Reddit Stories - The FATHER FIGURE I LIVED with for five years asked me to leave

Episode Date: July 19, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #familydrama #relationships #movingout #conflictresolution #lifechangesSummary: The father figure I lived with for five years asked me to leave, sparking a difficult decision-making process and emotional turmoil as I navigate finding a new living situation and adjusting to life without his presence.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, familydrama, relationships, movingout, conflictresolution, lifechanges, emotionalstress, decisionmaking, newbeginnings, supportsystem, personalgrowth, communication, boundaries, livingarrangements, emotionalturmoil, difficultchoices, adjustmentperiodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. The father figure I lived with for five years asked me to leave when I turned 19. Following that, my biological father, who had been absent since I was 14, contacted me and mentioned my mother. Had been cheating with my stepdad all along and that's the reason he left. I'm 19 years old and I've been dealing with this situation for way too long and I need some advice because I honestly don't know what to do anymore and my mom keeps taking his side no matter what happens between us. When I was 14, my dad just up and left one day and my mom told me he said he didn't want to be a

father anymore and that he was done with our family, and at the time I believed her because what else was I supposed to think when your own father just disappears like that without even saying goodbye to you? My mom was crying all the time for maybe two weeks after he left and she kept saying things like how could he do this to us and how we were going to be fine without him, and I remember feeling so angry at my dad for making my mom cry like that because she didn't deserve it. But then something weird happened because after those two weeks my mom just stopped being sad and she started going out more and getting her hair done and buying new clothes, and she was

on her phone all the time texting someone and smiling at her screen which I thought was strange because shouldn't she be more upset about her husband leaving her? I asked her who she was texting and she said it was just her sister helping her through this difficult time, but her sister lives across the country and they never really talked that much before so I thought it was odd. About a month after my dad left, my mom started bringing this guy named Robert around the house and she introduced him as a friend from work who was helping her with some legal stuff about the divorce. And Robert seemed nice enough, I guess, but he was always hanging around our house and eating dinner with us and watching TV with us like he lived there or something. My mom said he was just being supportive during a hard time and that I should be

grateful someone was willing to help our family, and I didn't really think much of it because I was dealing with my own stuff at school and trying to figure out why my dad left us. Then one day my mom sat me down and told me that she and Robert had been spending a lot of time together and that they had developed feelings for each other, and she said sometimes when people go through trauma they find comfort in unexpected places and that Robert made her feel happy again after such a dark period in her life. She said they were going to start dating officially and that she hoped I would be okay with it because she deserved to be happy after what my dad put her through, and I remember feeling confused because it seemed really fast but I wanted my

mom to be happy so I said okay. They got married exactly four months after my dad left and my mom said they didn't want to wait because life is short and when you know you found the right person you shouldn't waste time. And Robert moved into our house and suddenly everything changed because now there was this man living in my dad's space and sleeping in my dad's bed and sitting in my dad's chair at the dinner table. My mom seemed really happy though and she was always laughing at Robert's jokes and hanging on his arm and calling him honey and sweetheart, and she kept saying how lucky she was to find

someone who treated her so well after being with someone who clearly didn't appreciate her. At first Robert was really nice to me and he would ask about sort of my. and offered to help with my homework and he even took me to a baseball game once, and my mom kept saying how great it was that I finally had a positive male role model in my life since my dad had obviously failed in that department. But after they got married and he officially moved in, Robert started changing and he began making comments about how I needed to step up and help out more around the house because I was old enough to take responsibility, and he started

giving me chores and rules that my mom never had before. He made a rule that I had to be home by 9 p.m. on school nights and 10 p.m. on weekends, and I had to ask permission before having friends over, and I had to keep my room spotless at all times because he said a messy room showed a lack of respect for the household. My mom went along with all of this and said Robert was right that I needed more structure in my life because my dad never taught me discipline, and when I complained she said I should be grateful that Robert cared enough about my future to set boundaries. As I got older the tension between Robert and me kept getting worse because he started treating me like I was some kind of burden that he had to deal with, and he would make

