What’s the most unexpected way someone tried to control you after you cut them off?

The Scheme of Control

My ex let his stepkids call me mom for free babysitting, then falsely reported me to CPS for child hoarding using a fake officer. When I asked him why, he laughed and said, “Guess you should have been nicer to me”. I didn’t say a word. That was 3 months ago.

When I first married my husband, Kyle, we were happy, or at least I thought we were until our child was born. Because around this time, I got a promotion, which meant I’d be getting paid more than Kyle. So, we agreed it was best for him to be a stay-at-home father.

But when I’d get home from my 10-hour shifts, I’d find the house looking 10 times messier than when I left in the morning. There were dirty diapers left all over the floor.

And Kyle would either be asleep with a beer bottle in his hand or drinking while watching recorded NBA games from the 80s. Worst of all, he kept the habit that he promised he’d drop once our baby girl was born, going out with the boys every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.

I tried my best to respect him, to keep our relationship alive. But after 4 years, nothing had changed, and I was completely burnt out. So, we divorced.

Well, within 6 months, I noticed his Facebook status had already switched from single to married. Not to mention his new wife and her kids being plastered across his socials and I wouldn’t have cared.

But it broke our baby girl’s heart, he canceled plans on her multiple times because he promised to spend time with them. So, while I practically had to bend the ends of the earth to take time off work to go to my daughter’s school plays, Kyle just wouldn’t show up and instead post pictures of him at his kids scouts and soccer practices, the bimonthly visits were neglected, too.

I could see the disappointment in my daughter’s eyes every time she sat at the window waiting for him to show up, only to see the clock tick past another missed promise. And Lily didn’t have many friends.

I guess being an only child and living in a neighborhood full of retirees didn’t help. So, when Halloween came around and she had no one to trick-or-treat with, I finally caved.

I called my ex-husband and asked if his stepkids could come over to play with her since they were all around the same age. His tone was disturbingly upbeat.

“Yes, of course they can”. “How many nights?” “One, two”. “Um, just one night”. “Okay, perfect. I’ll drop them off right now”.

When he dropped them off, it was the first time I had seen Kyle in months. But I didn’t want to confuse Lily, so I didn’t tell her he was driving.

This was made even easier by the fact that he didn’t come to the front door, just drove away the second they arrived. But I didn’t care.

It was the first time I saw Lily get along with kids her age so well. At the end of the night, they poured their candy onto the living room floor, sorting through piles of chocolate and lollipops.

They traded their favorite brands and didn’t even fight once. I expected Kyle to come the next day to collect them, but he never did. Didn’t even bother to text or call.

But turns out they all went to the same school as Lily, so I just incorporated them as part of my routine because seeing how happy it made Lily meant it was worth it. Plus, I knew they liked us.

Whenever I’d pick them up from school, they all, Lily, and her step siblings would rush over to the car and wave school projects in my face. They’d shout at the top of their lungs, “Look what I made. Look what I made”.

But after three nights of zero contact from Kyle, he finally picked them up again. He didn’t come to the door, just parked in the front garden and texted me the words, “I’m outside”.

They hugged me super tight for almost 5 minutes straight before I could successfully maneuver them into the front garden. That night, Lily went to sleep with a smile on her face and I knew I did good.

But Kyle disagreed because the next morning he called me. “What the f what you were thinking being so good to my kids?”. “I know you’re trying to steal them”.

I responded before hanging up, “If you think kindness is stealing, I think that says more about you than me”. I placed my hand on my chest and took a deep breath.

I was relieved Kyle was out of my home, out of Lily’s home. But my relief was short-lived because three days later, I got a knock on the door.

Except it wasn’t Kyle. It was CPS. Someone had filed an anonymous complaint claiming my daughter was living in unsafe conditions, that I was hoarding children.

I looked the social worker up and down. Four-inch long acrylics, a short skirt, lip filler, very young. I braced myself and tried to be patient with her.

“Did you or did you not babysit three kids without a license for childcare?” “Um, yes, but”. “And did you or did you not let them stuff their faces with unsafe amounts of candy on Halloween?”.

I went silent. “That’s what I thought, Ma’am, you’re going to have to give me the next point of contact for your child to be rehoused”. “Alternatively, I can throw her into a foster home”.

