I’m Mary (name changed for privacy). I am strictly vegan, and I do not allow meat in my house. This is not just a diet for me, it is a lifestyle and something I care deeply about. I do not buy meat, I do not cook it, and I definitely do not want it in my kitchen.

My husband has known this since we got together, and he has respected it by only eating vegan food at home.

The issue started when my stepson, who is 17, moved in with us temporarily. At his mom’s place, he eats whatever he wants, mostly fast food and a lot of meat. When he came here, he agreed to follow my rules and not bring meat inside the house; he could eat whatever he wanted outside.

I thought things were fine at first, but he quickly started complaining about the lack of “real food” and made comments like, “It’s just food, why do you care so much?”

Then one night, everything blew up. I woke up to an awful smell and went downstairs to find him cooking meat in my kitchen. He had a pan out and was frying something that made the whole house smell.

I lost it and told him to leave right then and there and that he was banned from my home. I thought that was the end of it, but I was so wrong.