When I agreed to go on holiday with my fiancé and his twin daughters, I thought we would be celebrating the start of a new life together. But instead, I came back from the resort pool with a mysterious note that confused me more than ever. When we returned home, a shocking surprise awaited us.
I met Matt three years ago at a charity event. He was charming, confident, and so gentle with his daughters that he instantly melted my heart. Ella and Sophie, his five-year-old twins, were the sweetest girls.
They had lost their mother at the age of one, and Matt had done a tremendous job of raising them to be polite girls.
I didn’t have much experience with children, but with these two, it was easy. They would run up to me with their school stories whenever I was around, and before I knew it, they had made their way into my heart.
One evening, after a particularly long day at work, Matt showed up at my flat with the girls in his arms. They were holding handmade cards with glitter and stickers.
‘We wanted to surprise you!’ Ella exclaimed happily, handing me a card. Inside it said, ‘Thank you for being part of our family.’
I was speechless. Before Matt, I dated men who were incredibly afraid of commitment. Truly. I was a magnet for them. I had so many bad dates that I can’t even remember them all. But at that moment, looking into the shining eyes of my boyfriend and his little girls, I felt pure warmth. I loved all three of them.
That’s why there was no other answer but ‘YES!’ when Matt proposed after a special dinner that his daughters helped prepare about a week later. My life was finally coming together, and I couldn’t wait to get started, so I moved into Matt’s house as soon as I could.
Then I started planning the wedding. I had specific ideas about the flowers, my dress, the girls’ dresses, and the venue. I’m a Type A person, so I was really on top of things, but after a couple of months, Matt started to overwhelm me.
‘Let’s take a break before the chaos begins,’ Matt suggested one night in our bed. ‘A family holiday, just the four of us. It will be our little getaway before the big day.’
I didn’t want to leave with so much to do, not to mention work, but I agreed. He really needed it. We booked a trip to a cosy island resort.
The first two days were magical. Ella and Sophie giggled non-stop as they splashed around in the pool, and I enjoyed watching them build sandcastles on the beach with Matt.
‘Dorothy, look!’ Sophie exclaimed, pointing to the sandcastle she had decorated with shells. ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’
‘It’s beautiful,’ I said, taking a picture with my phone.
Matt came over, brushing the sand off his hands. ‘Girls, are you ready for ice cream?’
‘Yes!’ they both shouted in unison, running ahead.
Matt put his arm around my shoulders. “It was a good idea. We needed this.”
I leaned into him. ‘Yes, we really did.’
I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop because I knew that most people don’t have that many perfect family moments. And it happened on the third day of our stay at the resort.
Matt wanted to stay at the hotel that morning. He felt too tired, but the girls were eager to spend more time at the pool. So I took them myself.
But by noon, Matt still hadn’t come down and wasn’t answering my calls, so I gathered the girls and headed back to our floor.
The girls were excitedly chatting about the new friends they had made at the pool. I could barely hear them as I unlocked the door to our room. When I opened it, I froze.
At first, I didn’t notice anything unusual. But my instincts told me that something was wrong. I walked deeper into the room and finally noticed that Matt’s suitcase was gone.
The room had been thoroughly cleaned and our beds made, which meant the cleaning lady had been in. I went into the bathroom and saw only my things and the girls’ things.
His clothes, toiletries, and even his phone charger were gone.
‘Dorothy, where’s Daddy?’ Ella asked, pulling my arm.
My heart was pounding as I shook my head, and finally I noticed a note on the bedside table: ‘I have to disappear. Soon you will understand everything.’
I sank heavily onto the bed, the thick paper trembling in my hands. Disappear? What did that even mean? Was he in danger? Were we in danger?
‘Dorothy, are you okay?’ whispered Sophie, her big eyes full of concern.
I forced a smile, trying to think quickly. What would any guardian do in this situation? Distract the girls.
‘I’m fine, sweetie,’ I replied. ‘Let’s get ready and go downstairs for ice cream. Dad’s probably there too.’
The girls nodded approvingly and went to the bathroom together. That was good. They hadn’t seen my panic, and I couldn’t let them. Not yet. Not until I had answers.
But Matt was really gone, according to the nice delivery man who had seen him with the bags, hailing a taxi. I tried to call him, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but he still didn’t answer.