My heart raced. I immediately offered my sister, who I knew would take care of her. I watched as she took my daughter away, her tiny hands reaching for me, screaming my name.

I knew exactly who had made that call. And once everything was said and done, I planned on making Kyle pay because canceling on me or my daughter is one thing, but taking her away is another.

The moment of separation is burned into my memory. Lily’s confusion as I quickly packed a small bag for her. Her growing fear as she realized something was wrong.

The woman’s impatient size as I tried to explain to my 5-year-old that she needed to stay with Aunt Maggie for a little while. “Where am I going, Mommy? Why can’t you come?”.

I knelt down and hugged Lily tightly, breathing in the scent of her strawberry shampoo, feeling her small arms around my neck. “It’s just for a little while, baby,” I whispered, my voice breaking like a vacation with Aunt Maggie.

“I’ll come see you tomorrow. Promise?” Her lower lip trembled. “I promise. Be good for Aunt Maggie, okay?”.

I slipped Mr. Snuggles, her favorite stuffed rabbit, into her backpack when the woman wasn’t looking. As they walked to the car, Lily kept looking back at me, her expression changing from confusion to fear as the distance between us grew.

When the woman opened the car door, reality seemed to hit Lily all at once. She broke free and ran back toward me, screaming, “Mommy!” at the top of her lungs.

I started toward her, but the woman caught her first, lifting her struggling body with surprising strength. “This will go in my report,” she said coldly, carrying my screaming child to the car.

I stood frozen on the porch, tears streaming down my face as the blue sedan pulled away. Lily’s pale face appeared in the back window, her small hand pressed against the glass, growing smaller and smaller until the car turned the corner and disappeared.

The moment they were gone, I collapsed onto the porch steps, my whole body shaking. The pancakes were still burning inside, filling the house with acrid smoke, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.

All I could think about was Lily’s terrified face as she was taken away from me. After what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, I forced myself to stand.

I needed to call Maggie to make sure Lily arrived safely. I needed to find a lawyer, and I needed to figure out what the hell Kyle had done.

As I reached for my phone, a terrible thought struck me. What if they weren’t taking Lily to Maggie at all?. What if that woman wasn’t really from CPS?.

I called Maggie immediately, my hands shaking so badly, I could barely dial. “Hey sis, what’s up?” Maggie answered casually.

“Is Lily there?” I demanded, unable to hide the panic in my voice. “What number? Why would she be here?”.

My blood turned to ice. I quickly explained what had happened, my words tumbling over each other in my rush to get them out.

“That doesn’t sound right,” Maggie said, her voice now sharp with concern. CPS doesn’t operate that way.

“They don’t just show up and take kids without documentation”. “I know, but she threatened foster care,” and I panicked, and my voice broke.

“I’m coming over right now,” Maggie said firmly. “And I’m calling the police on my way”.

The next hour was a blur of police officers, questions, and growing horror as I realized what had happened. The officers confirmed what Maggie suspected.

Legitimate CPS workers don’t operate the way the woman had. They always provide proper identification, documentation, and typically come with law enforcement if they’re removing a child.

“So, someone just took my daughter,” I whispered. The reality of the situation crashing down on me.

The officers exchanged glances. “We’re treating this as a possible abduction,” one said gently.

“But given what you’ve told us about your ex-husband, it’s likely she’s with him or someone connected to him”. They took down Kyle’s information and promised to send officers to his home immediately.

In the meantime, they advised me to stay by the phone in case the kidnappers, I couldn’t bear to use that word for whoever had taken Lily, made contact. Maggie stayed with me, making calls to everyone we knew who might have information about Kyle’s whereabouts.

I paced the living room, jumping at every sound, praying for the phone to ring with news about my daughter. Finally, around 8:00 p.m., my phone rang.

It was a number I didn’t recognize. “Hello,” I answered, my voice shaking. “Mrs. Harris, this is Officer Daniels”.

“We’ve located your daughter”. My knees gave out and I sank to the floor.

“Is she okay? Where is she?”. “She’s fine. She’s at your sister Margaret’s apartment”.

“Apparently, the woman dropped her off there about an hour ago”. Relief flooded through me, so intense, I could barely speak.

