Ever had someone raid your closet while you were away? Now imagine it’s your mother-in-law’s bestie playing dress-up with your designer clothes. I’m Karen, 32, entrepreneur and mom, and I just lived through this nightmare…

A couple of weeks back, I was packing my suitcase for a week-long business trip to New York when my mother-in-law, Janet, waltzed into my bedroom.

“Don’t worry about a thing, dear,” she said, patting my arm. “I’ll take good care of Dave and your daughter Marly while you’re gone.”

I forced a smile. “Thanks, Janet. I appreciate it.”

As I zipped up my bag, Janet’s eyes wandered to my walk-in closet. “My, you have such lovely things, Karen.”

I nodded, trying not to roll my eyes. “Thanks. Well, I’d better get going. My flight’s in three hours.”

Janet waved as I headed out. “Have a safe trip, dear!”

Oh, what a sweetheart my MIL was, or so I thought. I welcomed her help with open arms. Turns out, I should’ve kept them CLOSED.

Two days into my trip, I was in the middle of a meeting when my phone buzzed. It was a text from my neighbor and best friend, Lisa.

Lisa: “OMG, you’re not going to believe this! Do you know someone named Sheryl?”

Me: “Sheryl? No, why?”

Lisa: “Well, Sheryl, Janet’s friend, is basically living in your house right now! She’s wearing your clothes and using your makeup!”

Me (Freaking out): “WHAT?! Are you serious? That’s insane!”

Lisa: “You need to see this.”

A video popped up on my screen.

I excused myself and ducked into the hallway to watch it. My jaw dropped as I saw a middle-aged woman prancing around my living room in my favorite red dress, applying what looked like my Chanel lipstick.

I called Lisa immediately. “What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know,” Lisa said, sounding as shocked as I felt. “This woman’s been coming and going from your house whenever Dave’s not around. I thought maybe she was a relative or something, but then I saw her trying on your clothes and cosmetics through the window.”

My blood boiled. “That’s definitely NOT a relative. Thanks for letting me know, Liz. I’ll handle this.”

I ended the call, my mind racing. Who was this Sheryl, and why was she playing dress-up in my house?

I was about to explode! I can’t believe this is happening. But with three more days of meetings, I’ve got to keep my cool.

When I finally got home, I burst through the front door, ready for a confrontation like never before.

“Janet?” I called out.

Dave appeared from the kitchen, looking confused. “Hey, honey. How was your trip?”

I ignored his question. “Where’s your mother?”

“She’s upstairs with Marly. What’s wrong?”

Without answering, I stormed up to our bedroom. The sight that greeted me made my stomach churn.

My walk-in closet looked like a tornado had hit it. Clothes were strewn everywhere and makeup containers were left open and crusted over. But what made my heart stop was my wedding dress, crumpled on the floor with a massive red wine stain.

“What just happened here?” I gasped.

Janet appeared behind me, holding Marly’s hand. “Oh, Karen! You’re home early. We were just about to tidy up.”

I whirled around, and I swear I could’ve devoured Janet alive. “Tidy up? TIDY UP? Janet, what have you done to my things?”

Janet simply shrugged, like it was no big deal. “Now, dear, don’t get upset. It was just a bit of harmless fun.”

“Harmless?” I sputtered. “My wedding dress is ruined!”

Dave rushed in, his eyes widening at the mess. “Mom, what’s going on?”

Janet wrung her hands. “Well, you see, my friend Sheryl was in town, and she had a date. She needed something nice to wear, and since Karen has such lovely things…”

I cut her off. “You let a complete stranger USE MY CLOTHES AND MAKEUP?”

“Sheryl’s not a stranger,” Janet protested. “She’s my best friend. I thought you wouldn’t mind. She was just BORROWING them.”

Dave’s face darkened. “Mom, that’s completely out of line. You had no right to touch Karen’s things, let alone let someone else use them.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Dave went to answer it, and I heard an unfamiliar voice.

“Oh, hello! I’m Sheryl. Is Janet here?”

I stormed downstairs, ready to give this Sheryl a piece of my mind. She stood in the doorway, a smirk on her face that quickly faded when she saw me.

“Oh, you must be Karen,” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. “I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed a few things. Janet said it would be fine.”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. “Actually, I do mind. Very much.”