comments about how I was eating too much food or using too much hot water or leaving lights on and wasting electricity. He started questioning every little thing I did and he would ask my mom why I needed new clothes or school supplies and he would say things like when he was my age he worked for everything he got and maybe I should get a job if I wanted extra things. My mom always defended him and said he was just trying to teach me the value of money and hard work, and she said I was being ungrateful and that Robert was doing me a favor by trying to make me into a responsible young man. But it felt like he was nickel and dimming everything I did and making me feel unwelcome in my own house, and I started spending more time at my friend Jake's house because his family

was normal and his parents didn't make him feel like a burden for existing. When I turned 18 last year Robert sat me down and told me that now that I was legally an adult I needed to start contributing to the household financially or start making plans to move out, and he said it wasn't fair for me to live rent-free when other people my age were supporting themselves or going to college. I told him I was planning to go to community college and work part-time, but I needed time to save money and figure things out, and he said I had until my 19th birthday to either start paying rent or find somewhere else to live. My mom was sitting right there when he said this and she just nodded along and said Robert was being reasonable and that most parents would have kicked me out

already, and she said maybe this would motivate me to get serious about my future instead of just coasting through life. I couldn't believe she was agreeing with him and I said this was my home too and I shouldn't have to pay rent to live in the house I grew up in, and Robert said actually this was his and my mom's house now and I was a guest who had overstayed his welcome. That's when I really lost it and I started yelling at him that he wasn't my father and he had no right to kick me out of my own home, and I said he was just some random guy who moved in and took over everything and now he wanted to get rid of me because I was in his way. Robert started yelling back that I was an ungrateful little brat who had no respect for authority and that my attitude was exactly why my

real father left in the first place, and he said maybe if I wasn't such a difficult kid my dad would have stuck around. My mom started crying and screaming at both of us to stop fighting and she said she couldn't handle all this conflict in her house, and she said I needed to apologize to Robert for being disrespectful and that Robert was only trying to help me become independent. I said I wasn't apologizing for anything because Robert was the one being unreasonable and trying to kick me out, and my mom said if I couldn't show respect for her husband then maybe I did need to find somewhere else to live. I couldn't believe my own mother was choosing this guy over her own son and I told her that, and she said she wasn't choosing anyone but she couldn't have me

undermining Robert's authority in their home because it was causing too much stress on their marriage. She said Robert had been nothing but good to both of us and he deserved better than having to deal with my attitude all the time, and she said maybe some time apart would help me appreciate what I had. So now my 19th birthday is coming up in two months and Robert keeps making comments about how I better start looking for apartments or roommates because the deadline is approaching, and my mom acts like this is all completely normal and reasonable. I work part-time but I barely make enough to pay for gas and food and there's no way I can afford rent and utilities and all that stuff, and most of my friends are going away to college so I can't really room with anyone I know.

I feel like I'm being pushed out of my own family and I don't understand how my mom can just go along with this when I'm her son and Robert is just some guy she married after knowing him for like four months. I know I'm technically an adult, but I'm still in my first year of community college and I'm trying to figure out my life and I don't have anywhere to go, and it feels like Robert just wants me gone so he can have my mom all to himself. I don't know if I should try to have another conversation with my mom without Robert around to see if she'll listen to reason, or if I should just start making plans to move out and accept that this is how things are going to be. I love my mom, but I feel like she's completely changed since she married Robert and she doesn't seem to

care about what happens to me as long as he's happy. Am I being unreasonable for thinking I should be able to stay in my family home while I'm getting my life together, or is Robert right that I need to be independent now that I'm 18? I just don't know what to do anymore and I feel like I'm losing my family. Update, I posted a few weeks ago about my stepfather Robert wanting me out of the house by my 19th birthday and a lot of people gave me advice about talking to my mom alone and trying to work things out. So I thought I would try that approach before just giving up on my mom entirely. I waited for a day when Robert was going to be at work late and I asked my mom if we could have a serious conversation about the whole moving out situation. And I told her I felt like

