Remember I mentioned needing to handle the car? Well, Monday morning I go outside and my car is gone. Panic for about 30 seconds before I remember she had a key. Check my tracking app. Yeah, I have LoJack. Car’s at Vince’s apartment complex. Called the cops, reported it stolen, gave them her name, the situation, showed them the registration in my name only. They went and retrieved it. She tried telling them she was just borrowing it and I was being petty. Cop told me she actually said, “It’s basically my car, too. I drove it all the time.” That’s not how ownership works, Scarlett.
Tuesday I notice weird activity on my Netflix, Hulu, Spotify. She’s still using them. Changed all the passwords immediately. 20 minutes later, text from her mom. “Isaiah, sweetie, Scarlett can’t access the streaming services. Can you please fix that?” Her mom. A grown woman sent her mother to ask about Netflix. Me. “Hi, Mrs. Chen. Scarlett and I are no longer together. She’ll need her own accounts now.” Mrs. Chen. “But she’s going through such a hard time.” “The hard time she created by going to Cabo with her ex? That hard time?” Radio silence.
By day 10, she still hadn’t gotten her stuff from storage. Why? Because it’s too expensive to move it all. She wanted me to, one, pay for movers. Two, let her back in to sort through things. Three, store it for free indefinitely. Her lawyer, yes, she got one, sent a letter demanding I return her property to the shared residence. My lawyer’s response was beautiful. “Property has been safely preserved and made available. Client has key and access. No further accommodation required.”
This is where she really crossed a line. She called my workplace. My workplace. Told reception she was my partner and there was a family emergency. I got pulled out of a client meeting, called her back from a conference room with HR present, smart move on their part. Me, “What’s the emergency?” Her, “I need to talk to you and you won’t answer my calls.” Me, “That’s not an emergency. That’s harassment.” Her, “I’m going to be homeless.” “You’ve had 2 weeks to find a place.” “Vince and I broke up.” Plot twist I didn’t see coming. Apparently once she didn’t have my apartment to crash at, Vince remembered why they broke up the first time. Something about her being too high maintenance.
HR wrote up a report, told me to document everything and let them know if she contacted work again. She went through our entire friend group trying to find a place to stay. The stories she told were wild. To Ashley, I cheated and she caught me. To Jerome, I was abusive and controlling. To Maria, I kicked her out with no warning while she was at work. To David, I stole her inheritance. What inheritance? Problem was she told different stories to everyone. They all talked. Group chat was popping off. Ashley, “Wait, he cheated? She told me she went to Cabo with Vince. Abusive? Didn’t he pay her student loans off last year?” Maria, “No warning? She literally posted about going on the trip after a fight. What inheritance? Her parents are both teachers.”
As of today, she’s couch surfing between acquaintances. Posted a GoFundMe for escaping domestic abuse, raised $45. Still hasn’t gotten her stuff from storage. Vince is telling everyone she’s crazy. Her mom called me again asking if I’d reconsider. But here’s the kicker. Remember Mandy? Scarlett’s best friend whose boyfriend was on the Cabo trip? Well, Mandy reached out yesterday. “Isaiah, I need you to know something. She Scarlett planned that whole trip to make you jealous. She thought you’d cave and beg her not to go. When you didn’t, she figured hooking up with Vince would make you fight for her. She literally said, ‘Watch him come crawling back when he sees the pics.’ I’m done with her. She used my vacation as a manipulation tactic.”
I screenshot that message, added it to my folder of evidence. The legal update. Her lawyer sent another letter. Now she’s claiming unlawful eviction and emotional distress, demanding 3 months rent, moving costs, and $10,000 in damages. My lawyer’s response included the lease, my name only, her text saying, “I don’t need your permission for anything.” The 30-day notice, screenshots of her Cabo posts with Vince, the police report stating no crime was committed, her admission via text that she chose to leave. Haven’t heard back from her lawyer since.
Yesterday, the storage place called. Her unit was overdue. Did I want to pay to extend it? Nope. Follow your abandonment procedures, which means in another 30 days, if she doesn’t pay, they’ll auction her stuff. She has 2 weeks left on my original 30-day notice. After that, if she tries to show up, it’s trespassing. Already gave the building security her photo. The woman who screamed about not needing permission is now begging everyone she knows for permission to crash on their couch. The woman who chose a vacation with her ex over our relationship is now single and homeless by choice. And me? I’m sitting in my apartment, watching my TV, living my drama-free life.
Turns out when you remove toxic people, everything gets better. Who knew? Next update will probably be the last. We’ll see if she gets her stuff from storage or if it ends up on Storage Wars. Either way, I’m good. Final update. 1 month later. The conclusion to this saga is exactly what you’d expect from someone who never learned that actions have consequences. She never got her stuff. Not in the 30 days I paid for, not in the additional 30 days the storage place gave her. They sent her certified letters, called her, emailed her. Nothing.