Mother Keeps Telling Daughter Dad Is Dead, Years Later a Strange Man Came knocking On The Door— Story of the Day
When a strange man knocked on her door, Olivia was surprised to see in him the same eyes that had stared at her in the mirror. But her mother, Anastasia, always told her that her dad passed away before she was born. Then the man on her doorstep revealed the most shocking story about her mother.
“Who could that be?” Olivia muttered to herself as she approached her front door. She wiped her hands on her apron as she had just been making cookies. She was so excited at the prospect, and most people wouldn’t understand why.
It was the first time she had been baking at all. You see, Olivia was 25 years old, and her mother, Anastasia, always told her that baking, cooking, and cleaning a house were jobs for the maid. Anastasia was an entrepreneur. She co-founded and ran her own business in San Diego, California, like the worst of dictators.
The older woman wanted Olivia to grow up and become career-oriented too. Or at the very least, she should marry an extremely wealthy man, so she would never have to do any tasks at home. However, Olivia was not like her mother at all, although she always grudgingly admired the woman who raised her.
Olivia’s father died before she was born, and Anastasia was always busy on the phone. At first, it was tough growing up raised by nannies and their maid, as Anastasia was always on the phone and out. But she grew to understand that her mother was providing for her.
But the admiration for her mother dimmed somewhat during her teenage years when Anastasia brought home a boyfriend. He was at least ten years younger than her mother and did not want anything to do with Olivia. He stopped coming over, and her mother brought other men into the house.
Olivia hated. it. At first, it felt like her mother was betraying the memory of her father. “Olivia, do you want me to wallow in sadness for the rest of my life? Don’t you want me to be happy? I want to find a partner too,” Anastasia told her when she was around 15 years old.
The teenager never mentioned it again because her mother was right. She should try to find happiness too. But that’s when Olivia decided that her quest for joy would be much different. She wanted a real family with a husband and several kids. She wouldn’t necessarily be a stay-at-home-mom, but a career was not going to be a priority.
Unfortunately, she struggled in college and had to stay with her mother for several more years than she desired. But at 25, Olivia finally had her own place and could do whatever she wanted, which meant that baking and cooking were part of her daily life. Now, she just had to check who had interrupted her cookie-making on a Saturday afternoon.
Olivia swung the door open and saw a man standing there. He must have been around 50 years old, but that wasn’t the odd part. He had the same green eyes Olivia had seen in the mirror her entire life. Suddenly, the stranger on her doorstep smiled kindly, and Olivia felt her heart stutter for a second.
“Hi, Olivia,” the man said, finally speaking up.
“I’m sorry, sir. Do I know you?” Olivia asked, furrowing her brow.
“You don’t know me, officially. But I know you. I’ve been watching you grow up for 25 years,” the man continued with that same kind smile.
“Excuse me?” she questioned, starting to freak out.
“But don’t be frightened,” the man added hastily, holding his hands in a stop motion. “My name is Daniel Hutchins. I’m your father.”
Olivia’s jaw dropped open, and nothing came out of her mouth for several seconds.
“I know it sounds weird, and I don’t know exactly what Anastasia told you about me. But it’s the truth. If you let me explain, I’ll tell you everything,” Daniel pleaded with her.
Still, Olivia didn’t know what to think. Growing up without a father, she often fantasized about a moment like this. But she knew it was impossible. “I don’t understand what’s happening,” she muttered. “I can’t let a complete stranger into my house.”
“Then, I’ll say what I have to say right here,” Daniel countered and started sputtering. “25 years ago, when Anastasia was pregnant, I caught her having an affair with my business partner. You probably remember him. Bob? Well, I wanted a divorce, but Anastasia blackmailed me because we had a prenup.”
“Ok….”
“The prenup stated that in the event of an affair, the other party would come out with the better deal. I would get everything, including my business and our big house,” the man explained. “Anastasia knew this and told me if I went through with that arrangement, she would poison you against me. Make you think that I was a horrible, evil man who hated you.”
“But couldn’t you have fought for custody? If I grew up knowing you, she wouldn’t have succeeded,” Olivia commented with furrowed brows.
“I know that in hindsight, it seems like her plan would not have worked. But back then, the courts would almost always side with the mother. I would barely get any time to see you, and I heard horror stories. My lawyer told me not to fight it for your sake. You have to remember this was even before you were born.”
“Ok, and what did my mother want? Our house?” Olivia asked, having a hard time believing this story.
“Not just the house. She wanted the business. In the end, I decided to give her everything, so she would be able to provide for you easily, and I wouldn’t have to see her every day. But Anastasia also wanted me to disappear. She threatened to make my life and your life miserable. I didn’t know how she planned to do that, but I didn’t want to find out. In the end, I agreed to avoid more messiness,” Daniel finished explaining.
“If you disappeared, then how did you watch me grow up?”
“In exchange for giving her almost everything, I would get weekly updates of you,” Daniel answered, rubbing his forehead in frustration. “I know it sounds crazy. I know it was not much. I know I should’ve fought harder for you. I was a coward, and even though I had money, I was in pain back then. I don’t want to make excuses. But I couldn’t deal when I discovered my best friend with my wife, and how she started acting back then.”
Olivia pursed her lips in frustration. She knew her mother was a ruthless businesswoman, but this sounded like the actions of a Disney movie villain. “How can I possibly believe you?” she wondered.
“You don’t have to believe me or hate your mother at all. That’s not what I’m here for. I just wanted you to know the truth. I don’t know if your mother told you I abandoned you, but I didn’t. Not really, anyway. Now that you live on your own, and your mother owns the entire company, I want a relationship with you, if you agree,” Daniel pleaded.
Finally, Olivia invited him inside. Daniel sat down on her couch, and they continued talking. He also revealed that Anastasia and his best friend, Bob, did not last long. Eventually, she ran him out of the company, and Anastasia became the sole owner.
“I don’t know what she did to oust him, but then I discovered she dated tons of men all these years,” Daniel revealed at some point during the conversation.
Eventually, Olivia thought of something. “If Mom was having an affair with Bob, could I be Bob’s daughter?”
“I thought of that too. But your mother got a paternity test while she was still pregnant and it proved you were mine. That’s how I finally agreed to give in to her every demand, and I stayed away. But I never abandoned you. I hope you know that. I tried to send gifts, but Anastasia threw them away. The same with letters. She called me at some point and threatened to stop sending me pictures. She said she would have a restraining order against me too,” the man explained.
“I can’t believe this, but at the same time… that sounds like something my mother would do,” Olivia mumbled.
They continued talking for several more hours, and Olivia cooked him dinner. She agreed to stay in contact with him. Days later, he brought over the pictures Anastasia sent him and the original paternity test from over 25 years ago.
Olivia finally believed him fully and confronted her mother who defended herself saying, “I did what was best for us.”
That started a massive screaming match between them, and Olivia couldn’t take it anymore. She left her mother’s house and went without contact with the older woman.
She started to have a relationship with her father, and it grew quicker than anyone could expect. Years later, one of her childhood fantasies came true when her father walked her down the aisle.
What can we learn from this story?
Parents make mistakes, but some don’t have your best interests at heart. Daniel shouldn’t have agreed to Olivia’s mother’s demands. Meanwhile, Anastasia was greedy and didn’t do anything for her daughter’s sake.
Some fantasies come true. Like many kids who lost a parent, Olivia fantasized about seeing her dad again. And it happened. We wish all our readers’ dreams would come true too.
