And for whatever reason, she disliked him immediately.

At first, I told myself it was normal.

I blamed it on teenage moods, lingering loyalty to her father, or maybe fear that someone new would change our lives.

But then her behavior started shifting.

She stopped lingering in the kitchen after school. Ava also stopped watching movies with us on Friday nights.

Whenever she heard his truck pull into the driveway, she suddenly remembered homework or found excuses to stay upstairs.

Teenagers rarely embrace change.

But deep down, I knew my daughter wasn’t just being moody; she was observing Ryan closely.

Like she was trying to figure something out.

One evening, Ryan brought over takeout from Ava’s favorite burger place.

Normally, she would’ve been thrilled. Instead, she grabbed her food and disappeared upstairs without even thanking him.

Ryan watched her leave before turning toward me.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “She’s still adjusting.”

I kept coming up with excuses.

She misses how things used to be.

Eventually she’ll warm up to him.

But honestly, my daughter had never acted that cold toward anyone before, not even Donald after the divorce.

A few nights later, after Ryan had gone home, Ava stood quietly in the doorway of my bedroom, twisting the sleeve of her hoodie while I folded laundry. Instantly, I felt uneasy.

“Mom,” she said softly, “please don’t let him move in.”

I stopped folding towels and sighed.

“Ava, you barely know him.”

“I know enough.”

Something about the way she said it made my stomach tighten.

“What does that mean?”

She lowered her eyes to the floor.