I Thought My Daughter Was Just Going Through a Phase, but Her Journal Exposed a Truth I Wasn’t Ready for – Story of the Day

Is it normal that I’m afraid of my own daughter? Don’t get me wrong, not in any creepy way. It’s just that Ava had entered that rebellious teenage phase.

Sometimes, it felt like she had been replaced by a gremlin, and instead of my sweet girl, I had this creature who only knew how to scream, “You all drive me crazy!” lock herself in her room, and wear clothes three sizes too big.

But I still loved her with all my heart. She was my baby, the one I raised all on my own.

My ex left us when Ava was only two, and since then, it had been just the two of us.

I thought our bond would make it easier for me to get through her teenage years, but no.

Ava turned into the typical teenager who hated everything and thought everyone around her was an idiot.

At first, it was still somewhat innocent. It was just eye rolls, slamming doors, and sharp words thrown my way.

But over time, Ava started retreating more and more into herself, staying after school longer, and even, without my knowledge, sneaking out at night.

One of those nights, I couldn’t sleep. I got up to make some tea, but as I walked to the kitchen, I heard strange noises coming from Ava’s room. Without thinking, I rushed in and saw her halfway out of the window.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I yelled.

“Mom! Why do you barge into my room without knocking?!” Ava shouted, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment.

She looked at me like I was the one out of line, not the one sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night.

“Get back in here right now! And don’t even think about arguing with me! Where do you think you’re going in the middle of the night?!” I snapped.

Ava reluctantly climbed back inside her room, her eyes burning with defiance. “None of your business!” she screamed at me, like she had the right to act this way.

“Oh, it is my business! I’m your mother!” I shot back.

“I’m grown now! I can do whatever I want!” Ava screamed.

“Grown-ups leave through the front door, not climb out the window like thieves,” I said.

Ava just scoffed, crossing her arms, as if my words didn’t matter. If only she knew, if only she could feel what I was feeling. If she knew that, in that moment, I wasn’t angry at her, I was terrified for her.

“Who are you seeing? Some guy?” I asked.

“I’m not explaining myself to you,” Ava sneered, her face twisted with frustration.

“You understand you can’t just run off in the middle of the night, right?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s dangerous, and who knows what could happen to you?”

“I’ll go wherever I want, whenever I want!” Ava shot back.

“Oh, really?” I said.

After those words, I turned and walked out of her room. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to act.

I went down to the basement, grabbed a drill and some screws. My hands were shaking, but I couldn’t stop now.

I had to keep her safe, no matter what. I went back to Ava’s room and screwed the window shut, making sure she couldn’t open it again.

“Are you crazy?!” Ava screamed. “You can’t do that!”

“Oh, yes I can. You’re my responsibility, and I have to make sure you’re safe, not out sneaking around at night,” I said.

“I need fresh air! Now I won’t be able to open the window!” Ava yelled.

“We’ll go for walks,” I replied, walking out of her room.

“Just like in prison!” Ava shouted after me, slamming her door so hard the walls shook.

As soon as her door slammed shut, I pressed myself against the wall outside her room. The fear gripped me. This was real.

Ava was sneaking out at night, and I had no idea what was happening in her life.

I didn’t know where she was going, who she was meeting, or if I would ever be able to get through to her again. It hurt. It hurt so much, but I didn’t know what else to do.

After that night, Ava completely shut me out. She didn’t say a word to me. Nothing. Silence.

It was deafening, suffocating. And I had no idea how to handle it, how to make her understand that everything I did, I did for her, for her safety. I couldn’t turn to anyone for help.

It was just me and my daughter, who now seemed to hate me. I kept remembering how little Ava used to be.

She had always been stubborn, sure, but she had always laughed, always had a smile that lit up the room.

She was the happiest child I’d ever known. She loved everything and everyone. How did it come to this? How did she grow to hate everything?

I blamed myself. I thought I must have been a terrible mother, that I had failed her somehow.

