Emma stared at him like he had spoken in another language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she whispered. \u201cMy daddy is my daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother covered her mouth as tears slid down her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe is,\u201d she said quickly. \u201cHe raised you. He loves you more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma\u2019s eyes filled. \u201cThen why is this man here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The stranger took one careful step forward, but stopped when Emma flinched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy name is Daniel,\u201d he said gently. \u201cI didn\u2019t know about you until last week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma looked at her mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her voice broke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou lied to me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother\u2019s shoulders began to shake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was scared. I was young. Your dad wanted to protect you. He said one day we would tell you together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen where is he?\u201d Emma cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother closed her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That silence hurt more than any answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel reached for the coffee table and picked up a phone with a cracked screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour father had an accident this morning,\u201d he said softly. \u201cHe called me from the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma\u2019s breath caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe asked me to come,\u201d Daniel continued, his voice breaking. \u201cHe said if anything happened, you deserved to know the truth from someone who loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma dropped her backpack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother rushed to her, but Emma stepped away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou were sitting here while Daddy is in the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother sobbed. \u201cI was trying to find the words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma\u2019s little hands curled into fists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want words. I want him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The room froze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then the phone rang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother grabbed it with shaking fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her face collapsed before she spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma knew before she heard it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her mother fell to her knees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma\u2019s voice came out tiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs Daddy gone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No one answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Emma ran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She ran down the hall to her parents\u2019 bedroom, opened the drawer, and pulled out the old photo album her father kept hidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside the front cover was a letter written in his handwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Emma, when she learns the truth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Her hands trembled as she opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first line read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may not have my blood, sweetheart, but every beat of my heart has been yours since the day I held you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Emma stared at him like he had spoken in another language. \u201cNo,\u201d she whispered. \u201cMy daddy is my daddy.\u201d Her mother covered her mouth as tears slid down her face. \u201cHe is,\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n