Kian thought he had left the past behind him. After all, it had been six long years since his ex-wife, Marissa, walked out on him and their two-year-old daughter, Kylie. She didn’t even look back, disappearing into the world without a word, except for a yearly postcard and the occasional stuffed animal sent with guilt-ridden messages.
“I can’t do this, Kian,” she had said back then, her voice trembling as she looked at their daughter while pulling her jacket off the coat hook. “But you can.”
Kian never expected to hear from her again, especially not like this. His phone buzzed one day with a message that made his stomach turn.
Hey! Remember me? Doctors say I’ll be gone soon. It’s terminal. I just wanted to see you one last time. And Kylie. Please, let me!
The words were like a punch to the gut. It didn’t feel real.
Kian had moved on. He had a new life now, one full of love and laughter. He was happily remarried to Lillian, his second wife. Together, they were raising their son, Jake, and Kylie, who had grown into a happy, curious eight-year-old. They had bedtime stories, giggles, and the warmth of a family Kian thought he’d never find again after his divorce.
But how do you say no to a dying woman?
Could he really?
After a long pause, Kian agreed to meet her. He didn’t know what else to do.
Marissa chose a restaurant for them to meet, and when Kian arrived, he spotted her sitting at a table, stirring a cup of coffee. Her hand was steady, too steady for someone supposedly near death.
He sat down across from her, still unsure of how to handle the situation.
“So… how long do you have, Marissa?” Kian asked, his voice hesitant. “When did you find out that you were this ill? Are you sure about the diagnosis?”
“It’s stage four,” she said quietly. “So, maybe months, maybe weeks. Who really knows, Kian? But it’s been hard, you know?”
Kian felt an unexpected pang of sympathy, though he hated to admit it.
“I’m sorry. Truly,” he replied, his voice soft.
Despite everything, Marissa had once been the love of his life. She had given him Kylie. That counted for something, didn’t it?
She reached for his hand, but Kian pulled back instinctively.
“That’s why I wanted to see you,” she said, her voice low and almost pleading. “And Kylie. I need to see her, hold her. Just once…”
Kian’s chest tightened.
“Look, Marissa,” he started, his voice firm. “You do know that Kylie barely remembers you, right? You left when she was two.”
A flicker of disappointment crossed her face, but she didn’t let it show for long.
“But still,” Marissa insisted, “She got my gifts, right? The teddy bears? Doesn’t she know me as the favorite person who sent her toys?”
Kian’s jaw clenched. Favorite person? The toys, the once-a-year gifts that Kylie never even played with?
“She got them,” he said, his voice flat.
“I just… I just want to see her, Kian,” Marissa pressed. “I want to say goodbye. I want to hold my child. I may have left, but I made her too, Kian. I carried her. My body did the work. So I… get to see her, and I get to say goodbye.”
Kian didn’t know what to say. Her words struck a chord, and despite the anger and hurt he still carried, he didn’t have a way out.
“All right,” he finally said. “But you follow my rules. Okay?”
Marissa nodded eagerly, relief washing over her face.
The next day, the doorbell rang. Kian and Lillian exchanged a glance. They weren’t expecting anyone. They were in the middle of making ice cream sandwiches with the kids.
“I’ll get it,” Kian said, laughing lightly. “But don’t eat anything without me!”
Kylie giggled as she played nearby.
Kian opened the door and was immediately greeted by a huge teddy bear blocking his view. Before he could react, a cheerful voice rang out, “Surprise!”
His heart sank. “What the hell, Marissa?” he hissed.
“I wanted to see Kylie. You said I could,” she said, her smile almost too wide.
Kian stood frozen for a second, unable to stop her. She pushed past him and walked into the house.
Before Kian could get a grip, Kylie came skipping down the hallway and stopped when she saw Marissa.
“Hi, Kylie! It’s me, your mom!” Marissa called out, her voice full of fake joy.
Kylie paused, staring at the woman in front of her, then turned to Kian. “Daddy, who is she?” she asked, her face full of confusion.
Marissa’s smile faltered. Her face twisted with hurt, but Kian felt no sympathy. He felt angry—angry at her for showing up like this and angry at himself for letting it happen.
Lillian, holding their son, stepped in. “Kylie, sweetheart, why don’t you finish your coloring? We’ll talk in a bit, okay?”