One morning, as I drove Ava to school, I sighed deeply. “I’m sorry if I did something wrong. I really want to fix things between us. What can I do to make it right?” I asked.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

“Ava, I love you more than anything in the world. Please, don’t ignore me,” I said.

More silence. The car felt empty. We arrived at her school, and I parked the car.

“I just want to talk to you and make things right,” I said.

Ava whispered, “I hate you,” and then slammed the car door. I stayed there for a long moment, my head resting on the steering wheel, feeling like my heart was being torn apart.

I didn’t move until the honking behind me snapped me out of it. I drove home, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.

And then, I did something I promised myself I’d never do. I walked into Ava’s room and started searching through her things.

I’d become the very parent I had always despised, the one who invaded their child’s privacy, but I couldn’t see any other way.

I rifled through her closet, opened every drawer, even searched the laundry basket and flipped over her bed. Nothing.

Everything seemed normal. Until I noticed that the mattress looked off. I lifted it, and there, underneath, was a notebook.

I opened it, and my heart stopped. It was her diary. Common sense told me to put it down, to respect her privacy, but something inside me screamed to read it.

I sat down at her desk, my hands trembling as I flipped through the pages.

At first, it was just the usual teenage stuff: school, friends, boys, the daily drama.

But then I saw a word that made my blood run cold. “Dad.” The more I read, the harder it became to breathe.

Ava had written about how her dad had finally come back into her life. They spent time together, talked, hung out, and she wrote that he had asked her to keep their meetings a secret from me. Not to mention him at all.

I was terrified. What did he want after all these years? What was he planning?

Then, I saw the last entry. It was written just the day before, and my stomach dropped.

Tomorrow, Dad and I are finally leaving here. He’s picking me up after school. I’ll finally be free, and Mom won’t control me anymore. Dad’s not like her.

He doesn’t care about work or all the boring stuff adults care about. He asked me to take as much money as I could, so we can live peacefully. I’ve already done it. I found the money Mom saved for my education. Tomorrow, I’ll finally be free.

I couldn’t believe it. My daughter had written this. This bastard had managed to turn her completely against me.

I knew exactly what he wanted. He didn’t care about Ava. He just wanted the money. I wasn’t going to let him break her heart again.

I jumped into the car and sped to the school. I knew that classes were about to end, and Roy, the jerk, was supposed to pick Ava up.

I arrived before the bell rang, but it turned out to be too late. I saw Ava getting into Roy’s car, and they drove off together. I followed them, dialing the police.

I knew Roy wasn’t going to take Ava with him. He wasn’t the type to take responsibility.

And as it turned out, I was right. We left the city, and about an hour later, he stopped near a gas station. Ava got out of the car, and Roy sped off, leaving her behind.

I watched my daughter, screaming after him, her face twisted with confusion and pain.

I quickly pulled up beside her and jumped out of the car. The moment she saw me, she started crying.

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as if I could protect her from everything that had just happened.

“He left me,” Ava sobbed.

“No, it won’t,” Ava cried harder. “I gave him the money you saved for my education, and he just left me.”

“I know, don’t worry. The police will catch him,” I reassured her.

“How did you know?” Ava looked up at me.

“I read your diary. I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, but I didn’t know what else to do,” I confessed.

Ava paused, her gaze fixed on me for a moment. Then, she whispered, “It’s okay. I’m glad you did.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again.

“Do you know what he said to me before he ran off?” Ava asked, and I shook my head. “He said I’m nobody, that he never needed me.”

“You’re not nobody. You’re smart, beautiful, and you’re a good girl. You’re my daughter, and that will never change,” I said.

Ava hugged me tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

An hour later, we were at the police station. They returned the money to me, and the officers talked to Ava.

I saw Roy for the first time in years. He looked at Ava and me with so much hatred that it was almost unbearable.

I was reminded once again how lucky we were that he wasn’t in our lives anymore.

On the way home, Ava quietly rested her head on my shoulder, and my heart ached with love for her.

I realized, as a mother, I was doing everything right, even if it wasn’t perfect. But what could I do? This was life, and Ava was my life.