Bobby had always been a doting father to Mia and often checked on her, making sure she was doing well. But for the past three months, he had noticed Mia was acting odd.

Her late-night phone calls, closed-door conversations, and the cigarette smell that lingered in her room convinced Bobby that his 14-year-old was up to something wrong.

So one day, Bobby decided to check Mia’s room for a cigarette or a lighter, but instead, he found a gift box hidden under a pile of clothes in her cupboard…

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Inside the box was an assortment of expensive gifts — branded perfumes, a smartwatch Mia had long wanted, and a diamond bracelet. Then his hands landed on a photograph of an older man, likely in his 50s, and a letter detailing an upcoming meeting at a local café that day.

“My dear Mia,

I’m really excited about finally meeting you. I’m already picturing us talking, laughing, sitting next to each other. God, I hope this café we’re meeting at serves a vegan menu. But again, who cares about food when I’m getting to be with you? I can’t wait for this Saturday!

See you soon  Love, V.”

Bobby read the letter again and again and couldn’t believe his teenage daughter was getting involved with a man her dad’s age.

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Bobby lifted the stranger’s picture off the bed and stared at it another time, trying to remember if he knew the guy. But he hadn’t seen this man before. A rage took over Bobby. He stormed out of Mia’s room and dialed her.

“Dad, I’m in music class! Stop calling me! Goodbye!” she hung up even before he would say a word.

Bobby dialed Mia again, but she canceled the call. He tried a few more times and gave up when she didn’t answer at all. Finally, Bobby put the things back into her room. He knew she’d be mad if she found out he had gone through her things.

After a while, Bobby took out his phone and began searching for vegan cafés in their town.

“Café Bean…that’s the only vegan diner? Were they planning to meet here today?” he wondered.

Bobby made up his mind. He disguised himself in a cap and hoodie and drove to the café. Upon arriving, Bobby scanned the eatery for any sign of Mia or her friend. To his relief, he spotted her alone by the window seat.

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A smile appeared on Mia’s lips every time her phone buzzed with a notification. Bobby felt a pang of jealousy. He missed those days when Mia would be laughing and joking around him.

It was as if she’d become an entirely different person since the day they’d returned from a routine checkup three months ago.

Bobby and his family were at the doctor’s office that day, awaiting their reports, when he was called to the reception to fill out a form. As he stepped out of the doctor’s office, in walked a new doctor with some papers.

“Mrs. Davis, can we talk in private?” she asked. But Mrs. Davis insisted Mia stay.

“Does your daughter have any hereditary diseases?” she asked. “Have you three taken a blood test together before? Especially Mia and Mr. Davis?”

Mrs. Davis’s heart skipped a beat. “N—No, doctor,” she said.

“I see,” the doctor’s brows arched. “Well, I see your daughter’s blood group doesn’t match your husband’s. Are you aware of this? Is Mr. Davis, not Mia’s—”

Mrs. Davis felt a lump in her throat and looked at the doctor, unsure how to respond. Her face drained of blood as her eyes darted from the doctor to Mia, who was surprised.

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”Wha—What do you mean my blood group doesn’t match my Dad’s?” Mia stammered.

”Well, your father’s blood type is such that…he’s unlikely to be your father,” revealed the doctor.

Mia’s eyes bulged in shock as she turned to her mother.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Mrs. Davis hushed Mia, pleading for silence. As Bobby returned, he noticed the worry etched on his wife’s face, but Mrs. Davis assured him everything was alright.

“What was all that about, Mom? Is Dad…not my birth father? How is it that my blood type doesn’t match Dad’s?” Mia grabbed Mrs. Davis’s arm as Bobby headed to their car.

“I’ll explain everything once we’re home, but don’t ask anything in front of your father. It’s better if we discuss it privately.”

Mia waited until they arrived home. Then she called Mrs. Davis to her room. “Now tell me,” she said as her mother entered her room.

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Mrs. Davis’s eyes welled up as she sat beside Mia. “The doctor was right, honey,” Mrs. Davis revealed. “Bobby isn’t your real father. When he was on a business trip to Cape Town, I met someone on a cruise in Virginia. It was a small fling… and I found out I was pregnant. I knew Bobby would love you like his own, and I didn’t want to hurt either of you by telling the truth.”

Mia’s jaw dropped as she listened to her mother’s confession. ”Who’s my real father?” she asked in tears.

But Mrs. Davis refused to reveal her affair partner’s identity until Mia threatened to have a word with Bobby.

