I never thought I’d see him again. My father—Richard. The man who walked away from me twenty years ago suddenly reappeared, saying he wanted to “put the past behind us.”
At first, I told myself I wouldn’t fall for it. I wouldn’t let him in. But the moment he showed up, part of me cracked, and against my better judgment, I gave him another chance. Only later did I realize his real reason for coming back… and it was darker than anything I could have imagined.
That night, I leaned back in my office chair, staring out at the skyline. The city looked so alive—lights flickering, cars rushing, people moving like the world was endless. But inside my glass-walled office, everything was still. Quiet. Lonely.
People looked at me and thought I had everything—money, a company, the kind of recognition people spend their lives chasing.
But they didn’t know the truth. They didn’t know how many sleepless nights, how many ruthless battles I fought just to get here. They didn’t know that I had started with nothing.
And worst of all, they didn’t know that none of it meant anything when the doors closed at night. Because I had everything… except the one thing I had wanted most since I was a child. Family.
My mother died when I was eight. And Richard—my father—decided I wasn’t worth the effort.
I still remember the day like it was yesterday. I was just a little girl, standing on the porch with a suitcase, crying, begging him not to go. He didn’t even turn back. He just walked away.
From there it was foster home after foster home, always feeling like an unwanted guest. I told myself that if I worked harder, if I became smarter, if I proved myself, then maybe one day it would all mean something.
But here I was, a grown woman, with a life I built from the ashes—and still carrying an empty space inside me.
A sharp knock pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called.
Megan, my assistant, peeked in nervously. “There’s… there’s a man here to see you. He’s with a little girl.”
I frowned. “What man?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “He says… he says he’s your father.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Richard. I hadn’t seen him in twenty years.
My chest burned. I forced the words out. “Tell him I’m not here.”
Megan nodded and slipped away, but seconds later a voice thundered from the hall.
“Emily! I know you’re in there! Let me in, I’m your father!”
The sound of his voice hit me like a blade—sharp, cutting, unwanted.
I yanked the door open, my voice trembling but loud enough for everyone in the office to hear:
“You stopped being my father the day you abandoned me! Don’t you dare call yourself that now!”
He froze, stunned. I slammed the door shut so hard the frame rattled, locked it, and pressed both palms against the wood as my heart raced.
That evening, all I wanted was to get home. But when I stepped outside, my blood ran cold. Richard was standing on the sidewalk—with the little girl beside him.
I tried to walk past, but his hand shot out, grabbing my arm.
“Emily, please,” he begged.
I ripped my arm free. “What do you want from me? Haven’t you done enough?”
“I just want to make things right,” he said. “I know I hurt you. I know I failed you. But I can’t carry it anymore.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s too late. You think you can show up after twenty years and erase everything? What are you really here for? Money?”
He shook his head quickly. “No. Not money. I swear. I just want a chance.”
That’s when I looked at the girl. She was maybe ten, holding her backpack straps, eyes lowered.
“And who is this?” I asked coldly.
Richard’s voice softened. “This is Lily. Your sister.”
I corrected him immediately. “Half-sister.”
He nodded. “Her mother left. I’ve been raising her alone. And she made me realize what I did to you. When your mom died, I was young and scared. I thought walking away was easier.”
“For who? For you?” I snapped. “Because it sure wasn’t for me.”
The next few days, every time I looked out my office window, Richard was there—on the sidewalk below. Waiting.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t demand. He just stood there. Morning to night. Sometimes with Lily, sometimes without.
And against my better judgment, I started to wonder if maybe he was really trying.
By Friday, I caved. I walked up to him and said, “Come on. Dinner. My place. Bring Lily.”
Richard’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you.”
That night, at dinner, he tried. He really did. He talked about raising Lily, how her mother left, how hard it had been.
“At least you didn’t walk out on her,” I muttered.
His face tightened. “I wish I could go back. I’d do everything differently if I could.”
Lily hardly spoke a word, just pushed food around her plate. I asked her about school, about books. She only shrugged.
When they were leaving, I gave Richard my number. “Call me if you want to set something up.”
He nodded, his voice breaking with “Thank you.” Before leaving, he asked to use the bathroom. While he was gone, I tried making small talk with Lily.
She stood by the coat rack, staring at one of my handbags.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
She nodded shyly.
“Take it,” I said, handing it to her.
Her face lit up for just a second. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then, so softly I almost missed it, she added, “He’s lying to you.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
Before she could answer, Richard returned, smiling faintly. They left together. But her words burned in my mind all night.
A few days later, I went home early. Something in me wanted to try again, maybe to prove Lily wrong. I called Richard, but he didn’t answer.
When I pulled into my driveway, my stomach dropped.
The front door was cracked open. Not forced—just unlocked.
And my alarm system hadn’t gone off. Someone knew the code.
My hands shook as I pushed the door open. Upstairs, I heard faint rustling. I crept toward my office—and froze.
Richard was crouched by my safe, the door bent open, his hands full of cash.
Lily sat in the corner, her eyes wide, terrified.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted.
Richard jerked up. “Emily, it’s not what it looks like—”
“Oh, it looks exactly like what it is,” I snapped. “You’re stealing from me!”
He dropped the bills. “You have so much. I need it. You owe me.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing!” I yelled. “You abandoned me! Everything I have, I built without you.”
“I need it for Lily!” he said desperately.
I turned to her. “Then ask me the right way. Don’t sneak into my home like a thief.”
I grabbed a stack of money, shoved it into Lily’s hands. “This is for her. Not for you. Now get out before I call the cops.”
Richard’s eyes darkened. “I brought you into this world. Don’t forget that.”
I pulled out my phone, dialing. Only then did he lunge, grab Lily’s wrist, and bolt.
The door slammed shut behind them. I stood in the wreckage of my office, shaking, tears streaming down my face.
Minutes later, voices outside drew me to the window. Neighbors were scolding Lily, who was standing there alone. Richard was gone.
I ran outside. “Leave her alone! She’s with me.”
The neighbors backed off. I knelt in front of her.
“Lily, what happened? Where’s Richard?”
Her voice shook. “He… he took the money you gave me. Then he left me. He said… he said he never wanted me. He only wanted your money.”
I pulled her into my arms, my chest breaking. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. He’ll never hurt you again. I promise.”
Richard had abandoned me. And now, he had abandoned her too.
But I wasn’t going to repeat his mistake.
I held her tighter and whispered, “You’re staying with me now. You’ll never go through what I went through. You have a home here. With me.”
Maybe I didn’t find my father again. But that night, I found something better.
A family.