Richard visits his daughter to celebrate his eightieth birthday with her, but she answers the door in tears and sends him away. Richard suspects trouble and realizes he’s right after peeking through her front windows.Richard tapped his fingers nervously against the steering wheel as he drove. Deidre used to drive down every Thanksgiving, but that stopped after his wife’s funeral four years ago. Now, there were only weekly calls. Richard spread his arms wide as Deidre appeared in the doorway. “Surprise!” he yelled. “Dad? What are you doing here?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I came to celebrate my birthday with you…it’s the big eight-o!” Richard replied, but the joy in his voice trailed off quickly. “What’s wrong, honey? Why are you crying?””It’s nothing; everything’s fine,” Deidre quickly wiped her tears and smiled a little. “I just…I wasn’t expecting you, and this isn’t really a good time. Sorry, Dad, but I, uh, need to focus. On my work. Look, I’ll call you. We’ll have dinner later, okay? Sorry.”Deidre shut the door, leaving Richard hurt and confused. Something was terribly wrong. Was Deidre in trouble? Richard stepped back from the front door but didn’t leave. He stepped over the short, flowering shrubs lining the path and snuck up to peek through the windows. Two rough-looking men were in the sitting room with Deidre. “Who was that?” One of them asked in a rough voice. “Nobody,” Deidre lied in a shaky voice. “Just a neighbor’s kid…pulling a doorbell prank and running away.” “Back to business then,” the second man said. “You’re now six months behind on your loan repayments, Deidre. Mr. Marco’s getting impatient.””I just need more time. Business is sure to pick up again in the winter,” she pleaded. “Time is one thing you haven’t got, sweetie,” the man replied, pulling out his gun. “People who owe Mr. Marco money don’t have a great life expectancy and end up feeding the fishes in the lake…” He pointed the weapon at her. Terror froze Richard in place. But soon, the man stepped back with a look of disgust and tucked the gun away in the waistband of his trousers. “Look around this dump and see if there’s anything valuable we can take to Mr. Marco, Danny,” he ordered. “She’s a businesswoman, so there must be a computer or some kind of equipment around here.” ”But I need those things!” she cried. “I can’t make money without my equipment!” The man patted the butt of his gun. ”Boo-Hoo. I can still change my mind, you know. Don’t be ungrateful, now.”The men ransacked her home before they stormed out, leaving Deidre curled up sobbing on the floor. Nothing made sense to Richard because Deidre’s business was doing well. At least that’s what she had told him. But now, Richard could sense something was amiss. Deidre needed his help. The men loaded several appliances from Deidre’s home in their vehicle. When they finally drove away, Richard followed them. The men stopped at a two-storeyed brick building downtown that looked like a bar. While it was closed, the door was unlocked. No one on the staff stopped Richard as he entered the building. The men had joined a large table where several other rough-looking men were seated. One of them stood and swaggered toward him. “The club’s closed,” he growled. “Come back later.” “I’m here to discuss Deidre’s debt,” Richard announced.”Oh?” The man seated at the head of the table rose and stared at Richard. He looked like a gentleman except for a nasty scar above his left eye. Richard guessed he was Mr. Marco. ”How much does she owe you?” Richard asked. Mr. Marco smirked. “A good samaritan, huh? Deidre took out a business loan of $80,000 from me. She was supposed to pay me back from her monthly profits, only she never made any.” ”I have around $20,000 in my savings,” Richard gulped fearfully, shaken Deidre had borrowed such a big sum. ”That’s only a quarter of what she owes us.” Mr. Marco sighed. “But there’s something you can do to make up the difference.” Richard didn’t like the sound of that, but he had to do whatever it took to save his daughter from the mess she’d gotten herself into. ”What do you want me to do?” he asked.Mr. Marco grinned at Richard and beckoned him closer to the table. ”My