“Daddy, Ill eat so little. Please dont send me to the orphanage,” the little girl begged, wiping her tears with trembling hands.
In a small village where the streets were dusty and the houses stood close together, lived an ordinary family. Victor and Hannah had seen their share of hardships. They werent rich, but they managed to get by. Their days were filled with tending the land, raising their children, and household chores. Their life seemed settleduntil everything changed.
Hannah discovered she was pregnant again.
Victor was a practical man. To him, it made no sense to bring another child into a home where they could barely feed the three they had. Money was tight as it was, and now there would be another mouth to feed.
“Hannah, have you lost your mind? Youre forty-three! We can hardly manage as it is, and now” Victor struggled to find the words to express his frustration.
But Hannah was resolute. She felt deep in her heart that this child was meant to be born. For her, it was a matter beyond reason.
When Emma was born, Victor didnt even go to the hospital to meet Hannah. The birth of his youngest daughter happened somewhere on the edges of his awareness. When he returned home, everything looked the sameexcept now there was another little girl in the house, one who quickly faded into the background.
“Victor, look how beautiful she is!” Hannah gazed at the newborn with love, but her husbands eyes held no warmth.
Emma grew up overshadowed by her older siblings and her fathers indifference. Her brother and sisters barely acknowledged her. Hannah did her best to care for her, but her energy was limited. Often, Emma was left alone, lost in her thoughts, trying to understand why her father, whom she longed to please, never seemed to notice her.
She dreamed that if she did something special, he might finally look at her. Even at six years old, she hoped he would play with her or just speak to her. She watched silently as he interacted with the other children, but his eyes always turned away.
“Daddy, look at the berries I picked!” she once ran to him, holding a basket full of raspberries.
Victor barely glanced at her. “Put them on the table. Im busy.”
One day, when Emma was six, she and her mother went mushroom picking in the woods. Excitedly, she gathered her fathers favorite mushrooms, imagining a family dinner where he might finally smile at her.
But fate had other plans. A sudden downpour sent them rushing home. In her haste, Hannah tripped over a tree root and fell. Terrified, Emma dropped the mushrooms and ran back to the house.
“Daddy, Mummy fell!” she gasped, breathless from running.
Victor, sitting at the table, barely registered her words.
“Shes not getting up!” Emma repeated, pointing toward the woods.
The family rushed to help. When they reached Hannah, she lay motionless. The doctor later said she had died instantly, hitting her head on a stump.
From that day on, Emmas life changed forever. Victor, consumed by grief, blamed her for his wifes death.
“This is your fault!” he shouted at her when she cried in the corner. “You killed her!”
Her siblings, siding with their father, demanded he get rid of “the one who caused it.” Surrounded by hatred and accusations, Emma felt her world crumbling. She couldnt understand why no one loved her or why all the familys pain had been directed at her.
“Dad, send her away! Shes the reason Mums gone,” her older sister demanded coldly.
When Victors grandmother, witnessing these scenes, took Emma in, the girl felt a small relief. But soon, she realized she wasnt truly welcome there either. One day, she overheard her grandmother and father talking.
“Theres no place for her here, Mum,” Victor said. “Youre not young anymoreyou cant take on another child.”
Emma froze behind the door, each word cutting deeper.
“But shes just a child, like the others. How can you send her to an orphanage?” her grandmother protested.
“How else am I supposed to feed four?” Victor replied, his voice empty.
Unable to bear it, Emma ran to them.
“Daddy, Ill eat so little! Please dont send me away!” she pleaded, wiping her tears.
But her father turned away as if her words meant nothing.
Adjusting to the orphanage was unbearable. For a long time, Emma waited for someone to come for her. But eventually, she understoodno one would. When families came to adopt children, the other children rushed forward with hope in their eyes. Emma never did. If even her own father didnt want her, why would anyone else?
Years passed. When Emma left the orphanage, she decided to return home, hoping against hope for some sign of acceptance. But reality was much harsher.
When she stepped through the door, her older sister barely recognized her.
“Emma, you dont belong here. Why did you come back?” she said coldly.
Emma swallowed hard, forcing her voice steady. “This is my home too. I came back.”
Her sister scoffed. “People come back where theyre wanted. Nobody wants you here. This is my home now, with Dad. Theres no place for you.”
At that moment, Victor appeared. He stopped when he saw his youngest daughter. His expression was blank, as if she were a stranger. Emma, desperate for even a flicker of recognition, stepped forwardbut he raised a hand, stopping her in place.
Without a word, he turned and walked away.
Emma lowered her head and left. She went to her mothers grave, tidied it, and whispered as if Hannah could hear her. Then she made her decision. She couldnt stay here. This was no longer her home.
Without looking back, she left for the nearest town.
Emma sat on a cold bench in the unfamiliar city center. People passed by, not noticing her. The streets buzzed with noisecars, chatterbut she felt utterly alone, as if she didnt belong. Her hands clutched a small bag with all her possessions: a few clothes and her documents. The city felt vast and unwelcoming.
Hours dragged by. She didnt know where to go. Everything here was as foreign as her life now. Memories flashed before herher childhood, her family, the home she once knew. But that home was gone. A crushing loneliness enveloped her, and she wished she could simply disappear.
“Miss, are you alright?” a gentle voice asked.
Emma looked up and met the eyes of a young man. His face held genuine concern, his expression warm and kind.
That simple question made her throat tighten. Years of pain, rejection, and sorrow welled up, and the tears came uncontrollably. For the first time in years, someone had seen her.
“Im fine,” she whispered, but her voice shook.
The man didnt walk away. He seemed to sense she needed help but wasnt sure how to offer it. His smile was steady, reassuring.
“Lets get out of here. Theres a café nearby,” he said. “We can have tea and talk. My names James, by the way.”
“Emma,” she answered quietly, then followed him.
In the café, she told him everything. James listened, then offered her a place to stay. “Its just my mum at home. You can sleep there and figure things out.”
Ten years later, Emma felt restless. She couldnt pinpoint why. Life was goodJames, their children, his mother, who had become like a second mother to her. But something nagged at her.
“Love, are you alright?” her mother-in-law asked gently.
“I dont know I just feel uneasy,” Emma sighed.
“Lets have tea. James and the kids will be back soon.”
When James and their children returned, Emma relaxed slightly. Everyone she loved was here. She hadnt thought of her other family in years. Long ago, she had sent letterswhen she moved, when she married, when the twins were born. The last one included her phone number. But she never heard back.
That evening, as they sat down to dinner, the phone rang.
“Emma, is that you?” a voice asked.
“Yes.”
“Its Lucy, your sister. Dads not well. He asked for you to come say goodbye.” The line went dead before Emma could respond.
She stood frozen, phone in hand. James, overhearing, came to her side.
“Lets go, love. Im with you. Mum can watch the boys.”
Emma nodded silently. The drive was quiet, James sensing she needed space. Memories flooded herhappy moments with her mother, the father who had abandoned her. Even now, after all these years, it hurt.
When they arrived, it was nearly dark. Emma stepped out and looked around. In the yard stood Lucy and two strangersher brother and other sister. They looked nothing like the children she remembered.
As soon as she walked in, Lucy snapped, “Dont think youre getting anything from this, Emma!”
The words stung, but Emma didnt react. She knew none of them
