Having an absent and unsupportive father can be hurtful.

This woman explains that her father left her and her mom when she was 2. Now that he has a new family, he tried to make it up to her by giving her money.

The story hardly ends happily ever after when her dad’s new wife finds out what he did.

Read the story below for all the details.

AITA for not giving my estranged father’s wife the money he sent me?

My (21F) father wasn’t in my life growing up.

He left mom and me when I was 2, and refused to pay child support.

He quit his job when he was tracked down for support.

He spent time in jail rather than pay.

Her mom decided to stop chasing him for child support.

Eventually, mom stopped fighting because it was going nowhere.

She felt like it was wasting resources chasing after him when it was obvious he was going to avoid it, however he could.

This woman saw him again after so many years.

A couple of years ago, he moved about an hour away.

I saw him for the first time since a court appearance when I was 8.

We didn’t speak either of those times, but it surprised me that he came back.

Her aunt told her he has a new family now.

I found out from my paternal aunt that he was married and had more kids.

He’d reached out to her and wanted to reconnect.

She told him where to go.

She was always pretty disgusted he walked away like he did and because he refused to support me financially.

Her dad left her a big check.

In December, my aunt told me he went to her house and left something for me there.

I asked her what it was, and she said she had no idea but it was in an envelope.

I opened it and it was a check.

And it was a big one, too.

Her mom told her to keep it.

I tried giving it to my mom but she told me to keep it.

She said he owed me that because he abandoned me and it was the least I deserved.

I tried telling her she deserved it more, but she wouldn’t even entertain the idea.

So after confirming it was legit, I lodged it into my account.

His wife came demanding the money back.

Then, his wife came looking for the money by going to my aunt’s house.

My aunt made her leave and I wasn’t even there.

She showed up a few days later, when I was there and she demanded the money. She said it was money that was meant to go to her kids. She said he had no right to drain their accounts for me.

Her aunt threatened to call the cops.

I told her it wasn’t my problem.

My aunt threatened to call the cops.

She showed up at my aunt’s house again a few days after.

And my aunt followed through and called the cops.

The wife called her selfish and entitled for keeping the money.

But apparently, this woman left a message.

She said that I was selfish and entitled. She also said that I stole it from her kids.

AITA?

Her dad gave her the money. It’s not like she stole it. She deserved it as back child support pay.

Let’s check out the comments of other people on Reddit.

You deserve that money, says this person.

This user advises getting a restraining order.

Short and simple.

Here’s more helpful advice.

And lastly, people are telling her to keep it.

Consider it the child support he owes you.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.