partner and I recently started a small business importing cars to Canada, but some of the paperwork has been delayed, so we’re having difficulties getting the…’merchandise’…across the border. A kind, innocent-looking Grandpa like you should have no trouble crossing the border in one of our cars.” Richard had no choice but to agree. Later that night, he pulled into a gas station near the border town to use the bathroom and parked beside a patrol. “Jesus!” he gasped as the German Shepherd in the back of the police cruiser began barking at him and pawing at the window. Service dogs were trained not to bark at random people unless…Oh, man. He quickly climbed back in the car, a Valiant, and started reversing as the police dog went crazy. Two cops hurried out of the gas station store and yelled at him to stop as they glanced at him. The GPS app voiced directions, but Richard shoved it in his pocket to silence the darn thing. He pushed the Valiant to its limits as he wove through traffic, leaving a trail of outraged drivers and narrowly avoided collisions in his wake. The sirens blared behind him.Richard soon spotted a narrow, unmarked dirt road veering into the forest ahead. He sharply turned, leaving the road behind him as he raced into the forest. The muddy trails were awful to navigate, but Richard pushed on. He turned down a narrow track leading downhill. Then, he turned up a slight rise and instantly regretted it. The car was now stuck in a precarious position, balanced on a narrow rise above a wide river. Richard tried to reverse back the way he came, but the tires spun without getting traction. In fact, the car was sliding closer to the water. “No!” Richard desperately pulled up the parking brake, but it didn’t work.The car’s nose hit the river with a loud splash, sending a wave of dark water flooding over the bonnet. Richard shoved the car door open, desperate to escape the sinking vehicle. The pressure from the water started to push the car door shut against Richard’s legs. Richard splashed around in panic as the river filled the interior.As the water level crept up his face, he tipped his head back, took one last breath, and pulled himself underwater. Richard squeezed himself out of the opening and pushed himself up toward the surface. He took in a lungful of air and swam toward the river bank. Reaching land made Richard realize how close he was to death. He was thankfully breathing. But he still needed to do something about the $80,000. So Richard hitchhiked home.”I need to mortgage my house,” he told the bank assistant. ”And I need the cash in my bank account fast.” Richard waited impatiently as the bank employee processed the paperwork. He jumped in fright when Deidre called him. “Some thugs from a local gang were just here asking about you, Dad…what is happening?” “Tell them I’ll be there soon. I arranged to pay off your debt for you. I don’t understand why you didn’t come to me first, Deidre, but this isn’t the time to discuss that.”Richard ended the call and signed the paperwork. He didn’t want to give up the home where he had created memories with his family, but it was the only way to help Deidre.A few hours later, he pulled into the club’s parking lot in a rented car and headed toward the entrance. ”Dad, wait!” Richard looked back as Deidre ran toward him. ”I won’t let you face those thugs alone,” she said. ”I still don’t understand how you found out about this mess or how you got the money to repay them, but the least I can do is stand by you while you save me.” Richard studied the determined look in Deidre’s eyes and knew he couldn’t convince her to leave. As they entered the club, the thugs herded him and Deidre toward the table. Richard placed his duffel bag, which contained the cash he’d withdrawn after the mortgage went through, and put it on the table. ”Here’s the $80,000 Deidre owed you plus another $15,000 to cover the cost of your car. I, uh, got into some trouble, and the car ended up in a river.”Mr. Marco’s mouth twisted angrily, and he thumped his fist against the table. “You have the audacity to offer me a measly $15,000? After you come in here and tell me you sank the $100,000 shipment hidden in that car?
