When Olivia notices a change in her stepson’s behavior, she becomes increasingly concerned. She asks her husband, Patrick, to talk to him, but he gets nothing out of the youngster. Olivia happens to overhear a conversation between Josh and his biological mother, and everything is soon revealed, leaving Olivia stunned and heartbroken for the little kid.

“My stepson Josh returned from his mother’s house every Sunday at 5 p.m., like clockwork. Every Sunday, he would walk through our front door, kick off his shoes, and head straight to his room without saying a word. It was as if someone flipped a switch on Josh’s personality for us, turning him from our cheerful, chatty ten-year-old son into a sullen stranger. What was worse? He never mentioned what happened at his mother’s place. I always wanted to ask him about his mood, but I didn’t want to push it.

“Josh had accepted me as his stepmother, but I had no idea how significant my role was in his life. ‘Do you think he’s okay, Patrick?’ I asked my husband one evening while we were preparing dinner. Josh had just been dropped off and was in a very sour mood, refusing to speak to any of us. ‘Honestly, I think he’s perfectly fine,’ Patrick replied, chopping potatoes. ‘But Linda likes to push him. I’m sure she talks a lot about studying and school in general.’ ‘Yes, I get that,’ I replied. ‘But I do the same, and he’s okay with it. He might crack a joke or say something silly, but his mood stays the same. So, this is nonsense. But again, I know biomom has the upper hand over stepmom. So, I won’t say anything.’ ‘Olivia,’ Patrick sighed. ‘If you want to talk to him, go ahead. Just go up to him and ask him whatever you want. But I’ll talk to him after dinner too.’ I nodded. That’s exactly what I wanted. I just wanted Patrick to make sure Josh was okay. Because it wasn’t always like this. When Josh first moved in with Patrick and me, he was like a shining beacon because we were closer to the school he wanted to attend. He would tell stories about his day, ask questions about everything, and try to get to know me, his new stepmother. We even spent hours baking in the kitchen while bonding. But recently, that lively kid seemed to be long gone. We had to work pretty hard to pull him out of the hole he climbed into after returning from seeing Linda. We would make his favorite foods, play games, and even organize elaborate movie nights to cheer him up. But nothing worked. I thought Patrick’s talk with him after dinner would make a difference.

“‘It was fine, Dad,’ he replied when Patrick asked about the weekend. ‘Mom was her usual self, I guess.’ I stood in the kitchen, trying to hear their conversation through the door, as Patrick set up a small fire for s’mores. ‘So why are you so down? Did something happen? Your mother is great, but I understand she’s hard to deal with,’ Patrick chuckled. ‘It’s exhausting being there, Dad,’ Josh said. ‘But I know how important it is for me to keep spending weekends with Mom.’ ‘It is important,’ Patrick agreed. ‘But if it gets too much, we can easily switch to every other week. Okay?’ I could see Josh considering the idea, but then his expression darkened. ‘I’m going to bed,’ he said. ‘Good night!’ Josh stormed through the door into the kitchen, and I thought he was going to rush past me. But he stopped and hugged me tightly. ‘Good night, Liv,’ he said, heading to his bedroom. Now I wanted to interrupt him and ask him to explain more. But I didn’t want to push too hard. I wanted to respect his privacy. I knew the complicated emotions that come with a broken family, but this? This was different. It wasn’t just the usual adjustment to living in two homes; something else was eating away at my stepson, and it tore me apart for reasons unknown.

Then, last weekend, things took an unexpected turn. Patrick was out gathering groceries from my long list, and I was sitting on the couch, waiting for Josh to return from his mother’s apartment. Around 5 p.m., I heard the unmistakable rumble of his mother’s beat-up car pulling into our driveway. A few months ago, our neighborhood experienced a spate of petty thefts, with brazen youths helping themselves to whatever they fancied. Since then, Patrick had installed a new, high-end security system. If there was any activity on our porch, the feed would instantly appear on our TV, with the door camera capturing everything that happened. It was a simple way for us to see what was going on before making any rash decisions. ‘It’s going to make us feel safer, Liv,’ Patrick had said as he installed the system. ‘There’s also an app we need to download on our phones; it does the same thing as the TV.’ It was quite an impressive setup, I must admit. As I sipped my tea and waited for Josh to open the door and come in, the feed suddenly switched from my cooking show to a live feed of what was happening on the porch. Linda and Josh were standing there. ‘Here are your cookies,’ Linda said, handing Josh a jar. ‘I’ll see you next week.’ ‘You know what you need to do…’ I watched on TV as Josh’s face fell. He didn’t respond to his mother immediately. ‘Mom, I don’t want to,’ he finally said. My stomach churned.

I moved closer to the TV, hoping to hear more. ‘You have to tell them the truth, Mom!’ Josh’s voice cracked. ‘I hate lying to Dad, and they know something’s wrong. If Dad knew you were making me steal from his house every week, he’d be furious!’ ‘Stealing?’ I muttered to myself, not believing what I had just heard. ‘And what about Liv? She’ll notice her things disappearing. Stuff like sanitary pads and lotions.’ ‘Mom, I can’t keep doing this.’ I knew I wasn’t going crazy! Lately, I’d noticed my things getting ‘used up’ too quickly or going ‘missing’ often. Now the truth was coming out. What else had Josh taken to his mother? ‘So what, Josh?’ Linda hissed. ‘They have plenty of money. I told you I’d need some of Olivia’s jewelry next time. If I can pawn one of her expensive necklaces or rings, I can pay off my loan.’ ‘What the heck?’ I questioned aloud. ‘And try to get some cash, honey,’ Linda said. ‘Your father usually keeps a wad of cash in his shoe drawer. He keeps them for emergencies, and helping your mother is one of them.’ I couldn’t believe Linda was right there on my doorstep, manipulating her own son to steal from his family. Her tone told me she wasn’t giving Josh a choice. She wanted exactly what she wanted. A flood of emotions overwhelmed me all at once, but most of all, I felt an overwhelming sadness for Josh. My dear son had been carrying this burden all on his own. It was no wonder he’d been so withdrawn lately. Without thinking, I jumped up and marched to the front door. ‘Hi, Linda,’ I greeted coldly. ‘Hi, Liv,’ Josh said, reaching out to hug me. Linda gave me a stern look but said nothing. ‘I heard everything,’ I said. Josh hugged me a little tighter, and I could feel his breathing become heavier.

‘What’s going on, Linda?’ I asked. ‘Tell me, or I’ll call Patrick right now. Josh, could you go to your room for a moment, sweetheart?’ Linda spoke quickly, afraid Patrick might uncover the truth. She talked about being in debt and struggling to make ends meet, let alone provide for herself and Josh. She felt desperate and frustrated. ‘I’ll give you the money to get back on your feet,’ I said. ‘But Josh will stay here until you do. And you won’t ask the boy for anything else. Understand?’ ‘He’s my son, Olivia,’ she said bitterly. ‘Yes, you’re training your son to steal from his family. If you don’t drop this, I’ll press charges. Take the money and get back to being able to provide for Josh. Understand?’ Linda nodded reluctantly, knowing the consequences would be far worse than her pride.

‘Thank you,’ she said almost shyly. ‘I’ll transfer the funds to you tonight,’ I promised. ‘Send me a breakdown of what you need.’ She nodded and left. As I closed the front door, preparing to fetch my phone and figure out how to keep this from Patrick, Josh hugged me. ‘Thank you,’ he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. ‘I didn’t want to steal! I’m so sorry!’ ‘Oh, sweet boy,’ I said. ‘Everything’s going to be okay. I’ll help Linda, and we’ll work together to find a solution that works for everyone.’ I promise.”