Thirty Thousand Shortfall

I stared at the middle-aged woman with tight curls who had just barged through my door, demanding I pay her $30,000 to make up the difference.All the excitement of finally buying a place vanished."Ma’am, volatility in housing prices is just how the market works," I said, keeping my voice as steady as I could. "The previous owner needed a quick sale, and I happened to catch it. That has nothing to do with you."She stepped closer, her voice turning sharp. "How does it have nothing to do with me? Same layout, same building, so why did you pay $30,000 less than I did?"Annoyance simmered under my skin. I remembered what the doctor told me when I was discharged—when conflict comes up, take a deep breath first, then reason it out.I took a slow breath."For you, the market was at its peak when you bought your unit. When I bought mine, prices had dropped. That’s not on me. If we follow your logic, then if prices go up another $50,000 next year, are you going to pay me the difference?

Carl shot to his feet. "What the hell are you talking about? We weren’t renovating at all tonight! We went to bed early! You’re the one who came banging on our door and scared my wife into a heart attack. That’s why we turned the lights on!"Lying on the floor, Linda let out a perfectly timed groan. "Oh... my heart...""Officer, they’re setting me up," I argued, refusing to back down.Officer Keller looked at them, then at me. He stepped inside their unit to take a look. When he came back out, his expression was complicated."There’s no sign of renovation in there," he said. "Are you sure the drilling came from their place?""Yes," I said firmly."But there’s no drill in use," he replied. "All their tools are put away."My stomach sank.Then it hit me. In the twenty minutes before the police arrived, they’d had more than enough time to hide everything.Carl looked at me with a smug grin, like there was nothing I could do.Officer Keller let out a sigh. "Miss, I understand how

From inside the apartment, Linda’s excited voice rang out. "Haha! She finally cracked!"She opened the door with a wide smile. "See? Should’ve known better from the start."When she saw the heavy wrench in my hand, her smile froze. "What are you doing?"I didn’t answer. I just stared at her.She took a step back, still trying to sound tough. "What? You think you can get violent? Go ahead and try it! Hit something! Let’s see if you actually have the guts. Still trying to act tough with me?"I raised the wrench.Bang!The impact slammed into the door, leaving a dent in the reinforced metal. The entire floor seemed to shake.Linda shrieked and instinctively jumped back. Then she pointed at me, her grin widening again."Go on! Keep smashing! That’s breaking and entering! I’m warning you, you’re going to jail for this!"I weighed the wrench in my hand and still didn’t say a word. Then I walked toward her.As she stepped backward, the smile on her face started to stiffen. "You… wh

As I stood up and looked down at her, the wrench shifted lightly in my hand."Red," I said with a smile. "Wasn’t that what you wanted?"I brought the wrench down hard against her thigh, eliciting a piercing scream from her.I raised the wrench again. Linda shrank into the corner, arms over her head, screaming until her voice broke."Stop!"The police rushed in.Someone grabbed my wrist from behind. A powerful force yanked me back, and the wrench slipped from my hand, clattering to the floor.I staggered back two steps before being pinned against the wall."Don’t move! Police!"I turned my head and saw two officers in uniform.I didn’t resist.The ringing in my head slowly faded.Linda scrambled up from the corner and lunged toward the officers. "Officers! Thank God you’re here! She was trying to kill me! She was going to kill me!"She pointed at Carl lying on the ground. "Look at my husband! Look what she did to him!"Carl was still clutching his leg, groaning.Another o

Linda slammed her hand against the table. "No? You injured my husband and me and smashed our door. What do you mean no?!"Mason chimed in, "Mom, don’t waste your breath. Just let the court decide—make her pay everything!"I said, "I admit I damaged your door. I also admit I injured him. But—"I looked at Karen. "They broke into my home first and destroyed my mother’s ashes. Legally, that’s unlawful entry and intentional property damage. If I pursue it, they won’t walk away clean either."Linda’s expression changed. "You… that’s bullshit! Who broke into your house? Who destroyed your ashes? Do you have any proof?""I do," I said. "There are footprints in my apartment. A man’s shoe, size 42. I took photos of your husband’s shoes."Carl’s face went pale.Karen glanced between us and sighed. "Alright. Why don’t both parties take some time to cool off? The hearing is tomorrow, and the judge will make a ruling."After I got home, I exported all the videos from my phone, then I edited