My father-in-law barked at my 16-year-old daughter, “Get out! Your room belongs to your cousin now,” and forced her into the night with nowhere to go. When my husband found out what his family had done, he sent them one message—and their lives began falling apart.

The night Daniel Mercer’s daughter was forced out of his father’s home, the air in suburban Ohio was cold enough to burn against her cheeks.

Sixteen-year-old Emma Mercer stood barefoot in the hallway, holding her school backpack tight to her chest as her grandfather, Richard Mercer, aimed one finger at the front door.

“Get out,” Richard barked. “Your room belongs to your cousin now.”

Emma stared at him, convinced she could not have heard him correctly. Behind him, her aunt Denise stood with her arms folded, her face unreadable, while Denise’s son, Cody, rested against the staircase with Emma’s old gaming headset already hanging around his neck.