A part of the family
The man and his girlfriend weren’t married, but they lived together in his house for over a decade. Throughout this period, he supported her daughter and her emotionally and financially, caring for every need.
Since thestepdaughter’s biological father was mostly out of the picture, coming and going as he pleases, leaving his daughter heartbroken every time, the stepdad felt, and acted, as her real father. In his Reddit post he describes himself as a “patriarch or godfather of the family, commanding great respect and sought out for help in times of need.”