”Okay, fine! His name is Victor! But you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, especially not Bobby.”

”Where is he from? Mom, I want to know everything about him,” Mia pressed her mother.

Mrs. Davis shook her head as she turned to face Mia, her eyes filled with guilt. “We never met again after the cruise. And please don’t ask me anything about him again.”

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That night, Mia combed countless social media profiles, desperate to find her biological father. Her heart raced as she stumbled onto a profile, her eyes scanning the details repeatedly. It matched her mother’s description of events—the name, the age, the location.

Mia typed out a message with trembling fingers. “Hey, I’m Mia, and I know this might freak you out, but I’m your daughter. You met my Mom at Island Temptations on a cruise in Virginia around 15 years back. Can we talk?”

A reply came minutes later. “What? Sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mia’s heart started pounding as she took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves before typing out her response.

“My mom, Esther, told me you’re my biological father. I know this might come as a shock to you. But I know something that only you and my Mom know.”

There was a long pause, and minutes later, another notification popped that made Mia’s eyes water.

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”I don’t know what to say! Yeah, I met Esther on a cruise. We never met or contacted each other again after the cruise. I’m now happily married to my gay partner. We don’t have any children & I’m so surprised I have a daughter. Thank you for reaching out, Mia. Maybe we can meet. What do you think?”

Mia and Victor spent the night exchanging messages, getting to know each other. With each passing day, she started spending more time with him on video chats and was thrilled when he told her he would be passing through her town soon and would love to meet her.

A week before the planned meeting, Mia received a parcel. It was a gift box with an expensive watch, her favorite perfumes, a diamond bracelet, and a note with a picture of Victor. She couldn’t wait to meet him in person that weekend.

Mia’s phone buzzed loudly, snapping her to the moment. “Send me the café’s location, darling,” read Victor’s message.

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Bobby, who was watching everything keenly from the corner table, clenched his teeth and fists as a man approached Mia’s table and hugged her.

”WHAT THE HELL’S GOING ON HERE?” The sound of Bobby’s voice startled Mia and Victor, causing them to pull away from each other.

“You better start explaining!” Bobby demanded as he approached them.

“Dad…what are you doing here? Were you following me?” Mia rose angrily.

But before she could process what was happening, Bobby ignored her questions and threw a punch that landed on Victor’s jaw, breaking a tooth.

Victor toppled over the table, wincing in pain, the sound of shattering glass and startled screams filling the café as Bobby pounced on him and beat him up.

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“STOP!” Mia shrieked, but Bobby was uncontrollable.

”You stay away from my daughter, you creep!”‘ Bobby yelled, grabbing Victor by the collar. “How dare you flirt with my girl?”

”Dad, stop! Please, let him go,” Mia pleaded.

But Bobby had entered a place too dark with rage to listen, and there was no coming back. He planted another hard blow on Victor’s nose, causing Victor to black out.

The other customers in the café struggled to separate Bobby further away from a bleeding and unconscious Victor.

“OMG, what did you do…Dad, wake up! Dad!” Mia screamed. Bobby froze in disbelief, watching Mia cradling Victor’s head on her lap and addressing Victor as ‘Dad.’

“Mia, what’s going on? Did you just call him Dad?” Bobby asked her as paramedics arrived, and Victor was taken to the hospital.

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”Sir, we need you to come with us,” an officer approached Bobby with handcuffs.

A couple of hours later, the doctor entered Victor’s ward.

“Nothing to worry about. He’s stable now,” the doctor told Mrs. Davis and Mia as they rose from Victor’s bedside.

”Hello, Victor,” Bobby entered the ward, breaking the grave silence.

Following his arrest, Bobby was taken to the hospital to check his bloodied hands for any injuries. When he learned Victor was also admitted there, he begged the Sheriff to let him into Victor’s ward for a minute.

”I’m sorry about everything, Victor. I misunderstood that you and my daughter were actually…you know. I love my daughter more than anything in the world. What I did… was to protect Mia. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

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“I didn’t know you were capable of this, Bobby,” Mrs. Davis said.

”Well, even I didn’t know that you were capable of…well, Esther, you’ll never see me again,” Bobby sadly lowered his head.

As he made his way out of the ward, he glanced back at Mia. “No matter what happens or who comes our way…I’ll still love you. I always will. My doors are always open for you,” he said in agony as he walked away with the Sheriff.

Mrs. Davis and Mia’s eyes were cloaked with sadness and regret as they realized they had caused irreparable damage to their family.

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