she was choosing Robert over me and that it hurt that she was okay with me being kicked out of the house I grew up in. I said I understood that Robert was her husband but I was her son and I thought that should count for something, and I asked her if she really thought it was fair to make me move out when I was still figuring out my life and going to school. My mom got really defensive and said I was being manipulative by trying to make her choose between her son and her husband, and she said Robert wasn't asking for anything unreasonable because most parents expect their kids to be independent by 19. She said I had plenty of time to prepare for this and instead of making plans I was just

complaining and expecting everyone else to solve my problems for me, and she said maybe my dad was right that I needed to learn some responsibility. I asked her what she meant by that, and she said my dad always thought I was too spoiled and that I expected everything to be handed to me without working for it, and she said Robert was just trying to finish the job of raising me that my dad started but never completed. I said that was a weird thing to say considering my dad abandoned us and left her to raise me alone, and she got really angry and said my dad didn't abandon me. us he made a choice to leave because he couldn't handle the stress of our family situation. That's when Robert came home early and heard us talking and he asked what was going on,

and my mom told him I was trying to guilt trip her into letting me stay past my birthday without contributing anything to the household. Robert said he was tired of this conversation and that we had already settled this matter weeks ago, and he said I needed to accept that I was an adult now and adults don't live with their parents for free. I said I wasn't asking to live for free forever. just needed more time to save money and get on my feet, and Robert said he had given me plenty of time and that my mom and him deserved to have their own space without a grown man

living in their house. He said when he was my age he was already supporting himself and he didn't have parents who coddled him and made excuses for his laziness. And he said the fact that I couldn't figure out how to be independent by 19 showed that my parents had failed to prepare me for the real I started getting really angry and I said he had no right to talk about my parents failing me when he wasn't even my parent and he had only been in my life for a few years. And I said he was just trying to get rid of me because he wanted my mom all to himself. Robert said I was delusional if I thought this was about him wanting my mom to himself because they were married adults who didn't need to worry about what some teenager thought

about their relationship. And he said I was just upset because I couldn't manipulate my mom anymore now that there was another adult in the house who wouldn't put up with my nonsense. My mom started crying again and said she couldn't handle all this fighting and drama in her house, and she said she was tired of feeling like she had to choose between the two most important men in her life. She said Robert was her husband and partner and I was her son and she loved both of us, but she couldn't have us constantly at each other's throats because it was making her sick

with stress. Then Robert said fine he would make this easy for everyone and he gave me an ultimatum that I had exactly two weeks to find somewhere else to live regardless of my birthday, and he said if I wasn't out by then he would start charging me $800 a month for rent plus utilities which he knew I couldn't afford on my salary. He said this wasn't a negotiation and it wasn't up for discussion anymore because he was done dealing with my attitude and disrespect, and he said my mom could choose to support his decision or choose to let me walk all over both of them but he wouldn't continue living in a house where he wasn't respected. My mom looked at me and then looked at Robert

and she said she thought two weeks was reasonable time for me to make arrangements, and she said Robert was right that this situation had gone on too long and was causing too much conflict in their marriage. She said she hoped I would understand that she had to support her husband's decision because that's what married couples do for each other, and she said once I was older and married myself I would understand why she had to choose Robert's side in this situation. I said so you're really going to kick out your own son for some guy you've known for five years, and my mom said Robert wasn't some guy he was her husband and the man who had been supporting our family financially since my dad left us with nothing. She said I was being unfair by calling

