When I was 23, I saved for over a year to buy myself a beautiful new TV. My stepmom, Patricia, saw it and immediately hinted that I should help her and my dad get one, too. When I refused, her attitude shifted.

Two weeks later, while I was at work, Patricia used the spare key to my apartment and “accidentally” destroyed my TV. She later claimed it was a mistake, but the damage was clearly deliberate. To make matters worse, she spread lies to our family, painting herself as the victim and me as ungrateful.

For a month, I lived with my broken TV and the hurt of knowing my family believed her story. Then karma stepped in. Patricia left the washing machine running while multitasking, flooding their house and causing massive damage. Insurance wouldn’t cover it, leaving her to pay for the repairs out of her savings — the very money she wanted to use to buy a new TV.

I didn’t rejoice in my dad’s stress, but I couldn’t help smiling. The universe has a way of balancing things, and sometimes, karma really does work.