At 21, my stepmother falsely accused me of assault to prevent me from inheriting my father’s wealth. My dad believed her and cut me off. Seven years later, he discovered the truth.
My biological parents divorced when I was nine, and they shared equal custody of me. I spent weekdays with my mom and weekends with my dad. Despite their separation, both parents were always kind and gentle towards me.
A few years later, my dad met Gina, who would become my stepmother. When I was 11, my dad introduced her to me. She seemed nice, and my dad was clearly happy. Gina had twin daughters, Emma and Emily, who were 14 at the time. Raised without their father, the twins were quite immature and would throw public tantrums if they didn’t get their way. As an introvert, I quietly observed their behavior.
After a year of dating, my dad and Gina decided to marry. Initially, I thought my stepmother and I got along well. However, a few months after their honeymoon, she told me one morning that she didn’t really like me. She said we needed to pretend to get along for my dad’s sake. She also told me to stay out of her way when he wasn’t there because she couldn’t stand the sight of me, as I reminded her of my mom.
Hearing her harsh words broke my heart. The twins overheard her and later teased me, saying my dad didn’t love me and preferred them. I remember crying and telling my mom about it. She immediately called my dad and gave him an earful. My dad assured her that my stepmom would never say such things and that I must have misunderstood her.
The following weekend, when I visited my father, my stepmother appeared upset. As soon as my dad left, she angrily whispered to me, threatening that she would ensure I no longer had a dad if I ever told my mom anything about her. She also warned that she would divorce my dad and take all his money, leaving him destitute, if I didn’t keep quiet. At just 12 years old, I was terrified for my dad, so I nodded in agreement.
From that day on, Gina made it her mission to make my life miserable. Whenever we were alone, she would say hurtful things, insulting my height and weight, calling me ugly. I hoped my dad would notice, but he never did. He believed Gina and I had a good relationship and would often force me to go shopping and eat out with her and the kids. She would use my dad’s card to pay for our meals but wouldn’t let me eat anything substantial. I was only allowed to have soup or dessert. I would sit there miserably, watching them finish their meals while crying quietly. I would return home hungry, and she would force me to go to bed without eating.
This is why I dreaded visiting my dad on weekends. When I was 14, my Dad decided to take the whole family, including me, on a trip to Greece. I reluctantly agreed to join them. As usual, Gina pretended to be sweet and kind in front of my dad but would subtly tease me, making hurtful comments. The twins would smirk and call me names. My dad would notice but choose to ignore it.
One day, in a moment of anger, I decided to retaliate. I told the twins that their double chins were embarrassing. I then turned to Gina and told her she shouldn’t wear a shrug over her bikini because her huge stomach was still visible, making her look like a penguin. Gina’s face turned red with embarrassment, and she ran back to the hotel room. The twins started yelling at me.
Later, my dad confronted me, clearly angry. I argued back that they were criticizing my weight, looks, and height, but my dad forced me to apologize.
When I was 16, I stayed with my dad and Gina while my mom was away. Gina complained about having to cook for one more person, so on my last night, I decided to make dinner. Everyone loved the food and praised me. From my room, I heard Gina and her friends talking outside. Her friends were saying how lucky she was to have a nice husband and a great house. When they mentioned how nice it was that I cooked for them, Gina went on a rant about how annoying I was and that she couldn’t stand seeing my face. She admitted she had hoped I would fail at cooking so she could blame me for something.
As time went on, Gina’s dislike for me only grew. During college, when I visited, she would completely ignore me. She would schedule family activities with just Dad and the twins, leaving me at home. She would loudly enter my room while I was sleeping or barge in without knocking.
The Main Incident
When I turned 21, my dad invited me to visit him, saying he had some important news. Upon arrival, my dad greeted me warmly. That night, during dinner, he started by expressing how proud he was to have three wonderful children. He went on to say that he had recently lost a friend to a heart attack, which made him realize how lucky he was. He had spoken to a lawyer and made a will.
Upon hearing the word “will,” Gina and the twins perked up with excitement. Dad said he had decided to leave the house to my stepmom. Gina beamed with pride. Dad then announced he was leaving his entire retirement account and his vintage car to me. This car held sentimental value for both of us.
As I processed this, I realized that leaving the car to me was his way of expressing his love. As my dad spoke about his pride in me, Gina’s expression shifted from pride to discontent. It was clear that the idea of me inheriting a significant sum of money and the beloved car stoked their resentment.
Dad then announced he would leave the joint bank account he shared with Gina to the twins. The twins immediately voiced their disappointment, saying they had expected more. They argued that my dad should also leave them his retirement account, claiming I didn’t need it anyway. Gina chimed in, stating that as a guy, I should find my own way, whereas they were women and needed more money for financial security. My dad firmly reiterated that his decision was final.
Suddenly, Gina burst into tears. Through her sobs, she claimed she had kept silent for years to protect the family but couldn’t hold it in any longer. She began to recount how, a few years ago, I had supposedly tried to force myself on her. I was stunned, completely blindsided. Before I could even grasp what was happening, Gina started elaborating on her fabricated story.
