The late afternoon sun lit up the living room as I sorted mail. My daughter Serena came home early from her part-time job, filling the house with energy and vanilla perfume. Her visits were the highlight of my month.
“Hey, Dad! You won’t believe what happened with Jessica…” she began, then paused. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. What were you saying?”
“I met someone. He’s kind, caring… His name’s Edison. We want to get married. But… he’s sixty.”
I was stunned. Serena was just eighteen.
“Sixty? Serena, that’s—can’t you see the problem?”
“Age doesn’t matter, Dad. He makes me feel seen.”
I reluctantly agreed to meet him. But that night at Edison’s, I overheard him on the balcony talking to his sister Annie — bragging about how marrying my daughter was part of a bet to settle his debts. I confronted Serena, but she didn’t believe me. She accused me of never being there after her mom died. Her words cut deep.
When Edison walked in, I punched him. Serena defended him and pushed me away.
I turned to a private investigator, who revealed Edison’s dark past: failed businesses, gambling addiction, and an old partner named Duke who’d been burned. I met Duke at a diner, and he confirmed everything.
Disguised as a wealthy Texan, I challenged Edison at his casino. After beating him in a high-stakes game, I revealed who I was and gave him a warning: stay away from Serena.
But he didn’t. I later learned Serena was throwing an engagement party with him. I confronted Edison, and he threatened to expose my own failings to turn Serena against me. I left, defeated.
That’s when Annie, Edison’s sister, approached me. She’d lost everything to his addiction and agreed to help expose him. At the wedding, Annie and a group of hired actors stood up one by one, revealing Edison’s lies. The ceremony collapsed. Serena was devastated and walked out.
Then the police came and arrested Edison.
Later, I visited Serena. She cried and apologized. I handed her a plane ticket to Boston to chase her dream of studying fashion design.
“I love you, Dad,” she said.
And in that moment, I knew: it’s never too late to be the parent your child needs.
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