My stepmother became a part of my life 15 years ago when my dad married her. She showed me warmth and affection and everything a mother could be to her daughter. Over time, everyone began to see me as her first daughter. In public, she always introduced me as her child, and not my stepdaughter. I grew up believing she truly loved me.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP CHANNEL TO RECEIVE ALL STORIES IN YOUR INBOX

Then I entered my 20s, and something strange started happening. I didn’t notice it until recently but every man I introduced to her as my boyfriend somehow drifted away from me. We would start off deeply in love, then after meeting her, they would slowly lose interest in me. I often went to her for counsel when my relationships ended.

She would comfort me and say things like:

“He’s not serious, let him go. Someone better will come along.”

“He was just using you. It’s good he is gone.”

Because she was more experienced in life than I am, I always believed whatever she said about my men.

It was when I got to my 30s that the pattern became too obvious to ignore. I have dated good men. I am talking about wealthy and kind men who were ready to settle down. They knew I wanted the same thing but none of the relationships lasted.

I was sure I was the one pushing these men away until I ran into one of my exes recently. We were in a confined space, so we got talking. After we got the awkwardness out of the way I asked him, “Why did you ghost me all those years ago? What did I do wrong?”

He broke down and confessed everything to me. He said my stepmother told him terrible things about me, and then seduced him. “She made me believe you are not a good person,” he claimed. I didn’t believe him but he showed me some of the messages they exchanged when they were involved.

After him, I contacted some of my exes. They all said my stepmother talked bad about me and propositioned them to have an affair with her. I received some of her nude photos, messages, and even voice notes from these men as proof. I was so shocked.

How could someone who claimed to love me, and who was married to my father, betray me like that?

Out of curiosity, I decided to dig into her past. I found out from her old friends that she used to be into prostitution before marrying my dad. That discovery explained a lot about her behaviour, but it didn’t make the pain any easier to bear.

READ ALSO: I Bear Their Name But I Am Not Part Of The Family

The worst part is that I got to know all these things after I introduced the man I am currently dating to her. It turns out, she is sleeping with him too. I didn’t ask him about it but I spoke to his sister and she confirmed my fears.

I asked my dad, “Do you think your wife is capable of cheating on you?” He didn’t say yes but the way he evaded my question gave me the impression that he knew her well. When I brought up my boyfriend, he admitted that they were suspiciously too close.

A Man Who Haggles Over The Price Of An Item Is A Red Flag

If only I knew then, what I know now, I would have kept my boyfriend away from her. It’s one thing for him to cheat on me but doing it with my own stepmother is driving me crazy.

She never treated me badly but she is an evil stepmother. She made me believe she loved me, only to destroy my relationship with the good men that came my way. Some wounds, indeed, are inflicted by the people we consider home.

—Georgia 

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

#SB