These were really good responses. Also, stealing a passport is a massive crime for a reason. That lack of boundaries and entitlement is very dangerous to be around. Clearly they are used to stealing from him and his daughter, and who knows who else. They also attempted to steal time with a father and daughter. What heartless Koontz. My first and second step mothers would be proud.

The fact that the wife offered to pay OPs daughter double to stay at home with the grandkids when its family vacation - I would place money on her being the ringleader in this, encouraging her own daughters to sabotage it.

Wife claims he ruined the trip for "everybody". Aka he ruined the trip for her and her daughters, his daughter who everyone was happy to leave behind via an evil plot was clearly never "everybody", neither was he. This is next level freaking evil ugly step mother and step sisters. He needs to dump them utterly.

After reading title, I assumed stepdaughters are 12 years old.

When someone shows you who they are....BELIEVE THEM. See an Attorney, and end this marriage before your daughter gets hurt.

NTA divorce and leave asap ofcourse, but i have to say the cinderella the prequel comment made me chuckle

Wife co-owns the house? Part of a divorce is the division of property. If there’s a mortgage, then either buy her out, or have her buy you out. Do stay on that mortgage, or she’ll stop paying and you’ll be part of the default. You and your daughter go do your own thing together, without the wicked stepsisters and their enabling mother. Cripes, the three of them were treating your daughter like she’s Cinderella, ffs! The difference between the fairytale and your reality is that you are still around to protect your child from those other three wicked women. Also, are the single mother, mid-to-late twenties daughters never going to leave the house? They’re old enough to have graduated college, be able to get good jobs, and support themselves and their kids. Your daughter is only 18, barely out of high school no preparing to go to college. Funny how people can deceive others, and convince them they’ll love their stepchildren as their own. Then, once the wedding ring is on the finger, their real selves come out and are the diametric opposite of the deception.

divorce beth. save cinderella.

FFS - these are adults and professional freeloaders. Dump these entitled whiners and let the wife know this as beyond the boundaries of anything acceptable. If she can’t handle, it leave. I get the feeling this guy was being used by his wife to help buy the house and provide professional child care.

Ditch the wife and stepdaughters. Take a nice holiday with your bio daughter. And honestly, those 2 b***h stepdaughters shouldn't have spawned a brat if they didn't want to be responsible for it.

This story sounds like a combination of "Cinderella" and "The Parent Trap." Your daughter is treated like something you avoid in a stockyard, and you allowed it to go on for five years. YOU need to go on a vacation (albeit a short one). Then honestly ask yourself if being married to that witch in a human costume and allowing her and those demon spawns to continue to abuse Jessica is worth being permanently cut out of her life. Good on you for calling them out on their nasty behavior; now put an end to it, once and for all. Sell your half of the house, move out, and file for divorce. That toxic trio is out to wreck your relationship with your daughter, take everything you've got, then dump you. Call your lawyer and prepare for a battle royale.

Getting strong Cindirella vibes. What an ugly family dynamic.

It is illegal for someone to hold another's passport. Usually passports are considered the property of the government that issued them. In the USA, holding another adult's (At 18 Jessica is an adult) passport against their will is a $250,000 fine and there can even be jail time involved. It’s called impounding another person’s official documentation and belongings. It's a felony and if Beth was involved she is an accessory. You need a lawyer yesterday.

So that marriage will be over in a hurry.... There are few things in life that p**s me off more than grown adults bullying a teenager, and it sounds like Anistasia and Drizela have been doing it for some time.That's 1) totally illegal to steal a passport and 2) horrendously selfish to try force a teenager to stay home and watch your spawn. Don't have kids if you're not willing to take care of them.

This is just not right on any level for those grown a*s women to treat your daughter that way. When you re marry or are in a situation with someone who already has kids please for the children's sake make sure they're the right choice....any red flags at all address them immediately and listen to your children if you're the one taking a chance. Your child should come first. Even if they are adult children toxic is toxic and no one should have to put up with that. This poor guy shouldn't have to choose between his wife and his child but unfortunately seems like the wife and her two grown a*s adult children didn't give him a choice....

