My Stepdaughter Demanded I Transfer All Her Late Dad’s Assets to Her Name – I Did, but She Didn’t Like It…
George’s absence haunted our home, but it wasn’t his death that truly broke me—it was my stepdaughter Susan’s cold demand for his assets. What followed was a battle of greed, betrayal, and an unexpected twist that left Susan furious and me at peace.
Moving on after losing a loved one is never easy. Even now, I sometimes wake up clutching George’s favorite shirt, his familiar scent still clinging to the fabric. But while I was grieving, it wasn’t the loss of my husband that shattered me—it was Susan’s actions that tore my heart apart.
I’m Mariana, 57 years old, and for 25 years, I was married to the love of my life, George. He had a daughter, Susan, from his previous marriage, and although she wasn’t biologically mine, I treated her as my own. She called me “Mom,” and I cherished the bond we had built. But after George was diagnosed with terminal cancer, everything changed.
When Susan got married, George and I were overjoyed. We had hoped her happiness would bring us closer, but after George’s diagnosis, her visits became less frequent, dwindling from weekly to monthly until they stopped altogether. She rarely came to see her father, calling occasionally to ask about his condition. One day, she asked something that tore through me like a knife: “How much longer does he have?”
I gripped the phone tightly, my voice trembling. “Susan, your father isn’t some product with an expiration date.”
Her response was cold. “I’m just busy, Mom. I can’t visit often.”
“Too busy to see your dying father?” I asked, disbelief and hurt welling up inside me.
She sighed. “I’ll try to come by soon.”
But “soon” never came. And then, the day I dreaded arrived. George passed away peacefully in the hospital, and I was left to pick up the pieces. Susan didn’t attend the funeral. When I called her, she had an excuse: “I just had my baby, Mom. The doctor advised against traveling.”
I swallowed my grief, trying to understand. “But Susan, it’s your father’s funeral.”
“I can’t risk my baby’s health,” she replied curtly. And with that, she hung up. I sat beside George’s coffin, feeling utterly alone, wondering how our relationship had soured so badly.
Six months after George’s passing, there was a knock on my door. It was Susan, her husband Doug, and a lawyer. Susan didn’t waste time on pleasantries. “Mom, we need you to sign these papers,” she said, pushing a stack of documents at me.
I blinked, confused. “What are these for?”
Doug answered, “It’s to transfer George’s assets into our names. Just sign.”
My heart raced. “Excuse me? You think I’m just going to hand over everything?”
Susan rolled her eyes. “Dad’s assets, Mom. They belong to me now. Just sign.”
The audacity of her request left me speechless. George had left no will, and while I had planned to ensure Susan was taken care of, the entitlement in her voice made my blood boil.
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not signing anything. This is my home, and you’re not welcome here with demands like this.”
Susan’s face twisted with rage. “You’re not even my REAL mother!” she spat.
Her words felt like a slap. I stumbled back, tears filling my eyes. “After everything, this is how you treat me?”
“Just hand over my father’s assets,” she growled.
Fury overtook me. “Your father would be heartbroken to see how you’ve turned out,” I snapped. “Get out of my house.”
Susan launched into a tirade, shouting insults and demands, but I stood my ground. My neighbor, hearing the commotion, rushed over and escorted them out. As they left, Susan screamed, “This isn’t over, Mariana! You’ll regret this!”
Shaken and heartbroken, I collapsed on the couch, clutching George’s photo. Tears streamed down my face as I whispered, “Why didn’t you take me with you, George? I don’t know how to face this alone.”
Susan’s calls and messages continued relentlessly, each one angrier than the last. Finally, exhausted, I met with a lawyer, ready to give Susan what she wanted just to end the harassment. But there was something neither of us knew.
A week later, Susan stormed into my house again, livid. “How did you do this? I only get $3,000 and an old car? Where’s the rest?”
I stared at her, a small smile playing on my lips. “What are you talking about?”
She waved the inheritance papers in my face. “Dad’s assets! This can’t be it!”
Calmly, I explained. “Everything was in your father’s name, but years ago, he transferred all his major assets to me. The house, the SUV, the farmhouse—it’s all mine. He left you exactly what you demanded: what was rightfully his at the time of his death.”
Susan’s face contorted with rage. “You tricked me! This isn’t fair!”
I met her fury with a serene calm. “You got exactly what you asked for, Susan. Now leave.”
In the following weeks, I sold everything George had left me—the house, the SUV, the farmhouse—and made a fresh start. I moved far away, bought a beautiful villa, and began living the life I’d always dreamed of.
One day, I received a call from an old friend. “Mariana, Susan’s trying to start litigation against you.”
I sighed. “And?”
“It’s already been thrown out. Everything was legally yours.”
I thanked her and hung up, feeling a sense of relief. I had finally reclaimed my peace. Weeks passed, and I began to enjoy my new life, traveling, making new friends, and embracing the future.
But one day, my phone rang again. It was a lawyer, calling on behalf of Susan. “She wants to meet with you.”
I felt a chill. “No. Tell her I have nothing more to say.”
And with that, I closed the chapter for good. I had a new life, and I wasn’t going to let Susan, or anyone, take that from me. George had protected me in life, and now in death, he’d ensured I could live peacefully.