I live in an apartment with my roommate, Claire. We are both attending college part-time and get along well with one another. I also work night shifts three days a week, which means I come home in the early hours of the morning, exhausted and ready to crash.

But lately, something strange has been happening. Every time I’d come home from work, I’d notice my room was messed up. At first, I thought it was just me being tired and forgetting things. But as the weeks went by, it became clear that someone had been in my room.

I confided in Claire about it, but she shrugged it off, suggesting maybe I was just stressed and imagining things. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. So, I ordered a camera and set it up discreetly in my room, hoping to catch the intruder.

One night, while I was at work, the camera app notified me of motion in my room. I felt a knot form in my stomach as I opened the app and turned the camera on. What I saw made my blood run cold.

My roommate, Claire, was in my room, rummaging through my things. She was going through my drawers, my closet, and even under my bed. She picked up my diary and started reading it, her face twisted into a look of amusement.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Claire, who I thought was my friend, was violating my privacy in the worst way possible. I watched in stunned silence as she continued to snoop through my belongings, a smug look on her face.

As soon as my shift ended, I rushed home. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I felt a mixture of anger and betrayal. When I walked into the apartment, Claire was sitting on the couch, pretending to be engrossed in her studies.

I confronted her immediately. “Claire, I know what you’ve been doing. I have it all on camera.”

She looked up at me, her face going pale. “What are you talking about?”

I held up my phone, showing her the footage. Her eyes widened as she watched herself going through my things. “I trusted you, Claire. Why would you do this?”

She stammered, “I-I don’t know what to say. I was just curious, I guess. It wasn’t meant to hurt you.”

“Curious?” I said, my voice rising. “You invaded my privacy and read my personal diary. Do you have any idea how violated I feel right now?”

She stood up, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I never meant for it to go this far. Please, forgive me.”

But I couldn’t. The trust was shattered, and I knew I couldn’t live with someone who could do something like this. “You need to move out,” I said firmly. “I can’t live with someone who betrays me like this.”

Claire nodded, tears streaming down her face. “I’ll pack my things tonight. I’m so sorry.”

As she left the apartment, I felt a sense of relief but also a deep sadness. I had lost a friend, but more importantly, I had lost my sense of security in my own home. It was a hard lesson to learn, but one that made me more cautious about who I let into my life.

In the days that followed, I changed the locks and rearranged my room, hoping to erase the memory of Claire’s betrayal. It took time, but eventually, I found peace in my apartment again, knowing that I had made the right decision to protect myself.