That doesn’t even BEGIN to cover what you now owe me.” The gangster grabbed the duffel bag and threw it to one of his thugs. ”You know, Deidre, I really believed in you, but sometimes, in business, you’ve got to know when to cut your losses.” He removed a gun from his suit jacket and pointed it straight at Deidre’s forehead. Richard pulled Deidre behind him. “No, please! This is all my fault! Don’t punish her!” ”Well, you made a good point.” The gangster shrugged, and the next moment, Richard was staring down the gun barrel.But suddenly, they heard police sirens outside. Mr. Marco turned and ran toward the back of the club as loud gunfire boomed and shook the place. Father and daughter crawled under the table. There was chaos in the club, and as Richard looked into his daughter’s fear-filled eyes, he knew he had to get her to safety, no matter what. Richard and Deidre pulled one of the tables over and barricaded themselves in a corner. They hid there until the police escorted them to safety. Thankfully, Mr. Marco was apprehended. ”Are you certain you don’t have any heart-related health issues?” Richard shook his head at the paramedic while in the ambulance. Richard swallowed hard when the police detective approached the ambulance.”Sir, what were you and your daughter doing in this club today?” the detective asked sternly. Richard explained about Deidre’s loan and how they’d come to the club that day to repay it. He hoped he might get away with not mentioning the car he sank in the river. The detective glanced at Deidre. “If we hadn’t found a car full of contraband in the river, we wouldn’t have been here to rescue you. You shouldn’t be taking loans from such disreputable people, miss.” “A car in the river?” Richard asked nervously. “It was registered to Mr. Marco’s cousin, which was exactly the lede we needed to take this gang down,” replied the officer.Richard sighed in relief. He was in the clear. The cops let him and Deidre go once they provided their statements. ”I owe you a huge apology, Dad. I dragged you into this whole mess,” Deidre apologized as they walked to the front, where Richard’s car was parked. Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t know how to tell you. How does anyone tell their father that they’re a huge failure?” “You are not a failure!” Richard put his hands on Deidre’s shoulders. ”Maybe your business idea didn’t work out as well as you’d hoped, but you tried, Deidre. I wish you’d felt comfortable enough to tell me what was really going on in your life. Heck, I just wish you felt you could be as close with me as you were with your mother,” he continued. ”I don’t think you’ve been ‘fine’ for quite a while now.” Deidre burst into tears, and Richard put an arm around her. “It’s okay, honey,” he whispered soothingly. “Everything’s going to be okay.”Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
I Gave Birth to a Child After 20 Years of Waiting & Treatment — When My Husband Saw Him, He Said, ‘Are You Sure This One Is Mine?’
The day my son was born should have been the happiest of my life. Instead, it was the day my entire world began to fall apart. When my husband finally showed up at the hospital, what he said left me questioning everything.
I’ve been married to my husband, Ethan, for 21 years. For most of that time, we’ve battled infertility. I’ve shed more tears than I ever thought possible—tears of hope, disappointment, and despair.
Stressed out woman | Source: Midjourney
When we first started trying, Ethan seemed supportive enough, attending doctor’s appointments and holding my hand as we navigated the maze of treatments. But as the years dragged on, something shifted. He started behaving… differently.
I brushed it off for the longest time, convincing myself it was just the strain of our situation. After all, infertility takes its toll on a marriage. But his late nights at work and secret calls became more frequent.
I’d hear him murmur things like, “I’ll call you later,” before quickly hanging up when I walked in.
Man seated in his office at night | Source: Midjourney
It was unsettling, but I chose not to focus on it. I was so consumed by the desperate desire for a child that I couldn’t allow myself to spiral into paranoia.
By the time I turned 40, I had nearly given up hope. But something in me—call it stubbornness or sheer desperation—refused to let go completely. I decided to try one last time. Ethan seemed indifferent, mumbling something about “whatever makes you happy” when I told him about my decision. That hurt more than I cared to admit.
And then, against all odds, it happened. I got pregnant.
A person holding a positive pregnancy test | Source: Pexels
“Ethan,” I’d whispered, holding the positive pregnancy test in shaky hands. “We did it. I’m pregnant.”
“That’s… great. That’s really great,” he said, but his tone was off. Forced. I ignored it, focusing on my own joy.
Nine months later, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Ethan refused to be in the delivery room
“I’ll just pass out,” he’d said when I begged him to stay. “They’ll end up taking care of me instead of you.”
So, I went through it alone. And when he finally walked into the hospital room two hours later, his first words shattered me.
“Are you sure this one’s mine?” he said, his voice cold and flat.
