My 16-year-old stepson asked to bring his new girlfriend on our family trip to Spain. To my shock, my husband agreed—but with a catch: we could only afford four tickets, so my 18-year-old daughter would have to stay behind.
I was furious. He was choosing a girl we’d just met over the daughter he’d helped raise since she was seven. I confronted him, heart pounding.
He snapped back, “That stranger is my son’s guest. And maybe you forgot—your daughter’s father is lazy and never pays for her vacations. Maybe it’s his turn.”
That moment shattered something in me. It wasn’t about money. It was about loyalty—and who we truly call family.
