I have two beautiful daughters, one is my eldest daughter and we are very close, so close she tells me
everything, especially stuff I really really don't want to know, and today is her birthday,(31) but she has Covid, again, so no celebrating today but we'll make it up when she recovers.
My youngest is 21, I haven't seen or spoken to her since she was six, when her mother and I split (her decision, not mine) as soon as I was kicked out, my ex took out the knives and destroyed my relationship with her, I had visiting every other weekend, that lasted a few months then she refused to come with me, I persevered for a few more months, but there are only so many times, you can look at your child terrified by the sight of you, and screams, and screams and cries, telling you she want's to go home to her mum (and new boyfriend, and later Husband No.3), whenever your around. I could only take so much and stopped.
To this day I have no idea what my ex said to her, and I can no longer ask her (not that she would tell me anyway) as my ex committed suicide 3 years ago, it destroyed my step-daughter, (sorry, my eldest was three when I married her mother), and I have spent a long time rebuilding her self esteem and confidence, (my step-daughter moved out of her mothers house when she was 16 and moved in with me, much to her mothers disgust, mainly because of her mothers controlling and demeaning behaviour towards her, calling her names, saying she was stupid, and fat, of which she is neither, but you get the idea.)
I do not consider my eldest as a "step" daughter, as far as we, and the world are concerned, she's my blood, although we do get some strange looks sometimes, my ex was South-African Indian, and so was my ex's 1st husband, so she is full Indian, and her last name is Smith, and I'm white.
But I miss my youngest one.