My Child’s Stepmother Tried to Steal My Role as a Mother, so I Put Everything on the Line — Story of the Day
I spent a year in court fighting my ex-husband, Jack, for custody of our daughter, Mia. I won, but just barely. Since then, I’ve been working nonstop as a caregiver and living with Mia in my father’s tiny apartment—the only thing Jack didn’t take.
One weekend, Mia came back from Jack’s house glowing, talking about his new wife, Kira—her gifts, waffles, train tracks, and how she let Mia call her “Mommy.” Jack and Kira even invited me to dinner, pretending we could all be one big happy family.
At dinner, Mia clung to Kira, and then they dropped the bomb—they wanted Mia to live with them “for her own good,” even planning the seaside trip Mia always dreamed of. I agreed just to avoid being the “bad mother,” though it broke me inside.
Then everything collapsed. I was framed for theft by Kira’s mother and fired. Days later, I received court papers—Jack was trying to strip me of my parental rights. I mortgaged my father’s apartment to fight back.
In court, the judge asked Mia who she wanted to live with. She stood up and said, “I have two moms. But Mommy Lora loves me just because. Mommy Kira loves me because Daddy pays her. I want to stay where love is real.”
The courtroom went silent. We won.
Afterward, Mia and I went home, set up a tiny inflatable pool in the yard, and I told her, “Here’s our ocean.” For the first time in ages, everything felt calm.