She told my dad that after our vacation in Greece, I would constantly stare at her and attempt to enter her bedroom uninvited. I sat frozen in my chair as she continued to concoct tales of how I would try to barge in every time she took a shower or get uncomfortably close to her face. She claimed she dreaded having me over every weekend.
I tried to defend myself, vehemently denying the baseless accusations, but Gina continued to cry as if she were the victim. She went on about how, as I grew older, I made her increasingly uncomfortable, and on one occasion, when we were alone, I allegedly tried to force myself on her.
My eyes widened in shock, and the blood drained from my face. My dad looked utterly confused and concerned. I yelled at Gina, calling her a psycho. The twins began shouting furiously at me, accusing me of putting their mother through this and using words like “rapist” and “molester.”
My head was spinning. It all felt like a bad dream. I looked at my dad for support, but he remained quiet. He asked her if what she had spoken was true, and Gina nodded, asserting that she would never lie to him.
Unfortunately, Gina’s manipulation had strained my relationship with my dad, and he seemed torn. The twins, influenced by their mother’s narrative, supported Gina’s false accusations and yelled at me to leave their house. My dad, amidst the chaos, looked up at me and told me to leave the house until the matter was resolved.
It felt like a punch to the gut. Being rejected by my own father, who chose to believe his second wife over me, left me hurt, confused, and betrayed.
The Aftermath
I packed my belongings and flew straight to my mother, who was shocked to see me. When I told her everything, she was furious and ready to confront my stepmom, but I asked her not to. I couldn’t risk having Gina in my life any longer, which is why I decided to cut off my dad permanently.
Later, my mom told me that my dad had called her to express his shame in having a son like me and declared he wanted nothing to do with me. My dad’s side of the family, convinced by Gina’s story, also attacked my mom, accusing her of raising a pervert.
The damage was done, and Gina had won.
Gina and the twins continued bombarding me with vile text messages, threatening that I should stay away from my dad forever. It got so bad that I had to change my number. Gina’s actions left me terrified of being around any woman, fearing I would be falsely accused again. I went through severe depressive and suicidal episodes, and my mom flew in to live with me for a couple of months to make sure I was all right.
Slowly, my mental health improved, and I started to rebuild my life. Eventually, I met a wonderful woman named Mara, who brought joy back into my life.
The Truth
Just a week ago, I received a call from an unknown number. To my shock, it was my dad. I was stunned to hear his voice after nearly seven years. He sounded old. He dodged the question of how he got my new number and asked if I was doing okay. I remained silent and then told him not to bother me again.
That’s when my dad broke down and started crying. He begged for my forgiveness, admitting how wrong he was to abandon his own son. My curiosity was piqued, so I waited for him to explain.
My dad then revealed that Gina had been cheating on him with his best friend for years. When he confronted her with proof, she stopped hiding and confessed. She was tired of being married to a “pathetic man” like him. Gina admitted she had only married him for his money and despised being with him. When my dad pressed her further, she confessed to fabricating all the accusations against me because she hated me and wanted all his wealth for herself and her daughters.
As you can imagine, my dad divorced her, and she got nothing from the marriage due to her affair. My dad said he had been waiting to divorce Gina so he could officially reach out to me and apologize. He expressed his desire to make up for lost time and rebuild our father-son relationship.
At the mention of “father and son,” I couldn’t help but scoff. I told him that he was no father of mine after how quickly he abandoned me. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him and that he should stop bothering me. I ended the call and hoped he got the message.
Since then, I’ve been bombarded with calls from my dad and his side of the family, saying that my dad has suffered enough and that I’m just making it harder on him.
Updates
I booked tickets for my mom to come visit me so I could tell her and Mara everything. I started by telling them about Dad’s contact after all these years. Then I told them about how Gina would manipulate me when I was just 12 years old. I recounted how she bullied me and threatened to divorce him if I ever told him. I didn’t realize how traumatic these events were until I began to open up about them.
By the time I finished, I had tears streaming down my face. Mara and my mom were crying quietly as well. My mom immediately hugged me, repeatedly saying that I shouldn’t have kept this all in. Mara also told me that no child should have gone through what I did and that it was completely fine if I chose never to speak to my dad again, since he should have protected me. My mom nodded, saying I had no obligations to explain anything to my dad because when I needed him the most, he chose to believe his wife over me. The only reason he was reaching out now was that he was lonely and had no family left.
That’s when I realized they were right. My dad perhaps never really loved me because if he did, he would have never believed I was capable of such things. Since then, I felt much lighter after sharing my past with Gina out loud with my mom and Mara. I’ve blocked my dad and will continue to block any other family member who tries to interject in my life. I owe no explanations to those who chose to abandon me.
I want to start by sharing some happy news: I proposed to Mara, and she said yes! My mom is thrilled for us, and we’re considering moving closer to her. Thanks to advice from people on Reddit, I’ve also started therapy. It’s helping me feel better step by step. The past has been tough, but I’m looking forward to a brighter future, free from all the lies and drama.