My Neighbors Dug A Two-Acre Lake On My Land While I Was Out Of State—Then Told Me Their Contractor Said It Was Theirs, And That Was The Day I Learned How Expensive Arrogance Can Be

A pause.

Not surprise. Not confusion.

A pause.

“Oh,” he said. “You saw that.”

The words lowered something cold into me.

“Yes, Brent. I saw it. It’s north of the stone fence. A good forty yards north.”

He sighed, as if I had interrupted dinner to complain about music. “Our contractor verified the boundary before breaking ground. We hired a professional survey crew. They assured us we were within our parcel.”

“They assured you wrong.”

“Fences aren’t always accurate, Daniel.”