Woman’s family allegedly abused her for years, then she found out their foreign exchange student was supposedly in on it too

A woman recounts how an “evil” South Korean exchange student began appeasing her abusive mother after moving into their home, potentially enabling her behavior. In her TikTok video, Scarlet (chronicallygirl) said Jenny (not her real name) became her mother’s “wingman.” When her mother took away Scarlet’s belongings and “rehomed” them, Scarlet said they would end up with Jenny.

Scarlet explained that whenever her mother mistreated her, for example, by maligning her habits or criticizing aspects of her life, Jenny wouldn’t join in at the time. Later, however, Scarlet said Jenny would allegedly “stir the pot” by telling Scarlet’s mother that she was justified in her actions, while she was in the wrong. Scarlet also said Jenny would often compliment her on certain things, such as clothing items, because she knew she could get them in the future.

Describing how her mother used to abuse her, Scarlet said that some of the things she liked would suddenly go missing from the house after she returned from school. She mentioned that whenever she asked her mother about them, her mother would say she had given them away or thrown them out because Scarlet wasn’t taking care of them. Scarlet said something similar happened to their pets, who used to go missing.

A difficult childhood 

A common topic in Scarlet’s videos is her abusive mother, which led her to cut off contact with her entire family. As an example of her mother’s behavior, Scarlet said she used to sleep with a wooden teddy bear she liked very much, but one day it was gone. Scarlet said that when she asked her mother about it, she was told that she hadn’t been taking care of it.

Speaking about the missing pets, Scarlet said that they had a lot of pets in their home growing up, including fish, Hamsters, Guinea pigs, turtles, frogs, bunnies, cats, dogs, and others she couldn’t recall. “Pets would disappear on a whim. ‘We don’t have birds anymore. I rehomed the birds. You don’t give a sh** about the birds. I rehomed them.’ I had a lot of bunnies growing up, and my mom would tell me stories about while I was at school. She would just load them up in the car and just drop them all off over the neighborhood,” Scarlet said.

She also said she was tasked with disposing of the bodies of pets that died. “I would take their tanks or cages, and I would need to dispose of their bodies. How is a child disposing of a body? Are you burying it in the backyard?… My mom didn’t want me digging up in the backyard, so what she told me to do was take the cages or the aquariums and just dump them over our deck,” Scarlet said. She said she would cry during such occasions.

No support system

While it’s unclear whether Scarlet’s brother ever acted hostilely toward her, she said he used to be her mother’s “wingman,” much like Jenny. “My mom already had a little helper in my brother, Scarlet said while speaking about Jenny being an addition in the same role.

Scarlet also described a reward system her mother used with her brother. For example, while Scarlet was locked in a room, her brother would receive ice cream or toys as a reward.

Still, Scarlet seems unwilling to carry any negativity toward her brother. She said, “But I’d like to think that, you know, he was born into it. Totally brainwashed, indoctrinated. When he was young, he couldn’t help it. That’s the Grace that I’m gonna give him in. In that part of our lives.”

Scarlet’s account reveals the complex dynamics of an abusive household, where even those not directly responsible could enable mistreatment. Her story also highlights childhood abuse’s lasting effects and the challenge of coming to terms with the people and circumstances that shaped her early years.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]