When I returned home, I found my furniture up for grabs — a spiteful stunt by my ex-husband that spectacularly backfired

“You were going to sue for all my money anyway,” he said. “I heard you on the phone with someone. I know that you wanted everything. Or at least half of everything! So you might as well know how it feels to lose what’s yours.”

I was speechless.

Sure, I had thought about taking him for a ride and having my share of his money, but the weekend away with my parents taught me to just let it go.

“You’re absolutely unbelievable,” I finally managed to say. “You think this is going to solve anything? You’re just making things worse for yourself.”

He scoffed loudly.

“Whatever. It’s your problem now. Maybe you should charge people for your things instead of letting them take it for free.”

I wanted to scream, but I knew that it wouldn’t do any good. Brendan had made up his mind, and like any dog with a bone, there was no reasoning with him.

I hung up the phone and looked at objects from my life scattered across the lawn. There was no way that I could haul all the furniture back inside by myself. Defeated and frustrated, I kicked the bedside table that I had gotten and repainted months ago.

As it hit the ground, I heard a jingling noise.

“What now?” I sighed, crouching down to open the drawer.

Inside, I found something that made me smirk despite my anger.

“Stupid Brendan,” I said, seeing that he had forgotten to take his things out of the bedside table.

Nestled among the loose change, random pens, and receipts was Brendan’s father’s watch. It was a family heirloom that he loved and cherished and barely wore for fear of losing or breaking it. It had also been passed down through generations, finally landing with Brendan.

But now, I had it hostage.

“Checkmate,” I said to myself.

I couldn’t help but feel a small sense of satisfaction as I tucked the watch into my pocket. After all, he was the one who had put it out there for free. I wasn’t stealing anything.

Then, I texted my friend group, asking everyone who was available to come and help me take everything back into the house.

“Brendan is the worst, Gina,” my friend, Jenny, said holding a lamp. “This is a new low.”

“Yeah, I agree with you there,” I said. “But don’t worry, I’ve got a way to get back at him.”

I told her all about the watch and how I had it safely tucked away in my car. I knew that it was just a matter of time before Brendan realized that the watch wasn’t with him.

Later that evening, as I was arranging the last of the furniture, my phone buzzed. It was him.

“Hey, Gina,” he said. “I think I might have left something important behind. Can I come by and grab it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” I said, grabbing another slice of pizza from the box in front of me.

“Please,” he said. “It’s just the bedside tables.”

“Look, the neighbors came over and took a few things. The bedside tables are gone, too. But if you’re polite enough, I’m sure Cathy will sell it back to you.”

There was a long pause.

“Gina, it’s my dad’s watch. My granddad’s watch. I really need it back.”

I let the silence stretch out for a moment before saying anything.

“I see. Well, like I said, it’s with Cathy. But I’m sure she’ll be reasonable. You know, for the right price.”

He knew I was bluffing. I could hear it in his voice. But there was no way that he could prove it, and I wasn’t about to let him off the hook easily. Nope. Brendan needed to fight for it.

“How much?” he asked.

“How much do you think it’s worth?” I asked. “A few hundred dollars, maybe?”

“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just get it back.”

“I’ll do my best, but no promises.”

After hanging up, I held the watch and turned it over in my hands. If we had a son, he would have been handed the watch. But thankfully, we were splitting before we had a chance to think about kids.

The next morning, Brendan showed up while I was sitting on the porch and drinking a cup of coffee.

“Here,” he said, giving me an envelope. “$500. But you know how priceless it is.”

I nodded.

“Thanks. You can leave now,” I said.

“I’ll get in touch with you about the divorce. My lawyer has some things to discuss with us.”

“Cool,” I said simply.

Brendan did a double-take, but he took the watch from me and walked away slowly, almost as if he wanted to say something but just couldn’t get the words out.

What would you have done?