Later, I finally managed to get the girls to sleep. I assured them that their father would have to go home early, but the lie left a bitter taste in my mouth. Left alone on the balcony, I endlessly scrolled through the messages on my phone.
Still nothing from Matt. I started biting my nails — a habit I hadn’t had in years — as my thoughts raced. Had he chickened out? Was he hiding something?
Just in case, I called reception and asked if there was any news from Matt. There wasn’t. I left a few more messages on his phone. Morning came, and I had no choice but to pack my things and go home.
The flight was agonising. Fortunately, the girls were busy with their colouring books.
‘Will we see Daddy when we get home?’ Ella asked.
I swallowed hard. ‘I’m sure we will, sweetie.’ I hated lying because, to be honest, I had no idea where we were going back to.
When we finally landed, I was exhausted. The taxi ride seemed to take forever, and I was so tired after a sleepless night that I fumbled with the keys several times, trying to unlock the door to our house while balancing the bags.
‘Come on, girls,’ I called, yawning. ‘We’re home.’
But when I stepped inside, I froze.
In the middle of the living room lay a bundle wrapped in a blanket. It was moving.
‘What is that?’ I whispered to myself.
Before I could react, the girls rushed past me.
‘A puppy!’ Ella squealed, dropping her backpack. ‘It’s a puppy!’
The bundle stirred, and a tiny Saint Bernard poked its head out, wagging its tail furiously. Sophie knelt down and giggled when the puppy licked her face.
‘Can we keep it? Please, Dorothy?’ Sophie begged, her eyes wide with excitement.
I was too stunned to respond. But then I saw the note wrapped in the blanket the puppy had forgotten, and I picked it up.
Dorothy, I know this was unexpected, and perhaps I acted too rashly, but let me explain. I was scrolling through my phone at the hotel when I saw that my friend was giving away puppies online. I had to leave immediately to make sure this little one would be ours.
Remember when you told me the story about your childhood Saint Bernard, Max? I couldn’t pass up the chance to bring that joy back into your life, just as you brought love into ours.
Thank you for caring so much for my daughters. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for moving in with me, and thank you for agreeing to be ours forever. I’m sorry I didn’t explain earlier, but I was too upset. Please forgive me and let Max Jr. pet you.
I sank down on the sofa and shook my head, feeling relief wash over my whole body. My silly fiancé scared me half to death! But he did it for a wonderful reason.
Max. I hadn’t thought about him in years. When I was four, Max saved me from drowning during a family picnic. That dog was my hero, my protector. Losing him to old age was terrible.
And now Max Jr. was here, wagging his tail and making the girls laugh.
‘Dorothy, what’s wrong?’ Ella asked, her eyes shining.
I spoke through a tight throat. ‘Nothing, dear. I’m just… surprised.’
A few minutes later, the front door creaked open. Matt walked in, looking sheepish, carrying a bag of puppy supplies.
‘Surprise?’ he said uncertainly.
I got up and ran to him, not knowing what to do: push him away for scaring me, or kiss him senselessly. The kiss won.
‘You could have told me! Do you have any idea what I went through?’ I whispered, gasping for breath after our lips parted.
‘I know, and I’m so sorry,’ Matt said, hugging me tightly around the waist. ‘But I couldn’t risk someone else adopting all the dogs before I had a chance. I had to come back yesterday.’
At that moment, the girls ran up to us, followed by Max Jr.
‘Dad, did you buy us a puppy?’ Ella asked, beaming.
We spread out, and Matt crouched down, ruffling their hair. ‘Yes, baby! What do you think? Nice surprise?’
‘The best!’ Sophie replied and hugged him tightly.
Her sister joined in the hug, and that’s why I couldn’t stay mad. Seeing the joy on their faces melted my disappointment. Still, I wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily.
‘You owe me,’ I warned, poking him in the chest.
Matt grinned. ‘Deal.’
We spent the rest of the evening playing with Max Jr. He chased the girls around the yard, barking happily, and then curled up on the sofa with us to watch a film.
Later, the puppy joined Matt and me in our bed, where he would sleep until the end of his wonderful, amazing life.
Besides, Matt had paid his debt, so to speak, by giving me the best life possible.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalised for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
