A man abandoned his young daughter with his mother to go off with his new wife, and when he comes back ten years later, he is shocked to find they both vanished without a trace.
Doris Dakkar had raised her only son on her own ever since her husband left when Nicholas was just seven. It hadn’t been an easy road, but Doris juggled two jobs and ensured her son never went without.
At the time, she was thirty years old. She never expected that, three decades later at sixty, she’d find herself stepping into the role of a single parent again—this time to her granddaughter. And she certainly never expected her son to walk away from his own child. She never thought he had that much of his father in him.
Nicholas had married a sweet, kind woman named Sandra, but tragedy struck when she passed away, leaving their daughter Paige motherless at just nine years old. Doris told herself that Nicky had simply been lonely—that’s why, only weeks after Sandra’s death, he started seeing Donna. Within six months, they were married.
Doris had her doubts, but she held her tongue. What worried her more was the change in Paige. Once a cheerful, energetic little girl, Paige had grown quieter and withdrawn. Doris chalked it up to grief; after all, losing a mother is a heavy burden for any child. And despite her unease, she still believed her son was a good man. At least, she wanted to believe it—for a little while longer.
Selfish people rarely think about how their choices affect others.
The summer Paige turned ten, Nicholas showed up and asked Doris if she could look after Paige for three weeks. He and Donna were planning a trip to Alaska—just the two of them.
“All couples need time alone, Mom,” Nicholas had explained. “And Paige has been difficult lately… She’s been resenting Donna.”
Doris was taken aback but agreed. “Alright, Nicky,” she said gently. “Maybe a little time apart will help all of you. But if I may… Donna knew what she was signing up for. She knew you had a daughter. A grown woman should be capable of handling the grief of a ten-year-old who’s still trying to make sense of her mother’s death and her father’s quick remarriage.”
Nicholas flushed a deep red and pursed his lips in that familiar, sulky way Doris had seen too many times before.
“I should have known you’d take Paige’s side!” he snapped. “Donna loves me. She makes me happy—and that’s all that matters to me.”
Doris felt the words like a slap. “I would’ve thought someone should be on Paige’s side,” she shot back, her voice tight. “And frankly, I’m shocked it’s not her own father. Making your daughter happy should bring you happiness, too.”
Nicholas stormed out in a huff, but a week later, he returned—seemingly calm and cheerful. With Paige’s small suitcase in one hand, he knelt to hug her tightly, then turned to kiss his mother on the cheek.
“I’ll be back on August 27, Mom,” he said with a smile and a wave as he drove off.
But August 27th came and went. Nicholas never returned. Doris tried calling him, only to find his number disconnected. Paige waited, heart in hand, but there were no calls, no explanations—only silence.
Over time, Nicholas never reached out to speak to his daughter, though he would occasionally send short replies to her texts—bare, distant responses. And then those stopped, too.
Eventually, Doris learned that the house Nicholas had once shared with Sandra had been sold. No forwarding address. No goodbye.
He was gone. Just like his father had once vanished from their lives, Nicholas had done the same.
He had abandoned his daughter without a second thought—left her in the care of his aging mother without a word, without checking in, without the slightest concern for her well-being.
After the initial shock passed, Doris sat Paige down and took her hands gently.
“Listen, sweetheart,” she said softly. “We’ll manage—just the two of us. I don’t want you to worry about a thing. I’ll take care of you, always. I love you, Paige. And one day, your father will regret what he’s done. I promise you that.”
At the time, Doris didn’t know just how true those words would be.
Ten years later, Nicholas pulled up to his mother’s house. It was still standing, but barely. The garden had turned wild and untamed, the once-vibrant flowers choked by weeds. The paint on the walls was peeling, the windows shuttered tight. The place looked abandoned—forgotten, much like the family he’d left behind.
He crossed the street and knocked on the door of his mother’s old neighbor. When she opened it, her eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed with suspicion. She looked him up and down—his wrinkled clothes, the deep lines on his face, the rusting car parked at the curb.
“She married, you know,” the woman said stiffly. “Paige. And Doris lives with her now.”
Nicholas nodded, relieved. “Could I have their address?”
She hesitated, her mouth pressing into a thin line. Then her expression turned icy.
“I don’t think you should expect the kind of welcome the Prodigal Son got,” she said, voice cool and sharp. “After what you did to them, you’d be wise to prepare for the worst.”
She was Doris’s best friend—and she hadn’t forgotten.