Newborn baby covered in blue blanket | Source: Pexels
I felt like I’d been slapped. “What? Ethan, how can you even ask me that? Of course, he’s yours! We’ve been trying for this baby for years!“
His jaw tightened, and he reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out something I couldn’t see. “I have proof,” he said.
My world tilted. What proof? What could he possibly mean?
He started telling me this wild story about how his mother had “proof” I’d been unfaithful—photos of a man supposedly waiting for me outside our house, and how she claimed no baby had been delivered from the room I gave birth in, but that someone had brought in a different baby to make it look like mine.
Man standing in a hospital room | Source: Pexels
I stared at him, dumbfounded. “This is insane. It’s all lies! You really believe her?”
“She wouldn’t lie to me,” he said, his tone cold. “She’s my mother.”
“And I’m your wife. The one who went through everything to have this baby. The one who almost died giving birth to him! And you’re standing here accusing me of…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.
He turned on his heel, his expression unreadable. “I’ll be back when I’m ready to talk,” he said, walking out the door and leaving me sitting there, trembling with rage and hurt.
Woman holding her newborn baby | Source: Midjourney
The moment he left, I grabbed my phone and called my best friend, Lily. She picked up on the first ring.
“Claire? What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t hold back the tears. “He thinks I cheated on him. He said his mom has proof. Lily, it’s insane. I don’t know what to do.”
“Okay, slow down,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “Start from the beginning.”
By the time I finished explaining, Lily’s voice had taken on a hard edge. “Something’s not right, Claire. You need to watch him. He is not acting normal.”
Woman on phone | Source: Midjourney
“Watch him? How?”
“I’ll do it,” she said without hesitation. “If he’s up to something, I’ll find out.”
Hours later, she called back after tracking him. “Claire, he went to another woman’s house. I saw him go in.”
My heart stopped. “What?”
“Listen to me,” Lily said urgently. “This doesn’t add up. You need help—professional help. Hire someone who can dig into this.”
Emotional woman on phone | Source: Midjourney
A few days later, I contacted Lydia, a private investigator Lily had highly recommended. She listened intently, as I recounted every detail.
“This is messy,” she said finally, her sharp eyes meeting mine. “But I’ll get answers. Give me two days.”
Two days. All I could do now was wait.
When I brought Liam home from the hospital, Ethan wasn’t there. No text, no call—just a chilling, empty silence.
What kind of father doesn’t show up for his son?
Woman holding a newborn baby | Source: Midjourney
The waiting was unbearable. I checked my phone every five minutes, hoping for a word from Lydia, the private investigator. When the doorbell rang early the next morning, I almost jumped out of my skin.
Lydia’s face was serious, her lips pressed into a thin line. “We need to talk.”
I led her into the kitchen, settling Liam into his bassinet. Lydia’s eyes softened when she glanced at him.
She leaned forward, her voice calm but deliberate. “I spoke with Ethan’s sister.”
Women having a serious conversation | Source: Midjourney
“His sister?” My eyebrows knitted. “We don’t talk. She’s… well—”
“She’s not an addict as you think” Lydia interrupted. “She’s been sober for years, and she told me a lot—things that are going to change everything for you.”
“What kind of things?” I asked.
“Ethan married you for your money,” she said bluntly. “His entire family knew. They planned it from the beginning.”
Women having a serious conversation | Source: Midjourney
“What?” My voice cracked, my grip tightening on the edge of the table.
“For the past twenty years, he’s been siphoning money from your inheritance. Not just for himself, but to support another family—his other family. He has three children with another woman.”
“No… you’re wrong,” I shouted.
“I’m not,” Lydia said, sliding a folder toward me. “It’s all here—bank records, medical bills, and photos. And there’s more. It looks like Ethan might’ve been sabotaging your attempts to conceive.”
A person receiving printed documents | Source: Pexels
I froze, staring at her. “What… what do you mean?”
“Some of the clinics you went to—there’s evidence he tampered with things. He didn’t want you to get pregnant, Claire.”
My chest felt tight. I could barely breathe.
Lydia’s words hung in the air, suffocating me. I could barely think. “Sabotaging my treatments?” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Another family? How… how could he do this to me?”
