Every Sunday, like clockwork, Josh returned from his mom’s house a completely different kid quiet, withdrawn, and irritable. Olivia noticed the shift right away and tried to get her husband Patrick to talk to him. But Josh shut down, offering vague responses and hiding behind his silence. Olivia’s heart ached watching the bright, cheerful boy she once knew fade away each week.
Despite trying everything to lift Josh’s spirits cooking his favorite meals, movie nights, even baking together nothing worked. Patrick assumed it was just normal tension with his ex-wife, but Olivia knew something deeper was going on. Still, she hesitated to overstep, unsure of her place as a stepmother. That changed the day she overheard Josh talking to Linda on their porch thanks to the house’s security camera.
The live feed revealed everything: Linda was forcing Josh to steal from their home sanitary items, cash, even jewelry to help cover her debts. Josh, overwhelmed and scared, begged her to stop, saying he hated lying to his dad and Olivia. Olivia was stunned, heartbroken by the pressure placed on her sweet stepson. Without hesitation, she stormed to the door and confronted Linda on the spot.
Linda tried to justify her actions, blaming desperation and financial trouble, but Olivia stood firm. She offered money to help but made it clear Josh would stay with them and no more manipulation would be tolerated. As Linda left, defeated, Josh broke down in tears, apologizing again and again. Olivia hugged him tightly and promised, “It’s going to be okay we’ll fix this, together.”