Robert some guy when he had been more of a father to me than my real father ever was, and she said I should be grateful for everything Robert had done for our family instead of acting like he was the enemy. I said Robert hadn't done anything for me except make my life miserable and try to control everything I did, and Robert said he had put food on my table for five years and that I was the most ungrateful person he had ever met. He said he was done wasting his time and energy on someone who clearly didn't appreciate anything he had done, and he said my mom deserved better than having to deal with a stepson who couldn't show basic respect for the man who had saved our family from financial ruin. I asked my mom if that's really how she felt and if she really

thought Robert had saved our family, and she said yes Robert had been there for us when my dad left us nothing and I needed to show some appreciation for that. She said Robert didn't have to take on the responsibility of raising another man's child but he did it anyway because he loved her, and she said the least I could do was show some gratitude and respect instead of making their lives difficult. So I called my friend Jake and asked if I could stay with his family for a while and he talked to his parents and they said yes, and I packed up all my stuff and moved out that same night because I wasn't going to sit around and listen to my mom and Robert talk about how

much of a burden I was. Jake's parents are really nice and they said I could stay as long as I needed to get on my feet, and they're only asking me to help with groceries and do some chores around the house which seems way more reasonable than what Robert was demanding. My mom texted me a few times saying she hoped I was okay and that she loved me but she thought this was for the best, and she said maybe some time apart would help us all get some perspective on the situation. She said the door was always open if I wanted to come back and apologize to Robert and work

things out like a family, but I don't think that's ever going to happen because I'm never going to apologize for wanting to stay in my own home. Jake's mom asked me if I had any other family I could reach out to for help and I told her about my dad but I said I didn't have any way to contact him since he left when I was 14, and she said maybe it was time to try to find him because he might be able to help me or at least give me some answers about why he left. I'm not sure if I want to do that because what if he really did just abandon us like my mom said, but maybe it's worth a shot since my mom clearly doesn't want me around anymore.

This whole situation is just crazy and I can't believe my mom chose Robert over her own son, but at least Jake's family is being really supportive and treating me like a person instead of like some burden they can't wait to get rid of. I'm going to keep working and saving money and hopefully I can figure out how to get my own place soon, but for now I'm just grateful to have somewhere safe to stay. Update 2, this is going to sound completely insane, but my dad called me a few days ago and I haven't heard from him over a few years since he left when I was 14. I was at Jake's house doing homework when my phone rang and it was a number I didn't recognize,

and when I answered it this man's voice said my name and asked if this was really me and I said yes, who is this? The voice said this is your father and I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I need to tell you some things that you deserve to know, and I almost hung up because I thought it might be some kind of prank or scam but something about the voice sounded familiar even though it had been so long. He said he knew I probably hated him for leaving and that my mom had probably told me he abandoned our family, and he said he didn't blame me for feeling that way because from my perspective that's exactly what it looked like when he disappeared without explanation.

He said he had been trying to work up the courage to contact me for years, but he didn't know if I would want to hear from him or if my mom would even let him. him talk to me, and he said he finally decided to reach out because he heard through some friends that I was having problems at home. I asked him how he knew about my situation and he said he still had some friends in our old neighborhood who kept him updated on major things happening with me and my mom, and one of them had mentioned that my mom's new husband was trying to kick me out of the house. He said when he heard that he knew he couldn't stay silent anymore because he couldn't let me think that he had abandoned me when the truth was so much more complicated than that.

Then he told me something that completely blew my mind and made me feel sick to my stomach, and he said the reason he left wasn't because he didn't want to be a father anymore but because my mom had been having an affair with Robert for months before he found out about it. He said he came home early from work one day and found Robert and my mom together in their bedroom, and when he confronted my mom about it, she told him she was in love with Robert and wanted a divorce. He said my mom begged him not to tell me what really happened because she didn't want me to think badly of her. and she said it would be better for everyone if he just left quietly and let her tell me that he decided he didn't want to be a family man anymore. He said he was so hurt and angry that he agreed to go along with her story because he thought maybe it would be easier for me to think he was the bad guy rather than know that my mom had destroyed our family by cheating.

