Trent’s life gets flipped when he finds a weird note in his nine-year-old daughter’s backpack: “I’m your real dad, come and see me.” Doubts eat at him, but nothing can prepare him for the shocking truth he uncovers.
I stood by the kitchen sink, looking at the half-empty coffee cup in my hand. The morning sun streamed through the curtains, casting a soft light on the quiet street outside.
Mornings like this used to mean something special to me: peace, warmth, and the simple joy of knowing Lily was just upstairs getting ready for school. But recently, everything felt off.
With a sigh I put down my mug and listened for Lily’s footsteps above me. She used to race down the stairs with her hair all messy talking non-stop about her dreams or what happened at school yesterday.
Now? She dragged her feet slowly and barely spoke like she was carrying some heavy burden.
Something wasn’t right and it made me anxious.
“Lily,” I called out hoping for an answer that would ease my worry. “Want pancakes? I can whip some up before you head out.”
“Not hungry,” she mumbled from upstairs her voice flat as it had been for weeks.
I frowned. She’d never sounded so cold before; it wasn’t like her at all. I turned to face her as she came down after drying my hands first.
“Hey kiddo what’s up? You’ve been kinda quiet lately.”
She shrugged not looking into my eyes. “Nothing.”
I hated that answer! She used to share everything with me but now it felt like she was shutting me out completely. Grabbing her backpack she rushed toward the door as if eager to leave.
“Lily wait.” My heart raced in my chest; I disliked how distant she’d become which scared me more than I’d admit. “You know you can talk to me about anything right?”
She paused with her hand on the doorknob.
For a moment I hoped she’d turn around and open up but then she tensed up and just nodded instead.
“Yeah…I know.” Her words sounded hollow as if even she didn’t believe them herself before opening the door leaving without another word.
Standing there alone felt suffocating; something was definitely wrong but I couldn’t figure out what yet!
That afternoon while doing laundry like usual on weekends Lily had tossed her bag onto bed which looked like it survived a battle!
Deciding to clean it out before washing it I started digging through crumpled papers & snack wrappers when suddenly found a note!
A folded piece of paper slipped from side pocket almost falling apart.
I saw Lily move slowly to the back gate of the school, her shoulders tense like she sensed something was off. Then I noticed him: a tall guy, leaning a bit, standing by the fence. My heart dropped as I realized who it was.
Jeff. A guy I knew from work. He’d always been quiet and kept to himself, but I never thought much about it.
Until now.
Lily paused for a moment before going up to him. I cracked the window just enough to catch their words.
“You came,” Jeff said in a low voice that felt too calm. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
Lily didn’t reply but fidgeted with her backpack straps. She seemed anxious; I could feel it from where I sat.
“I know this is tough,” Jeff went on, his tone soft in a way that made me uneasy. “But your mom wanted you to know the truth. She didn’t want to hurt you or… him.”
I couldn’t stay put any longer; I flung open the car door and dashed toward them, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. “What’s going on here?”
Jeff jumped slightly, his face tightening for an instant before he got himself together again. “Trent! I hoped we could discuss this.”
“Discuss?” My voice trembled with anger. “You think you can just show up and tell my daughter you’re her father?”
Jeff glanced at Lily, who looked more confused than ever before turning back to me. “She deserves to know! Kate and I… we had something special together—Lily is my daughter.”
I couldn’t believe what he said! My fists clenched tight as shock coursed through me; “No way! You’re lying! Kate wouldn’t do that—she wouldn’t keep this from me.”
“She didn’t want to hurt you,” Jeff replied calmly like he was sure of himself now.. “She thought keeping this secret was best.”
Turning towards Lily, her wide-eyed fear broke my heart into pieces: “Lily don’t listen to him; he’s lying!”
Her barely audible question cut deep: “Is it true? Dad… is it true?”
Kneeling in front of her while holding onto her arms tightly made me feel protective: “It doesn’t matter what anyone says—I’m your dad! I’ve been there every day since you were born—that’s what makes me your father—not anything else.”
She stayed silent but stared at me with trembling lips; seeing her shake hurt deeply inside.. My anger flared again as i turned back towards Jeff.
“Get out of here!”
He sighed sadly looking almost regretful: “I know it’s hard but I’m not leaving—she deserves truth.”
“You’re not her father!” i growled trying hard not lose control over my rage.” You never will be.”
With one last pitying look at me , jeff walked away slowly . Part of wanted chase after him demand answers ,but lily’s small sob pulled back .
Wrapping arms around tightly held onto fiercely . No one would ever hurt again!
That night laying bed staring ceiling thoughts raced unpleasant ideas . Could this really be true? Had kate hidden such big secret from all along?
Thinking about every moment shared between us—the laughter…The next day, I started digging into Jeff’s past. I couldn’t just sit around waiting for answers. I needed to find out the truth.
It didn’t take long to discover that Jeff had been fired from our job a month earlier for lying on his résumé. He often manipulated people to get what he wanted. The relief I felt was huge. He had deceived everyone.
A few nights later, Lily and I were on the couch, watching a show we both didn’t care much about. I knew it was time to talk to her; she deserved the truth.
“Lily,” I said gently, “we need to discuss Jeff.”
She tensed up and moved closer but stayed quiet.
“He lied to you, kiddo. About everything. Jeff isn’t your real dad; he’s just… messed up. He was trying to hurt us.”
Lily looked at me with wide eyes filled with fear. “But… what if it is true?”
“It doesn’t matter what he said,” I reassured her, pulling her in tighter. “I’m your dad! Always have been and always will be.”
She stared at me for a long moment, her lip quivering before she nodded slowly. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, kiddo! Forever.”
A few days later, the police called me—Jeff had been arrested for stalking another family! It turned out he had a history of lying and manipulating people like us too! It was finally over; when I hung up the phone, relief washed over me like never before.
Lily sat at the kitchen table painting quietly as usual; I leaned down and kissed the top of her head softly—we were going to be okay after all
