When my 16-year-old son offered to spend the summer caring for his disabled grandmother, I felt a rare flicker of hope. He’d always been difficult—defiant, impulsive, full of teenage rage—but maybe this was his turning point. He even said, “You can let the caregiver go, Mom. I’ll help her out. Save some money.” I wanted to believe he meant it. But weeks into the arrangement, something felt off. Every time I called, he answered quickly. “Grandma’s asleep,” he’d say. “She’s fine, just tired. I’ll tell her you called.” His tone was cheerful—too cheerful. I brushed the worry aside, convinced I was being paranoid. Then one night,
I got the call. “Please… come save me from him,” my mother whispered, her voice barely audible. Then the line went dead. I drove straight there, heart racing. When I arrived, I didn’t find the quiet home I knew. Music was blasting. The lawn was overgrown, trash littered the porch. Inside, the house was chaos—strangers drinking, laughing, and smoking in what used to be my mother’s sanctuary. I fought my way through the crowd, calling my son’s name. No one knew where my mother was—some didn’t even know she lived there. I found her locked in her bedroom, pale and frightened. “It started with a few friends,” she whispered. “But when I told him to stop,