My brother asked if he could bring his girlfriend over for dinner so we could catch up. I said, “Sure, why not?” We had steaks for dinner, but she said she felt unwell and couldn’t eat them. I tried to suggest an alternative, but she was dead set on Chinese food and sent my brother to get her some.

I thought that would be the end of it, but after going to the bathroom and coming back, I LITERALLY couldn’t believe it: “What the hell are you doing?

I caught her rifling through my medicine cabinet.

She jumped, startled. “Oh, I… I was just looking for something for my nausea,” she stammered.

I frowned, not buying her excuse. “You should have asked. You can’t just go through someone’s personal things.”

She muttered an apology and left the bathroom. I was still fuming when my brother returned with the Chinese food.

“What’s going on?” he asked, seeing my expression.

“I found your girlfriend rummaging through my medicine cabinet without asking,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.

His face fell, and he turned to his girlfriend. “Is that true?”

She nodded, looking embarrassed. “I just felt so sick, and I didn’t want to bother you.”

I sighed. “Look, I understand that you’re pregnant and might need something for nausea, but you can’t just invade someone’s privacy like that. It’s disrespectful.”

My brother tried to smooth things over. “We’re sorry. It won’t happen again.”

But the atmosphere was already ruined. The rest of the dinner was awkward, and I could see my brother and his girlfriend whispering to each other, casting nervous glances in my direction.

After they finished eating, I finally spoke up. “I think it’s best if you both leave. I need some time to cool down.”

My brother looked hurt. “You’re kicking us out?”

“I need to think about things,” I said, trying to remain calm. “Please go.”

They left, and I felt a mix of guilt and anger. Was I overreacting?

The next day, my brother called, asking if we could talk. We met at a coffee shop, and he apologized again. “She didn’t mean any harm,” he said. “She’s just been really stressed and not thinking straight.”

I sighed. “I get that, but she needs to respect boundaries. What she did was wrong, and it made me uncomfortable in my own home.”

He nodded, looking genuinely sorry. “I’ll make sure she understands. Can we put this behind us?”

I thought about it for a moment. “I’ll forgive her, but she needs to understand that she crossed a line. I need to know that it won’t happen again.”

He agreed, and we parted on better terms. I still felt uneasy about the whole situation, but I hoped we could move past it and rebuild our trust.

Was I wrong for kicking them out? Maybe, maybe not. But I knew that setting boundaries was important, especially when it came to respecting my personal space.