My 16-year-old daughter scraped for months to buy her longed-for sewing machine. When she didn’t do her tasks quickly enough, her stepmother threw it into the pool and my ex-husband just watched.

“Anna,” he said, his tone steady but hesitant. “I think we need to talk.”

I felt a familiar wave of tension rise in me, but I stayed calm. “About what, Mark?”

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “and I realize… I realize that I didn’t handle things the way I should have. I stood there, and I let Rachel destroy Lily’s property, and I didn’t stop her. I should have. I should have done more.”

I sat down, absorbing the weight of his words. “You should have, Mark. You really should have.”

There was a pause. I could almost hear him gathering his thoughts, trying to find the right words. “I can’t undo what happened, but… I want to make things right, for you and for Lily.”

I frowned, unsure of where this conversation was going. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

He sighed. “I’m going to have a talk with Rachel. About respect. About how she treats you, about how she treats Lily. I didn’t stand up for you then, but I’m going to now. It’s time to put an end to this.”