I married David five years before his teenage son, Josh, moved in. From the beginning, Josh made his stance clear: I wasn’t his mom, and I never would be. He mocked my every effort—my cooking, my taste in music, even how I spoke. I gave everything I had to build a bond, but he gave me nothing back.

By his senior year, college was around the corner and money was tight. I had an inheritance that could have paid his tuition, so I offered—no strings, just support. He looked me in the eye and said, “You can’t buy your way into being my mom.” David backed him up. That day, I stopped trying.

Five years later, Josh called out of the blue. Not to reconnect—but to ask for money for his destination wedding. I wasn’t invited. “If you care about this family, you’ll help,” he said. David echoed him: “This is your chance to fix things.” Fix what—being treated like a stranger for years?

I agreed to meet. Over dinner, they bragged about a $75,000 dream wedding. I left the table and returned with a folder: a check—and a contract. Josh had to agree to call me Mom, invite me to family events, treat me as more than a wallet. He signed. I smiled, then tossed it all into the fireplace. “You just proved I could buy my way in,” I said. Then I handed David an envelope—divorce papers. I won’t be part of a family that only sees my value in dollars.