Stressed out woman | Source: Midjourney
I glanced at Liam in his bassinet, his tiny hand curling and uncurling in sleep. The weight of twenty years crashed over me like a tidal wave. Memories I’d once cherished now felt tainted. The little gestures of love, the whispered promises of forever—it had all been a lie.
The sobs started quietly, but soon they came in waves, shaking me to my core. How could I have been so blind? So foolish? I’d spent years blaming myself—my body—for our struggles to conceive, while Ethan had been sabotaging me.
Stressed out woman | Source: Midjourney
I thought of every late-night appointment, every failed treatment, and every moment I’d spent crying in the dark while he faked concern.
“I trusted him,” I said aloud, my voice breaking. “I loved him, Lydia. I gave him everything.”
Lydia stood, placing a steadying hand on my arm. “And that’s why you have to fight back, Claire. He doesn’t deserve your tears. Think about Liam. He needs you strong.”
I looked at Liam, my tears slowing as anger replaced the grief. Lydia was right. My son needed me. I wiped my face, my resolve hardening with every breath.
Mother cradling her newborn baby | Source: Midjourney
“You’re right,” I said finally, my voice steadier now. “I’m not going to let him get away with this.”
I picked up my phone, staring at the screen for a long moment before dialing. “James,” I said when my lawyer answered. “We need to talk. It’s about Ethan.”
A few days later, I heard the familiar rumble of Ethan’s car pulling into the driveway. The divorce papers were laid out neatly on the kitchen table, ready for him.
I stayed in the living room, Liam nestled in his bassinet beside me, as I waited for him to walk in. The door opened, and Ethan stepped inside.
Mother holding her baby | Source: Midjourney
“Claire?” he called, his tone tentative, like he already knew he was walking into a trap.
“I’m here,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
I didn’t waste a second. “Why are you abandoning your son?” I asked, each word deliberate and sharp.
He blinked, startled. “What? I’m not abandoning anyone. Claire, I… I’m sorry, okay? I was confused and emotional. I said a lot of stupid things that I didn’t mean. None of it was true.”
“Really?” I tilted my head. “Then why didn’t you pick us up from the hospital? Where were you for three days? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”
Couple having a disagreement | Source: Midjourney
He hesitated, but then his expression smoothed into that familiar, disarming smile. “I had an urgent business trip,” he said, his voice oozing fake sincerity.
“Claire, I swear, I wasn’t ignoring you. I would never do that. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
“Interesting,” I said, leaning back slightly. “What are your three kids’ names?”
His entire face froze. The smile evaporated, replaced by a look of pure shock. For the first time, the mask slipped, and I saw the man underneath—the liar, the manipulator.
“I—” he started, but no words came out.
Couple having a disagreement | Source: Midjourney
“Save it,” I said, cutting him off with an icy glare. “I know everything, Ethan. When you leave today,” I said, standing and turning toward the stairs, “make sure to grab the divorce papers from the kitchen table. Thanks.”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I carried Liam upstairs, my heart racing.
A moment later, I heard the front door slam shut. When I came back down later, the papers were gone. It was finally over.
After a couple of few weeks, the settlement was finalized. Ethan left with a modest payout—a sum I considered a bargain to rid my life of his toxic presence. The house, cars, and businesses stayed with me, thanks to the mountain of evidence my legal team presented.
Woman in deep thoughts | Source: Midjourney
My lawyers were also building strong cases against Ethan and the fertility clinics that had conspired with him. “This will take time,” my attorney, James, warned me. “But I’m confident we’ll win.”
Time was something I was willing to invest in. For now, my focus was on Liam. He deserved a life free of lies, and deceit.
One evening, as I rocked Liam to sleep, I whispered softly to him, “I’ll make sure you never grow up doubting your worth, little one.”
Mother cradling her baby to sleep | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed this story, you won’t want to miss this one: I left my newborn with my husband for a work trip — When I got back, he was acting strange. His reason left me stunned.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided as “is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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