He said he regretted that decision every single day for the past five years because he knew I probably thought he was a terrible father who just abandoned his son, but he said at the time he was so devastated by my mom's between. that he wasn't thinking clearly about what was best for me. He said he moved to another state and tried to start over, but he never stopped thinking about me and wondering how I was doing, and he said he always planned to contact me when I turned 18, but he kept putting it off because he was afraid I wouldn't want anything to do with him. I didn't know what to say because this completely contradicted everything my mom had told me about why he left, and I asked him if he was telling the truth or if this was just his way of trying to make himself look better after abandoning us.

He said he understood why I would doubt him and he said he had evidence to prove what he was saying if I was willing to listen, and he said he had kept emails and text messages from that time period that showed what really happened. He said after he moved out my mom and Robert had gotten together officially almost immediately and they were planning to get married as soon as the divorce was finalized, and he said the timeline of their relationship made it obvious that they had been seeing each other long before he left. This made so much sense suddenly because I had always thought it was weird how quickly my mom got over my dad leaving and how fast she started dating Robert, and now I understood why she seemed so happy and not devastated like you would expect someone to be after their

husband abandons them. I realized that Robert hadn't been some night in shining armor who rescued my mom after my dad left, but he was actually the homewrecker who destroyed my parents' marriage and then moved in to take my dad's place. I asked my dad why he never tried to fight for custody or visitation rights, and he said my mom had threatened to make things other in court and dragged me through a nasty custody battle if he tried to challenge her for custody. He said she told him that she would tell everyone including me that he was an abusive husband and father, and she said she would make sure I never wanted to see him again even if the court ordered visitation. He said he was scared that a custody battle would hurt me more than help me,

and he said my mom convinced him that it would be better for me to have a stable home with her and Robert rather than be caught in the middle of a war between my parents. He said he thought maybe if he stepped back and let them have their family that I would be happier and better off, but he said he realized now that he made a terrible mistake by not fighting for his right to be my father. He said he had been following my social media from a distance and he could see that I wasn't happy, and when he heard about Robert trying to kick me out, he realized that his plan to stay away from my own good had backfired completely. He said it was obvious that Robert had never really wanted me around and had just been tolerating me until he could get rid of me, and he said he

couldn't stand by and watch Robert treat me like some unwanted burden when I was his son and deserved better. I asked him if he wanted to see me and he said he had been hoping I would ask that because he missed me every single day and wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with me again. He said he understood if I needed time to process everything he had told me and he didn't expect me to forgive him right away, but he said he wanted me to know that leaving me was the biggest mistake of his life and he would do anything to make up for lost time. I told him I was staying with my friend's family because my mom and Robert had kicked me out, and he got really angry and said he couldn't believe my mom was letting Robert throw me out of my own home after everything that had

happened. He said if he had known Robert was going to treat me like this he never would have stayed away, and he said my mom was supposed to protect me not choose her a fair partner over her own son. He gave me his Facebook and address and told me to save his number and said I could call him any time I wanted to talk, and he said if I was willing to give him a chance he would love to have me come visit him and maybe even stay with him if that's what I wanted. He said he had a house with an extra bedroom and he would be happy to help me with college and getting my life started, and he said he knew he had a lot of making up to do, but he was ready to be the father I deserved. I'm so confused and angry because my whole life has been a lie and my mom has been

lying to me for five years about why my dad left, and now I find out that Robert was never the good guy who saved our family but was actually the person who destroyed it in the first place. Jake's parents have been really supportive and they said they think I should definitely meet with my dad and hear his side of the story, and they said it sounds like my mom has been manipulating me for years to cover up her own mistakes. They said it makes sense why Robert has always treated me like an unwanted burden because I was a reminder of the family he helped destroy, and they said my dad deserves a chance to explain himself and make up for lost time. I think I'm going to call my dad back and arrange to meet with him because I need to know the