Kylie hesitated for a moment, her eyes wide with confusion, but nodded. “But what about our ice cream sandwiches?”
“We’ll have them later, sweet girl,” Lillian promised.
Kylie wandered off to her room, leaving the adults standing awkwardly. Marissa’s forced smile didn’t fool anyone.
“Kids, right?” she said, her voice high and strained.
Kian should have kicked her out then and there, but instead, he let her stay for dinner.
Over the next week, Marissa continued to visit, meeting Kylie at the park a few times. They never told their daughter about the cancer. Kylie barely recognized Marissa, and it seemed unnecessary to explain.
Then, one evening, Marissa dropped a bombshell.
“The doctors reassessed my condition,” she said, gripping Kian’s arm like it was a lifeline. “It’s a miracle! There’s a chance I can live!”
Kian blinked slowly. What was happening?
“That’s great,” he said, trying to sound supportive, though he was suspicious.
“But it’s not that simple,” Marissa continued, biting her lip. “I can recover… but it depends on a new medication. The doctor says I need to try a trial, but it’s really expensive.”
Kian’s suspicion turned into clarity. He knew what was coming next.
“How much?” he asked, already bracing himself.
“Twenty thousand dollars,” she said, her voice casual, as if she were asking for a favor, not a small fortune.
Kian’s heart sank. “That’s a lot of money, Marissa.”
“I know,” she sighed. “But Kian, please…”
Lillian glanced at him with soft eyes. “Maybe we can help…?”
Kian didn’t want to, but a part of him still felt pity for Marissa. So they talked about it. They considered it.
But that night, everything changed.
Kylie walked into their room, holding the teddy bear Marissa had given her earlier that week. Her face was serious, way too serious for an eight-year-old.
“Daddy,” she said quietly. “She’s lying.”
Kian frowned, confused. “What do you mean, sweet pea?”
Kylie held the bear up and pressed its stomach. A distorted voice crackled out.
“I’ll get the money soon! And you owe me a drink!” The voice was unmistakably Marissa’s.
Kian’s heart dropped. He grabbed the bear, rewound the message, and froze.
“Yeah, I told Kian that it was stage four. And he totally bought it. He was practically crying at the restaurant. Twenty grand just for some fake tears.”
The air rushed out of Kian’s lungs. His hands shook as he looked at Lillian, who had sat up in shock.
Kylie looked at her dad, her face full of betrayal but also understanding. “I told you, she’s not my mom.”
Kian’s voice was hoarse. “You were right, sweetheart.”
The next morning, Kian sent a message to Marissa: I have the money. Come and get it.
Thirty minutes later, she showed up, eager, almost giddy. Kylie handed her the envelope, her little face determined.
“Oh, thank you, my dearest girl! It’s so kind of you! This means so much…” Marissa gushed, her eyes lighting up.
“Before you open it,” Kian interrupted. “We have something for you to listen to.”
He hit play on the recorder.
Marissa’s voice filled the room. “Yeah, I told Kian that it was stage four. And he totally bought it. He was practically crying at the restaurant. Twenty grand just for some fake tears.”
Marissa’s face went white. “That’s not me!” she stammered. “Someone must have doctored that…”
She ripped open the envelope, only to find $20,000 in Monopoly money.
Kylie beamed up at her. “If she’s fake sick, then let’s give her fake money.”
Marissa’s face twisted with rage. “You can’t do this to me!”
“You did this to yourself, Marissa,” Lillian said, her voice cold as ice. “And why did you give our child a teddy bear with a recording? What was on it before?”
Marissa stared at them for a long moment. Then, she spoke, her voice dripping with false innocence.
“It was a recording of me telling her that I’m her true mother. I guess I accidentally recorded over it.”
Kian’s voice was full of disgust. “You’re pathetic. Now get out. Leave our lives forever.”
As Marissa stormed out, slamming the door behind her, Kian turned to Kylie.
“You saved us, and you saved our money,” he said, his voice full of pride.
Kylie looked up at him with wise eyes for an eight-year-old. “She didn’t deserve it, Daddy. Didn’t you say that we have to earn and deserve money?”
Kian smiled at her, his heart swelling with pride. “Yes, sweetheart. You’re right.”
Marissa had tried to destroy their family. But their real family, the one they had built together, was right here. Nothing, not even a twisted scam, could ever change that.