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Modern Cinderella 🥲

This is ridiculous. First of all I would be letting the stepdaughters know they committed a federal crime and the stepmother was in on it too. If she wasn't in on it she would have handled her stepdaughters correctly. And doesn't a family vacation involve the whole family? So why were the grandchildren going to be left behind in the first place? If your wife wanted time away from grandkids then vacation should have been for the two of you. Sounds like she is enabling her kids to rely on you for stability because they have none. They are both single mothers and the fathers aren't in the picture anywhere? You are not responsible for their adult decisions. They can find a place and split expenses between them and it would be better than this living arrangement. So yes I would get a divorce ASAP. And give the stepdaughters 30 day eviction notice. They can figure their own lives out or go to jail.

Isn't stealing someone's passport a federal crime in the US?

Yes, jettison the wife, her spawn, and their children. DO NOT leave your house for a vacation with your daughter or to live in a hotel, etc., because in most modern divorces where the house is equally owned, the house is awarded to the person who stays in the house. And don't think for an instant that they won't gang up on you and lie to say that you had meant to leave forever when all you were doing is taking your daughter on vacation. And yes, a lie like that won't look logical, because you'll have travel documents, etc., but sympathy of the court will unfortunately be on the side of three women and their young children if you leave for any meaningful span of time.

You are not only NTA, you are an outstanding father. These women are bullies, and all of them are old enough to know better. It's so sad that your wife condones and joins in on this bullying. Your daughter is being mistreated. It would be unacceptable in any other situation. Do not allow this mistreatment to go on another second, Dad. And that goes for you as a husband and stepdad. This won't stop. It will continue and more than likely escalate - look up the cycle of abuse. 5 years can serve as a honeymoon period with people who don't have compassion or empathy. Get out before you waste another moment. Knowing what you are in for is a gift. Once you know you are being mistreated, and speak up without the other showing remorse and true change - then you know what you have. Get out. You are a good egg and you deserve better.

That was f****d up! They deliberately lie about the situation. And the wife was all for leaving her stepdaughter. Her daughters have kids, it's their responsibility not their stepsister's responsibility

The ugly stepsisters and the wife were all in on the 'hide the passport / Cinderella ballgown ' fiasco. I wouldn't even be surprised if it was the wife's idea all along as she was totally not even reprimanding her kids or acting shocked that they did that. He needs to prioritise his child over these nasty people.

My dude... If anyone did this to my daughter/son, they would severely regret messing with them. What are you doing? You're a father, start acting like one, for f*ck's sake!

I read the headline and thought OP'S stepdaughters were teenagers, then find out they're grown adults with their own children... and if OP wants his daughter in his life he needs to get out of this marriage.

Holy cow.. this **IS** Cinderella... except without the magical helpers and the prince... it's real life Cinderella with "nice guy" father. Near the beginning, the father noted that at first the daughter babysat and was okay with it, because she was getting paid... then... didn't and the reason given is "not getting paid much" - I have a feeling that was a red flag dad should've seen that at that moment, the line crossed into bullying/abuse. Sounds like she started refusing to babysit because treatment had gotten so bad, getting paid wasn't enough. She sounds like she didn't want to whine though, so she gave a 'meh' excuse... hoping that dad would see it didn't make much sense... so... wtg dad for being so 'attentive' to your daughter, that you just said "oh, okay!!! Things are great still! La la la la la"

Wow - what an awful mess. I wouldn’t be able to live with those horrible people anymore after that debacle.

Accept it, change it, or eliminate it OP. You've given the wife & stepdaughters cause to believe you & your daughter are OK w/ cow towing to them. I'm assuming sh*t like this has been going on the past 5 yrs- we tend to get what we settle for. Hopefully you'll figure out your own role in this mess & try to help your daughter OP. YTA- not for cancelling the vacay, but for being such a putz.

I’d find me and my daughter a place to live and bounce. Leave that women with her two childish women.

Oh goody, another episode of Generate Engagement By Stirring Petty Emotions With Transparent "Dilemma"

Jesus, throw the entire step family away. What a b***h wife for raising such b***h daughters . Guys a d**k for allowing this for so long. Sell the house and get the f**k out of this marriage.

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You deserve to be cut off from your daughter. What a despicable man you are that you continue to let your child be abused by a wicked stepmother and her ugly mooches of daughters who couldn't keep their legs closed and had children they can't afford. They live with you, right? YTA for having had blinders on. You thought with your d**k instead of anything else. Shame on you. I hope you end up old, alone and lonely.