My husband and I never wanted kids, but when I turned 40, my mom threatened to disinherit me if I didn’t give her a grandchild. I had a daughter, and my mom mostly raised her. After she died 15 years later, I found her valuables gone and a note in her jewelry box that said, “I had to choose the right person…”
At the will reading, I learned my daughter will inherit everything when she turns 18 in three years. Until then, I’m allowed just $1,000 a month for her expenses. My daughter already knew—my mom had told her. Looking back, I realize my mom resented me for rejecting the family business. She wanted a grandchild to mold, and I was just a means to that end.
Now, I feel cheated but don’t have the relationship with my daughter to ask for her support. How do I handle this?
—Delilah
PS: I know it sounds like I had my child for money, but I only wanted to please my mother, who always saw me as a failure.