whole truth about what happened, and maybe he can help me figure out what to do next. I don't know if I can ever forgive my mom for lying to me all these years and choosing Robert over me, but at least now I know the real reason why my family fell apart and it wasn't because my dad didn't love me. Final update, I met up with my dad two weeks ago and we spent the whole day talking about what happened five years ago and what my life has been like since he left, and it was really emotional because I could tell he genuinely regretted leaving me and felt terrible about missing so much of my life. He showed me all the evidence he had about my mom's affair with Robert including text messages screenshots where my mom was telling Robert that she loved him

and couldn't wait to start their new life together. And there were also messages, between my mom and Robert from before my dad even left talking about how they needed to be careful not to get caught until they could figure out the best way to handle the situation. The most shocking thing was a text message from my mom to Robert right after my dad moved out where she said she was glad they could finally be together without sneaking around, and she said she thought I would adjust quickly to having Robert as my new father figure. There was another message where Robert told my mom that he wasn't sure about taking on the responsibility of raising another man's kid, and my mom assured him that I was a good kid who

wouldn't cause any problems and that eventually I would see Robert as my real father. It was so weird reading these messages and seeing how they had planned out this whole thing while I was just a 14-year-old kid who had no idea what was really happening to my family, and it made me realize that Robert had never really wanted me around from the beginning but had been pretending for my mom's sake. No wonder he had always treated me like a burden and been looking for excuses to get rid of me. My dad apologized over and over for leaving me with them and said he should have fought harder for custody, and he said he had been paying child support this whole time even though my mom told me he never sent any money to help support me. He said my mom

had been cashing the checks and using the money without ever telling me it came from him, and he showed me bank records proving that he had sent over $40,000 in child support over the past five years. I couldn't believe my mom had been lying to me about that too and making me think my dad was a deadbeat who didn't care enough to even send money, when the truth was he had been supporting me financially the entire time I thought he had abandoned us. My dad said he had asked my mom multiple times if he could at least send me birthday and Christmas presents directly, but she said it would be too confusing for me and that it was better if I thought the gifts came from her and Robert so I could have a normal family experience. Then my dad told me something that

I wasn't expecting and that has made this whole situation even crazier, and he said when his own father died three years ago he inherited a substantial trust fund that he had been planning to use for my college education and future expenses. He said the trust fund was worth around $300,000 and he had been waiting to contact me until I turned 18 so he could start helping me financially and making up for all the years he had missed. He said he had already spoken to a lawyer about setting up an education fund for me and making sure I would have money for college and getting started in life, and he said he wanted to buy me a car and help me get my own apartment if that's what I wanted. He said money couldn't make up for the time we had

lost, but he wanted to make sure I had every opportunity to succeed and that I never had to worry about financial stress while I was trying to build my future. I was obviously blown away by this news because I had been stressing about money and how I was going to afford college and living expenses, and suddenly my dad was telling me that he could help me with all of that and more. He said he had already started the paperwork to transfer some of the money into an account for me, and he said as soon as everything was finalized I would have access to funds for school and living expenses. I decided to tell Jake's parents about meeting my dad and about the trust fund money because

they had been so supportive and I wanted them to know that I would soon be able to contribute more to the household expenses. And Jake's mom said she was happy for me, but she warned me to be careful about who I told about the money because sometimes money changes how people treat you. Well, it turns out she was absolutely right because somehow word got back to my mom and Robert about the trust fund, and I'm pretty sure Jake must have mentioned it to someone at college who knew people in my old neighborhood because that's the only way I can think of that the information would have gotten back to them. I don't blame Jake because he was probably just excited for me and didn't