Nicholas didn’t bother to respond to the neighbor’s cutting remark. He simply turned his back and walked away, confident. He knew how to handle his mother—he always had.
But when he arrived at the address he’d been given, he stopped in his tracks.
A sprawling, elegant mansion rose before him, surrounded by manicured gardens and guarded by an ornate wrought-iron gate. This couldn’t be right. This was where his daughter and mother lived?
He approached the front door and rang the bell. A uniformed maid answered, eyeing him curiously.
“I’d like to speak with Doris or Paige Dakkar, please,” he said.
“You mean Mrs. Dakkar or Mrs. Henderson, sir,” the maid corrected, her tone clipped, her smile tinged with contempt. Without waiting for a reply, she stepped aside and ushered him into a grand sitting room that reeked of wealth and refinement—nothing like the home he had once known.
Nicholas barely had time to take it all in before the door opened again. Paige entered, calm and composed. She had grown into a poised, striking woman. Her presence filled the room.
She said nothing—just looked at him, unreadable. But Nicholas knew instantly that the neighbor had called ahead. Paige wasn’t surprised to see him. She had been warned.
“Paige, my baby…” he said softly, emotion catching in his throat. He took a tentative step forward, reaching out to embrace her, hoping for a flicker of warmth, of forgiveness.
But Paige didn’t move. She didn’t even blink.
“What is it that you want, Father?” she asked, her voice steady and calm, with no hint of anger.
“I just wanted to see you… and your Grandma Doris, sweetheart,” Nicholas replied, flashing his most charming smile. “I’ve missed you both so much…”
Just then, Doris entered the room. She looked composed—and surprisingly youthful for her age.
“Nicholas,” she said evenly. “Why are you here?”
Nicholas’s face reddened. “I came to see my family,” he said, his voice rising with emotion. “I thought I’d be welcomed with open arms!”
“You left me, Father,” Paige said coolly. “And now you expect a warm welcome?”
“Mom?” Nicholas turned to Doris, his tone turning defensive. “It wasn’t my fault… Donna pushed me. She threatened to leave if I didn’t choose her…”
“Oh!” Doris interrupted with a dry, knowing smile. “And yet here you are—alone. Let me guess… the money dried up, and so did Donna?”
Nicholas glanced around the elegant room, unable to hide his envy.
“Well, you’re clearly doing just fine,” he muttered bitterly. “You’d think you could help out a little… I’m out of work and barely getting by…”
“I’m surprised you have the nerve to ask us for anything, Father,” Paige said calmly. “You abandoned us when we needed you most—but we got through it. And now, thanks to my husband, we have everything we need.”
“I’m still your father,” Nicholas said, his voice rising with indignation.
“You’re nothing to me,” she replied, without emotion. But then she reached for her grandmother’s hand, steady and warm beside her. Doris was watching Nicholas, her eyes filled with a quiet sadness and the glimmer of unshed tears.
“For Grandma Doris’ sake,” Paige said, “I’ll help you.”
She crossed the room to a delicate Louis XV desk, unlocked a drawer, and took out a set of house keys. Then she placed some cash into an envelope and returned to him.
“These are the keys to the old house,” she said.
“There’s \$5,000 in that envelope,” Paige said firmly. “Don’t expect another cent—so don’t bother coming back.”
She gently wrapped an arm around Grandma Doris’s shoulders and guided her out of the room. Moments later, the maid appeared, ready to escort Nicholas out before he had the chance to lay a hand on any of the clearly expensive antiques.
Nicholas sat in his car for a long time, staring at the grand estate that now belonged to his daughter.
“I did what I had to do,” he muttered to himself. “Why can’t anyone see how much I’ve suffered? There’s no gratitude in this world…”
What can we learn from this story?
One of the clearest lessons is that selfish people care only about their own comfort and happiness. Nicholas didn’t hesitate to abandon his daughter and aging mother when they needed him most. As long as he was satisfied, the consequences to others didn’t matter.
Another important takeaway is that you reap what you sow. Nicholas returned expecting warmth, forgiveness, and even a share in the life he walked away from—but instead, he was met with the consequences of his own choices. He learned too late that love, respect, and support must be earned, not assumed.
And yet, the story also shows that kindness can exist even where it’s not deserved. Paige and Doris, despite their pain, chose to help Nicholas—not because he earned it, but because they held on to compassion. Thanks to their decency, he was given more than many would have offered: a second chance, however small.
