**Personal Diary Entry**
Our daughter has always been secretive when it comes to her love life. Shed tell us about her studies, her plans, even the latest gossip about her matesbut never a word about boys. My husband and I used to joke that she must be waiting for the perfect moment to introduce someone truly special.
Then, that moment arrived. She told us she wanted us to meet her boyfriend.
That Sunday morning, I was already bustling about the kitchen, setting the table for a proper Sunday roast. My husband paced around, his expression dark, but I assumed it was just nervesfatherly worry, nothing more.
When the doorbell rang, I smiled and went to answer it. Standing there was a tall man in a smart suit, and beside himour daughter, beaming with happiness.
*”Mum, Dad, this is my boyfriend,”* she said, her voice brimming with pride. For a moment, my heart swelleduntil I noticed my husbands face. It went rigid, then deathly pale.
*”You?”* he whispered, barely audible. *”What the hell are you doing here?”*
The man stiffened, shrugging slightly.
*”Im your daughters boyfriend.”*
*”What?!”* My husbands voice cracked. *”Get out of my house! Now!”*
*”Dad!”* Our daughter gasped, staring at him in disbelief. *”Whats going on?”*
Thats when my husband told her the awful truth about the man shed brought home.
Clenching his fists, he said, *”This man hes the reason I went to prison. He betrayed me when we were lads. We got mixed up in some trouble together, and he pinned the blame on me. I lost a year of my life because of him. He was my old schoolmate.”*
Silence fell. Our daughter looked between us, her face twisting with anger and confusion.
*”So what now? Hes not the same person he was twenty years ago! I love him!”*
Her boyfriend turned and walked out. She stormed after him, slamming the door behind her.
We were left standing there, the air thick with tension. My husbands breathing was ragged, his hands shaking. I understood his painold wounds ripped open without warning. But I also understood our daughter. You cant choose who you love.
Now, we face the hardest choice of all. Do we accept this man, for our daughters happiness? Or do we stand our ground and risk losing her trust forever?
