We had been married for a year and were cutting every expense to save for a home when my husband’s boss, Oshima, made us an offer too good to refuse. He had bought a two-family house, but after both his parents passed away, one half stood empty, so he offered to rent it to us for almost nothing. We gratefully accepted and moved in. Oshima and his wife welcomed us warmly, and our new life seemed to be off to a perfect start—but...