Six years ago, my husband left me, and I’ve been raising my two kids, Damien and Connie, alone ever since. Money has been tight, and I work from home at a call center to keep us afloat.

One day, my new neighbor, Emery, knocked on my door, looking exhausted. She begged me to clean her house after a wild party, promising $250 in payment. I needed the cash, so I agreed.

Her house was a disaster. It took me two full days to scrub, sweep, and haul away the trash. When she returned, I asked for my payment — but Emery looked me in the eye and said she never promised me a dime. Then she stormed off like nothing happened.

I was furious. After all that hard work, she was pretending our agreement never happened. That night, I came up with a risky plan.

Emery had forgotten to take back her house key, so I drove to the dump, filled my car with trash bags, and went to her place. I unlocked her door and dumped every bag inside — all over her spotless counters, floors, and even the bed. Then I locked up and slid the key under her doormat.

Later, she came pounding on my door, screaming, “What did you do to my house?!”

I stayed calm. “How could I get in, Emery? According to you, I never had a key.”

She froze, speechless, before storming off.

In that moment, I felt both nervous and relieved. I knew I’d crossed a line, but Emery learned a valuable lesson: don’t take advantage of someone who helped you in good faith.