Trent’s world is turned upside down when he discovers a strange message in his nine-year-old daughter’s backpack: “I’m your real dad, come and see me.” Suspicion gnaws at him, but nothing can prepare him for the awful truth he discovers.
I stood at the kitchen sink, staring at the half-filled coffee mug in my hand. The morning sun shone through the curtains, providing a gentle glow on the quiet street outside.
Mornings like this used to mean something to me: calm, warmth, and the simple pleasure of knowing Lily was only upstairs preparing for school. But lately, everything seemed different.
With a sigh, I laid the mug down, listening for Lily’s footsteps above me. She used to rush down the stairs, her hair tangled, chattering nonstop about her dreams or what occurred at school the day before.
Now? She dragged her feet now, barely speaking, like if she was carrying a weight on her shoulders.
Something was wrong, and it made me nervous.
“Lily,” I called, hoping for an answer that would relieve the stress. “You want pancakes? I can make some before you go.”
“Not hungry,” she murmured at the top of the stairs, her voice as flat as it had been for weeks.
I grimaced. She’d never sounded that biting and cold before. It was not like her at all. I turned to face her as she came down, having dried my hands first.
“Hey, kiddo, what’s going on? You’ve been kinda quiet lately.”
She shrugged, still not meeting my eyes. “Nothing.”
I hated that response. She used to tell me everything, but now it seemed like she was shutting me out. She grabbed her backpack and rushed toward the door, as if she couldn’t wait to leave.
“Lily, wait.” My heart was in my throat. I disliked how distant she had become, and it terrified me more than I cared to admit. “You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”
She paused, her hand on the doorknob.
For a moment, I hoped she’d turn back and open up to me. But then her shoulders tensed and she simply nodded.
“Yeah. I know.” Her words sounded empty, as if she did not believe them herself. She opened the door and left without saying anything.
I stood there in the solitude, feeling it closing in on me. Something wasn’t right. I just wasn’t sure what it was yet.
That afternoon, I was doing the laundry, as I typically do on weekends. Lily had dropped her rucksack onto her bed, and it appeared to have survived some kind of war.
I decided to clean it out before dumping it in the wash, so I began rummaging through the pile of crumpled papers and snack wrappers. That’s when I discovered the note.
A folded piece of paper fell out of the side pocket, nearly falling apart.
I stared at it for a second before unfolding it, a heavy feeling in my chest.
“I’m your real dad. Come and see me last Monday of September behind the school.”
My heart has stopped. For a little while, the words blurred, and it appeared that my brain was unable to comprehend what they meant. Who is the real dad? What the hell was this?
I was Lily’s father… I had raised her since the day she was born.
My wife, Kate, who had been gone for six years, would not have kept something like this from me. She loved me. She would not have ᴄʜᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ on me.
Would she?
I felt terrible to my stomach. The note was not a random thing. It had a targeted feel about it. It was as if someone knew just how to hurt me and used Lily to do it. But who? And why?
I wanted to confront Lily immediately away and demand explanations.
But something stopped me. I couldn’t do it to her just yet.
The note said we’d meet on the last Monday of September, which was in two days. I needed to find out who was behind this.
Two days later, I was sitting in my car, observing the school. I hated doing this, following my daughter like a detective, but I had no option. I needed to know what was happening.
I watched Lily move carefully to the rear gate of the school, her shoulders stiff, as if she knew something was wrong. And then I spotted him: a tall man, slouching slightly, standing by the fence. My blood raced cold as soon as I understood who it was.
Jeff. Someone I knew from work. He’d always been quiet and kept to himself, but I never thought much of it.
Until now.
Lily hesitated for a bit before approaching him. I cracked the window, just enough to hear their voices.
“You came,” Jeff said, his voice low and almost too calm. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
Lily did not answer, but I could see her fussing with her backpack’s straps. She was nervous. I could feel it from where I was seated.
“I know this is a lot,” Jeff continued, his voice gentle in a way that made my skin crawl. “But your mom wanted you to know the truth. She didn’t want to hurt you. Or… him.”
I couldn’t sit there any longer. I threw open the car door and ran toward them, my heart racing so hard I thought it would explode. “What the hell is going on here?”
Jeff flinched, his face contracting for a second before regaining his composure. “Trent. I was hoping we could talk about this.”
“Talk?” My voice shook with rage. “You think you can just show up and tell my daughter you’re her father?”
Jeff looked at Lily, who appeared more perplexed than I had ever seen her, and then back to me. “She deserves to know. Kate and I… we had something. Lily is my daughter.”
I couldn’t believe what I heard. My hands tightened into fists, and my entire body shook with amazement. “No. You’re lying. Kate wouldn’t do that to me. She wouldn’t keep that from me.”
“She didn’t want to hurt you, Trent.” Jeff’s voice was so calm, so sure of himself. “She thought it was for the best.”
I turned to look at Lily, and her wide-eyed, terrified expression broke my heart. “Lily, don’t listen to him. He’s lying.”
Lily’s voice was barely audible, yet it slashed through me like a dagger. “Is it true? Dad… is it true?”
I got on my knees in front of her, resting my hands on her arms. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says. I’m your dad. I’ve been there every day of your life. That’s what makes me your father. Nothing else.”
She didn’t say anything but stared at me, her lips quivering. I could feel her shaking beneath my hands, and it hurt me to see her that way. My wrath flared up again as I turned back to Jeff.
“Get out of here.”
Jeff sighed, looking almost sad. “I know this is hard, but I’m not going anywhere. She deserves to know the truth.”
“You’re not her father,” I growled, barely holding back my anger. “You never will be.”
Jeff gave me one final pitying look before turning and walking away. I wanted to chase him and demand answers, but Lily’s little sob drew me back.
I placed my arms around her and held her as fiercely as I could. I would not let anyone hurt her. Not ever.
That night, as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind raced with unpleasant ideas. Could this be true? Could Kate have been hiding something like that from me?
I reflected on every moment we had shared, every laugh, every talk. Nothing made sense any more.
The next day, I began looking into Jeff’s background. I couldn’t just sit and wait for answers. I needed the truth.
It didn’t take long to learn that Jeff had been sacked from our employer a month prior for lying on his résumé.
He had a habit of manipulating others to achieve his goals. The comfort I felt was profound. He had lied about everything.
A few nights later, Lily and I were sitting on the couch, watching a show neither of us was particularly interested in. I knew I needed to talk to her. She deserved to learn the truth.
“Lily,” I said softly, “we need to talk about Jeff.”
She tensed, curling closer to me, but said nothing.
“He lied to you, kiddo. About everything. Jeff is not your real dad. He’s just… sick. He was trying to hurt us.”
Lily looked up at me, her eyes wide and scared. “But… what if it’s true?”
“It doesn’t matter what he said,” I told her, pulling her closer. “I’m your dad. I’ve always been your dad, and nothing will ever change that.”
She stared at me for a long moment, her lip trembling, and then she nodded. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too, kiddo. Always.”
A few days later, I received a call from the police. Jeff had been arrested after stalking another family. It turns out that the person had a history of lying and manipulating others. It was over. I hung up the phone, feeling relieved that I could finally breathe again.
Lily sat at the kitchen table, painting quietly. I stepped over to kiss the top of her head. We were going to be fine.