My Ex-Husband Demanded Our Daughter’s Tablet Back Because of His New Wife — I Agreed, But With a Catch
Being a single mom wasn’t the hard part. The hard part was watching my daughter realize, over and over, that her father would always choose someone else over her. But when he tried to take back the tablet he’d gifted her just to please his new wife, I decided enough was enough.
Years of Darcy’s emotional neglect had left deep wounds. I worked double shifts, saved every penny, and made sure my ten-year-old Dex never felt his absence. Then Darcy called, casually demanding the tablet back, citing “financial goals” he hadn’t cared about before. Dex’s lip trembled, holding the device like it was her lifeline.
I spent the night gathering every receipt, record, and proof of Dex’s contributions—her own savings for apps, my sacrifices, bills I’d covered alone. The next day at the café, I laid it all out. Darcy’s smugness vanished as I calmly told him: reimburse Dex or leave the tablet.
He left. Dex kept her tablet. But more than that, she learned a bigger lesson: gifts are sacred, manipulation has limits, and standing your ground matters. That night, as she curled up with it, she whispered, “Thanks for standing up for me, Mom.”
“Always, sweetheart,” I said. “Always.”
