My 17-year-old stepson visits us every weekend. Lately, though, my 14-year-old daughter begged me to keep him away. She wouldn’t explain—just kept saying she didn’t want him in the house anymore. I figured it was just teenage friction… until I found something odd.
While picking up laundry from his room, I noticed a pile of socks by the bed. Underneath, hidden, were a family photo, my daughter’s old school picture, and a handmade card she once gave her dad. They weren’t his—so why was he keeping them?
I showed my husband, but he brushed it off. “Maybe he’s just sentimental,” he said. But the secrecy unsettled me. Combined with my daughter’s discomfort, I knew something wasn’t right.
I gently asked her again what was wrong. She said he hadn’t touched her or said anything inappropriate—just that he stared too long, asked strange questions, and made her feel uneasy.