The 18th birthday surprise I planned for my stepmom completely turned her world upside down

Olivia turned to me, a mixture of pain and understanding in her eyes. “I understand. You’re an adult now, you have money and you don’t need me anymore. But why are you sending me so far away? You don’t want to see me at all?”

Her voice cracked, and the words felt like daggers in my chest. I had never imagined this moment would hurt so much.

As we pulled up in front of a quaint, beautiful house, the surprise I had been harboring was finally ready to be unveiled.

“I will be spending some of this money on education,” I continued, pointing to the house. “At an Ivy League university in the city, we’re in now, where I have already been accepted. Do you see this house?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice laden with confusion and a trace of hope.

“I bought this house for you,” I revealed, the tension finally breaking. “There was enough money for everything. Now I will study here and you will live next door. We won’t have to be apart, and if you want, you can go back to our old house at any time, or we can return together after I finish my studies.”

She sat in stunned silence for a long moment, her eyes locked on the house. “You… you bought this for me?” she whispered, her voice shaking.

The tears came then, unbidden and free, marking the moment with an emotional intensity that words could hardly capture. We hugged, our tears mingling, a testament to the depth of our bond and the love that had grown between us over the years.

“I love you, Sarah,” said Olivia, her voice barely a whisper but still audible.