“Can I Can I go get her?”. “We’d like you to come to the station first. We have some questions about your ex-husband”.

The next day, I drove to my sister’s place to see Lily. Maggie lived in a small two-bedroom apartment about 20 minutes from my house.

Not ideal, but at least Lily was with family and not in foster care. The drive to Maggie’s apartment felt endless.

Every red light was an eternity. Every slow driver an obstacle between me and my child.

I kept replaying the previous day’s events in my mind, trying to make sense of what had happened. The fake CPS worker, the threats, the way Lily had been taken from me.

When I pulled into Maggie’s apartment complex, I barely remembered to put the car in park before jumping out. I took the stairs two at a time, too impatient to wait for the elevator and knocked frantically on Maggie’s door.

When I got there, Lily ran to me and wrapped her little arms around my legs. “Mommy, are you taking me home now?” Her hopeful eyes nearly broke me.

The moment the door opened, Lily launched herself at me, her small body colliding with mine with surprising force. I dropped to my knees, wrapping my arms around her, breathing in her familiar scent.

She was wearing the same clothes from yesterday, her hair tangled and uncombed, but she was safe. She was here.

“Oh, baby, I missed you so much,” I whispered, pressing kisses to the top of her head, her cheeks, her forehead. I held her at arms length, examining her carefully for any signs of harm or distress.

Besides looking tired, she seemed physically fine. I knelt down and smoothed her hair.

“Not yet, sweetie. You’re going to stay with Aunt Maggie a little longer while mommy fixes some things”. Her face fell, and I felt like the worst mother in the world.

Lily’s face crumpled at my words. “But why did I do something bad?”.

“No, no, sweetheart.” I rushed to assure her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. This is all grown-up stuff that has nothing to do with you”.

She looked unconvinced, her lower lip trembling slightly. “The lady said you were in trouble, that you were a bad mommy”.

Anger flared in my chest at the thought of someone saying such things to my child. “That lady was wrong, Lily. Sometimes grown-ups say things that aren’t true”.

“Then why can’t I come home?” Her voice was small, confused. I struggled to find an explanation that wouldn’t frighten her further.

“Remember when we read that book about the little bear who had to stay with his grandma while his mom fixed their house after the storm?”. “This is kind of like that”.

“I need to fix some things at home and then you can come back”. Maggie gave me a sympathetic look over Lily’s head.

She’d been amazing through all this, rearranging her work schedule and converting her home office into a bedroom for Lily. Maggie had transformed her small home office into a cozy space for Lily with a twin air mattress covered in colorful sheets, a small lamp shaped like a unicorn, and some of Lily’s favorite books that she’d picked up from my house earlier that day.

She’d even bought a new stuffed animal, a fluffy pink cat that Lily was already clutching tightly. “Any updates?” Maggie asked when Lily went to play with her toys.

I shook my head. “I’m meeting with a lawyer tomorrow. This whole thing is insane”.

“That CPS worker was totally unprofessional”. “I’m not even sure she was legitimate”.

“What do you mean?”. “The way she was dressed, how she acted. It just seemed off”.

“And she didn’t leave me any paperwork or contact information. No case number, no business card, nothing”. Maggie’s eyes widened.

“You think Kyle set this up?”. “Who else would do this?”.

“He accused me of trying to steal his kids just because I was nice to them”. “And then 3 days later, CPS shows up. That’s not a coincidence”.

I spent the rest of the day with Lily, trying to keep things normal. We colored, watched her favorite cartoon, and I read her three bedtime stories.

When it was time for me to leave, she clung to me, sobbing. It took everything I had to pry her little fingers from my shirt and walk out the door.

The separation was agonizing. Lily’s cries followed me down the hallway, piercing straight through my heart.

In the elevator, I leaned against the wall, struggling to breathe through the pain. A part of me wanted to run back, grab Lily, and take her home, regardless of the consequences, but I knew that would only make things worse in the long run.

In the car, I allowed myself 5 minutes to fall apart completely. I sobbed, pounding the steering wheel in frustration and fear.

Then, I wiped my eyes, took a deep breath, and started the engine. I had a lawyer to meet in the morning and a battle to prepare for. Kyle had declared war, and I intended to win.