babysitters on such short notice. You’re so selfish—on your anniversary, of all times!”
I didn’t argue. I simply hung up.
A man shouting on a call | Source: Midjourney
When we returned a week later, our daughter wasn’t speaking to us. She ignored our texts, and Nick posted a passive-aggressive comment on social media about “people who abandon family.” My wife felt guilty, but I didn’t.
The week in Maine had been everything we dreamed of—quiet, romantic, and restorative. Over a candlelit dinner on our last night, my wife took my hand and smiled. “I’m so glad we came here.”
“So am I,” I said.
A happy couple on vacation | Source: Midjourney
Frank later informed us that his sister and her family did go to the family resort but didn’t enjoy it much. The couple had their hands full with their children and barely got any time alone. Luckily, our grandkids had the time of their lives and couldn’t stop talking about it.
On the other hand, Jane might expect an apology, but I stand by my decision. Sometimes, the best way to teach someone a lesson is to show them that your time, and your boundaries, are just as valuable as theirs.
A happy and content man | Source: Midjourney
If that story had your emotions going up and down, then this next one will definitely blow your mind! In the following story, a woman’s family leaves her out of her aunt’s retirement celebration vacation in Hawaii, planning that she’ll stay behind and babysit their children. When the woman discovered the truth, she reacted most unexpectedly, getting revenge.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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