I’ve been married to my husband for 15 years, and our daughter is 14. I’ve always tried to make sure she has everything she needs. A phone, a laptop. Of course, the phone is basic, but it’s touchscreen, and the laptop is decent enough for schoolwork, watching shows, and so on. She’s been yelling about wanting an iPhone and a fancier laptop, but my husband and I decided it’s too early for her to have expensive things—she’s not exactly careful with her stuff.
My husband takes good care of himself. He goes to the gym, and I try to stay active too, hitting the gym to keep in shape. I’ve never noticed James checking out other women, and his phone has always been an open book—no suspicious messages, no hiding it. He’d leave it unlocked, even when he went to shower. I got so comfortable that I let my guard down.
I work shifts, and one day I decided to pick up my daughter from school myself. Usually, James does it, but I called him and said I’d take care of it. I forgot to tell her, though—got distracted with work. When I pulled up, there she was, standing with her friend, holding an iPhone 11!
At first, I thought she’d borrowed it from her friend, but the other girl had a different phone. After watching them for a couple of minutes, I saw they weren’t swapping phones—just chatting excitedly and tapping away. Then my daughter slipped the phone into her pocket, and I was stunned. But something told me to stay calm and not make a scene. I quietly got out of the car and walked over to her, acting like I’d just arrived and hadn’t seen anything.
When I had a day off while James was at work and our daughter was at school, I decided to snoop through her things. My instincts were right. Hidden in a drawer under some books, I found a high-end gaming laptop!
When I picked her up later, I confronted her at home.
— Emma, where did the iPhone and laptop come from? Did you steal them? Answer me!
— I didn’t steal anything!
— Then where did they come from? Who’s buying you these expensive gifts?
She stayed silent for a long time while I yelled and threatened to throw everything out.
— Dad.
— And for what reason…
It hit me. I didn’t even need her to say it. I realized she must have seen James with another woman and was blackmailing him for gifts.
— You’ve been blackmailing your father? — I asked calmly.
— Yeah, I have a video of him kissing some woman.
Perfect. My daughter’s a monster, my husband’s a cheater. What a day.
I decided to leave them. I rented my own apartment—I earn decent money, enough to get by. I don’t keep in touch with my daughter, and I told James to raise his precious daughter himself and keep funding her.
That’s how it goes sometimes.
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