I never thought I'd have to go head-to-head with my ex-husband's new wife after all the disrespect she'd shown to my daughter over the years, but when she took things too far, I knew I had to act. Let me back up a little.

I'm 46, and my daughter, Rachel, is 16. She's smart, creative, and has big dreams of becoming a fashion designer. She usually lives with me but stays at her dad's house every other weekend. Let's just say those weekends aren't her favorite.

Rachel's dad, Mark, and I split up years ago. Our relationship now? Civil but distant. He's always been the "hands-off" parent — more of a buddy than a father. He remarried soon after our divorce to a woman named Karen, and she lives up to the stereotype.

She's cruel and runs their house like a boot camp, setting strict rules and expecting everyone to follow them without question. Rachel, being independent and headstrong, has always struggled with that.

Karen believes in discipline to an extreme, so my daughter isn't allowed any spending money and has to work hard for everything. Sadly, Mark isn't willing to support her financially. His reasoning? "I pay for her schooling and feed her when she's here, right?"

So when Rachel told me she wanted to save up for her dream sewing machine, I was proud! My little (okay, not so little) go-getter managed to get a part-time job at a local fabric store, balancing school and work like a champ!

She worked so hard and diligently that I even offered to match her savings to help her get the machine faster! When she finally brought it home, her face lit up, and I knew it had been worth it. It was the first thing that truly felt like hers!

Enthralled with her new purchase, my daughter spent all her free time working. She really hoped to turn her hobby into a career. But Karen? She wasn't having it.

"You spend too much time on that thing," she'd furiously scold Rachel, ignoring how passionate she was about sewing. "It's a distraction. You have responsibilities in this house."

I could see the tension growing every time Rachel came home after a weekend there.

One Friday, she called me in tears, devastated over something her stepmother had done. When she broke down telling me what had happened, I was livid.

"She threw it in the pool, Mom," my daughter whispered, her voice shaking. "All because I didn't wash the dishes fast enough. I tried explaining I'd do them right after, but she didn't listen and felt I was arguing with her. She just picked it up and threw it outside as a way to punish me."

I felt my blood boil. "Are you serious?!"

"I'll be there in a bit, my baby. I'm sorry this happened," I said, feeling like a kettle about to explode.

I quickly grabbed my car keys and drove over. I wasn't supposed to take Rachel, as I'd just dropped her off earlier in the day, but I was determined to protect her.

When I arrived, Rachel met me at the front door, tears welling up again. "She said I needed to learn a lesson. Dad didn't even stop her. He just... stood there."

My heart broke as I comforted her and walked in to confront Karen.

What hurt the most was that Mark just stood by while Karen destroyed something our daughter had worked so hard for. When Karen saw me, she had that smug look she always wore.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, arms crossed.

I didn't hesitate but kept my voice steady. "I'm here to get Rachel's things. You had no right to destroy something she worked so hard for!"

Karen didn't even flinch. "It was a distraction! She's too focused on that sewing machine and not enough on her chores. Now that she's learned her lesson, maybe next time, she'll listen!"