Having lost everything, Dylan learns a shocking secret: he has a three-year-old daughter who was abandoned at a shelter by his ex-girlfriend. Determined to give his girl the life she deserves, Dylan embarks on an emotional journey of redemption, trying to prove that he can be the father little Lyla needs.
Dylan sat hunched over on a wooden bench outside the Shoe Shop, clutching a sign that read, ‘I’ll clean your shoes for $1.’
The spring chill penetrated his tattered coat, but he hardly noticed. It had been two years since his life had fallen apart. Two years since he had lost everything.
His job, his home, and Tina, the woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with.
Tina’s departure had been swift and cruel.
‘You’re stuck, Dylan,’ she had said, placing her suitcase by the door. ‘And now… Gavin is offering me a life you could never give me.’
That was the last time he had seen her. By the time she left, he had already started drinking. After that, his drinking spiralled out of control, and with it, his career.
Shortly after he lost his job, he lost his flat, which only made his situation worse.
The click of designer heels on the pavement brought Dylan back to the present. He looked up, ready to ask if they wanted him to clean their shoes. But when he saw who it was, he froze.
The woman in the cream blazer and gold bracelets was rummaging through her huge bag. Vanessa.
Tina’s best friend.
Dylan shifted awkwardly, hoping she wouldn’t notice him. But Vanessa’s sharp gaze fixed on him like a hawk on its prey. Her expression changed from surprise to disgust.
‘Dylan?’ Her voice was filled with cheerfulness. ‘Is it really you?’
He couldn’t ignore her, so he nodded hesitantly.
‘Yes. Hi, Vanessa,’ he said.
She laughed briefly. ‘Life has been tough, hasn’t it? How the mighty have fallen.’
She looked him up and down, gesturing at his dishevelled appearance.
Her words stung, but Dylan wasn’t offended. He’d heard worse.
Vanessa tilted her head, her lips curving into a smirk.
‘Did you ever realise it?’ she murmured.
‘Realise what?’ Dylan asked, frowning.
What on earth could she be talking about?
‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘The baby. Tina had a baby. Your baby. Didn’t she ever tell you?’
Dylan’s heart stopped. The noise of the street faded away, replaced by the pounding of blood in his ears.
‘What did you just say?’
‘Oh, God, Dylan. Wake up. Get on with the programme!’
‘Please, Vanessa, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.’
Vanessa looked at him for a minute, her eyes almost softening. She sighed.
‘Tina had a baby after she left you,’ said Vanessa, checking her manicure. “Gavin didn’t really want to play the role of stepfather to the child. And she was about a year old when Tina dumped the poor thing in some shelter. How long has it been, two years? No, wait. Yes… I think she’s about three now.”
Dylan staggered to his feet.
‘You’re lying, Vanessa.’
Vanessa snorted loudly.
‘Why would I make all this up? I saw Tina at a party last month. She was practically bragging about how she had “turned her life around”. She said Gavin was going to propose to her any day now. She lives in luxury.’
Vanessa leaned closer, her tone tinged with condescension.
‘Maybe it’s time you fixed yours?’
Before Dylan could respond, she strode away, her heels clicking on the pavement.
The next day, Dylan stood on the porch of a huge mansion in one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city. He knew where Tina lived because he had spent several nights parked outside her house after she moved in with Gavin.
At least, that was until her car was taken away.
He clenched his fists, staring at the ornate door in front of him. He knocked twice.
When the door swung open, Tina stood in yoga pants and a silk top, holding a glass of white wine. Her eyes widened in shock.
‘Dylan?’ she gasped. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I need answers,’ he said, stepping forward. ‘Vanessa told me about the baby. Our baby.’
Tina’s face turned pale. She left, closing the door behind her.
“Who the hell does she think she is, opening her mouth like that? Just because I didn’t invite her to my massage party last month. She’s so bitter.”
‘Tina,’ Dylan said firmly. ‘Is it true? Do I have a daughter?’
Her shoulders slumped, and she set her wine glass on the table in the hallway.
‘Yes, Dylan,’ she said. ‘It’s true. Her name is Lila. I named her that because I liked a character with that name on a TV show. She’s three years old now.’
Dylan’s heart sank, and anger boiled up inside him.
How could Tina casually mention such things?
‘Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you…,’ he stopped himself, swallowing hard. ‘Where is she?’
Tina tensed, defending herself.