My Wife Tried to Stop Me From Spending Time With My Daughter — Then My Ex Sent Me a Screenshot

My wife, Lauren, and I both have children from previous marriages.

She has a ten-year-old son, and I have a twelve-year-old daughter, Grace, who stays with us every other weekend.

Grace and I have a little tradition. Once a month, we go to a bookstore, get lunch, and spend a few hours together.

Last Friday, I mentioned our Saturday plans.

Lauren rolled her eyes.

“You two always have to do something alone?”

I didn’t think much of it.

Twenty minutes later, Grace came downstairs crying.

She said Lauren had told her she’d do whatever it took to stop our little outings because I needed to focus on my “new family.”

I was furious.

Before I could confront Lauren, my ex-wife texted me.

“Did you really cancel tomorrow?”

She attached a screenshot.

It showed a message from my phone saying Grace should stay with her mother because we had other plans.

I hadn’t sent that message.

When I confronted Lauren, she admitted using my phone while I was showering.

She claimed her son felt excluded.

I told her we could have discussed that like adults.

Instead, she’d lied to my ex and made my daughter feel unwanted.

I corrected the arrangement and took Grace out Saturday.

Lauren apologized, but I told her something had to change.

My daughter wasn’t part of my old life. She was part of my life.