My mother raised me alone after my father left when I was four. She worked exhausting shifts at a diner and cleaned offices on weekends, yet always came home with a gentle smile. She hid our financial struggles from me, pretending she had already eaten when food was scarce and somehow finding money whenever I needed something.
When I turned eighteen, my father suddenly returned in an expensive car, wearing a costly watch and promising to make up for the past. He offered to pay for my college, buy me a car, provide a better apartment, and cover my expenses. His only condition was that I move out and prevent my mother from interfering, claiming she had kept him away from me.
