My daughter suddenly said, “Dad, send me to an orphanage.” At first, I thought it was just a joke, until I realized why my daughter was saying that.
I returned from a business trip in the evening. I really missed home, my wife, and especially my daughter. When I walked into the apartment, she immediately rushed to me.
That evening, we had dinner with the whole family. Everything was calm, warm, and homey.
An hour later, my wife said she’d be out for a bit—she needed to stop by a friend’s. My daughter and I were left alone.
She sat opposite me, picking at her pasta with a fork, and suddenly said quietly:
– Dad, give me to an orphanage.
I didn’t even immediately understand what I heard.
“What?” I asked, grinning. “This is a joke, right? Did Mommy hurt you?”
She shook her head.
– No.
I frowned.
– Then why do you want to go to an orphanage, dear?
The daughter looked up. There was no mischief in her eyes, only a seriousness beyond her years.
Honestly, I thought it was just a childish whim, but my daughter’s answer made me feel cold inside 😱😲
– Because my sister is there.
I froze.
—What sister? You don’t have a sister.
– Yes, Dad. I heard Mom on the phone saying she sent her daughter to an orphanage to hide her from us. She’s alone there. I want to be there for her.
I felt a chill run down my spine. My heart started pounding in my temples. I didn’t know what to say, how to breathe, how to react at all.
I just sat there, looking at my daughter, unable to comprehend what I had heard.
When my wife returned, I met her at the door.
“We need to talk,” I said hoarsely.
She took off her jacket, looked at me, and from the expression on my face she understood everything.
— You… know everything?
I nodded silently. She sank into a chair and couldn’t utter a word for a long time. Then she began to cry.
“Yes, it’s true,” she finally said. “Before you… I had a girl. I was only twenty. The child’s father left, the parents turned their backs. I was alone. Without money, without support. I had to give her up to an orphanage, so that at least she wouldn’t starve.
I thought I’d take her back later, but life turned out differently. I met you, everything changed… but the guilt didn’t go away.”
I stood there, speechless. Everything inside me was twisted. Sitting before me was the woman I loved and considered my own—and now it was as if a whole chasm had opened up between us.
After a few minutes I said quietly:
– We will find her.
My wife looked up at me, not believing her ears.
– Is it true?..
– It’s true. If your daughter is alive, that means we all still have a chance to fix everything.
