While recovering from surgery abroad, I missed my daughter Ava’s wedding. To show my love from afar, I gifted her and her husband a house and a car — both legally in my name.

Months later, I visited unannounced, only to find Ava treated like a maid by her in-laws, Charles and Linda, who had moved in and taken over. They believed the house and car were theirs — and Ava, too polite and exhausted to correct them, had let it go on since the wedding.

I called a “house meeting” and calmly told them the truth: the house and car were mine. They had two choices — contribute or leave. Within a week, they were gone.

Ava broke down in my arms. “I didn’t know how to say no,” she whispered. Together, we reclaimed her space and spirit. She smiled again. She remembered who she was.And I made sure no one ever forgot — she’s my daughter. Not their servant.