Unexpected Family Story Development
Eliza spotted his barefoot, ragged, forlorn form in the rearview mirror. He seemed to have aged twenty years. He clutched the envelope nervously.
Still, she drove without stopping.
She shut off the engine at the end of the street, beyond the complex entrance. She stood stationary with her hands on the wheel for many minutes.
She was guilt-free.
She was relieved.
A near-tragic event occurred in the Matev family.
This is false! Richard exclaimed. What’s this? A DNA test? Someone is attempting to steal my daughter!”
Sofia stood up.
“Please, Dad…”
However, his wife Carla stood slowly. A hand on the backrest stabilized her.
“Richard…” she whispered. “You should know the truth.”
“What truth, hell?” Her face reddened. “The girl is crazy?”
“That she’s not your daughter,” Carla muttered.
The place was dead silent.
“This happened many years ago,” she hoarsely said. We argued that you had gone to Vienna and wasn’t answering my calls. I thought it was finished. I felt lost, bewildered, and alone. I erred.”
As if exhausted, Richard collapsed in his chair.
“You knew… you remained silent?”
“I knew. You always sensed it. From start. I saw in your eyes that you never accepted her, and the more she attempted to win you over, the more you rejected her.”
“I…” Her voice collapsed. “I gave her everything—money, education, opportunities.”
— Never love. Never warmth.
Sitting up, Yasen put the paper on the table after looking at it.
She may not be yours biologically, but she’s stronger than us. And you know.”
She sat by the lake at the end of the neighborhood, where she had hidden as a teenager with a notepad and written future ideas. Her phone vibrated with texts from Sofia, Yasen, and Carla, but not Richard.
Deactivated her phone.
She inhaled and watched the ocean.
No discomfort this time. Only clarity.
On day three, the receptionist sent her a note:
Mr. R. Matev almost left you an envelope. According to his orders, it was rejected.”
Eliza ripped it apart without opening.
One hour later, Yasen called:
His health is poor. He sits in the same chair since yesterday. He won’t eat or talk.
“That bothers me no more.”
— You may be correct… But sometimes you have to lock the door for yourself, not him.
He taught her to ride a bike in the museum garden, where they met.
Richard seemed distraught, with shadows under his eyes. Hands shook slightly.
Thank you for coming, he whispered.
Not here for you. Came for me.
I get it.
New paper was given to her.
Also took the exam. Only confirmation was required.
— I knew, she said.
Not sure how to apologize. My life, all I did… She gulped. I knew you weren’t my daughter. I feared attachment because of it. I thought not loving you would save me.
Did you decide to harm me daily?
– I chose cowardice.
Silence. Child giggling could be heard in the background. The breeze rustled leaves.
Richard, what do you want of me?
I’m not seeking forgiveness. Just a chance. As someone who committed a mistake and wants to apologize.”
Eliza rose.
“I’ll consider.”
Six months.
Richard left the family company. Sofia took charge.
Eliza didn’t forgive.
But hate vanished.
They met monthly. No duties or expectations.
Over tea one day, he said:
I was always proud of you. I never knew how to say it.”
She stayed mute.
There were no more scars on his face.
He wrote her a year later:
“You were my lesson, not my father. I may be the woman I am because of it. Thank you. I release you.”
A private hospital where Richard was dying of cancer received the letter.
He kept the envelope on his bedside table till his death.
He was comfortably resting when the nurse discovered him.
A picture of eight-year-old Eliza beaming with a medal stood beside him.
Under it, shaky handwriting:
“My daughter.”