think about how the news might spread. Anyway, my mom called me for the first time since I moved out and she was suddenly acting all concerned about my well-being and saying she missed me and wanted to work things out. And she said she had been thinking about our last fight and she realized that maybe Robert had been too harsh about the moving out deadline. She said she loved me and didn't want our family to be torn apart over what she called a simple disagreement about household rules, and she said maybe we could all sit down and have a mature conversation about how to make the living situation work for everyone. I asked her what had changed and she said she had been talking to some friends and family members who made her realize that kicking out your son was too extreme and that there had to be a better solution. Then Robert got on the phone and started apologizing for being too rigid about the house rules, and he said he had been under a lot of stress at work and had been taking it out on me unfairly. He said he realized that I was still young and trying to figure out my life and that maybe he had been expecting too much too soon, and he said he would be willing to let me move back home.

without any rent or timeline requirements if I was interested in giving our family another chance. This was completely insane because just a month ago Robert was calling me an ungrateful and saying I was disrespectful and that he was done dealing with my attitude, but now he was acting like he cared about my well-being and wanted me to come home. He said he knew we had gotten off on the wrong foot, but he was willing to start fresh and try to build a better relationship, and he said maybe he had been wrong to treat me like a tenant instead of like a son. My mom kept saying how much she missed having me around the house and how quiet and sad it had been without me there, and she said Robert had been feeling guilty about the way things ended and they both wanted to make it right. She said family was the most important thing and she didn't want some misunderstanding to keep us apart permanently, and she said they were both committed to making me feel welcome and loved in our home.

The timing of this sudden change of heart was so obvious that it would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic, because they clearly found out about my dad's trust fund. and realized that I wasn't going to be some broke teenager they could push around anymore. It was obvious that they were trying to get back on my good side now that they knew I had access to money, and they probably figured they could convince me to help with household expenses or maybe even get access to some of the trust fund money themselves. I told my mom I would think about their offer, but I was pretty happy staying with Jake's family for now, and she said she understood, but she hoped I wouldn't wait too long to come home because she was worried about me living with people who weren't really family.

She said Jake's parents were nice, but they didn't love me the way she did and eventually they might get tired of having an extra person in their house, and she said my real family would always be there for me no matter what. Robert jumped back on the phone and said he had been thinking about ways to help me with college and my future goals, and he said maybe we could work together to make sure I had everything I needed to succeed. He said he had some experience with financial planning and investments and he would be happy to help me make smart decisions with any money I might have access to, and he said family should stick together and help each other out during important life transitions.

I almost started laughing because it was so transparent what they were doing and they weren't even trying to be subtle about it, but I just said I appreciated their concern and I would definitely consider their offer to move back home. After I hung up I called my dad and told him about the conversation and he was disgusted but not surprised, and he said my mom had always been good at manipulating situations to her advantage and Robert was probably the one who came up with the plan to try to get back into my good graces. He said they were probably hoping they could convince me to move back home and then gradually start asking for financial help with household expenses or other things and he said I should be very careful about trusting them now that they knew I had access to money.

I'm definitely not moving back in with my mom and Robert because I can see right through their fake apologies and sudden concern for my well-being, and I think it's actually better that this happened because now I know exactly what kind of people they are. They were perfectly happy to kick me out when they thought I was just some burden with no money and no options, but as soon as they found out I had access to a trust fund they started acting like loving family members who just wanted what was best for me. My dad has been amazing through all of this and he's helping me look for my own apartment near my community college so I can have my own space and independence without having to rely on anyone else, and he said we're going to make sure the trust fund

is set up so that my mom and Robert can never get access to any of the money. He said he's learned his lesson about trusting my mom and he's not going to let her manipulate the situation to her advantage again. I'm actually grateful that everything happened the way it did because if my dad hadn't contacted me I never would have learned the truth about why he left, and if Robert hadn't tried to kick me out, I never would have seen how little my mom actually cared about my well-being when it conflicted with what Robert wanted. Now I know who really has my best interests at heart and I can start building a real relationship with my dad while keeping my distance from my mom

and Robert until they prove they can be trusted again.