My name is Mark, I am 42 years old, and the story I want to tell happened last Thursday. I still don’t understand how it happened, but let’s start from the beginning.
Eighteen years ago, Lauren, my wife, left me and our newborn twin daughters, Emma and Clara. Both were blind, and her decision to leave us came as a real shock to me. She left to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. She left me with two children who needed not only a lot of love, but also special care.
Life was very difficult, but I didn’t give up. I decided to do everything I could to ensure that my daughters never felt unloved or deprived of anything in their lives. Every day, I tried to give them everything they needed, taught them, played with them and helped them explore the world in whatever way was possible for them.
Over time, we managed to create our own little world with Emma and Clara. We learned to sew. Years later, we had our own little sewing workshop at home, full of fabrics, threads and finished products. Every piece of fabric was a precious treasure to us because we could create something special with it. Every day was filled with joy and creativity, despite our difficulties.
But one day, on Thursday morning, the phone rang.
I wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door, and there she was. Lauren. She stood there as if nothing had changed. Her gaze immediately scanned our modest home, and a look of dissatisfaction appeared on her face. She seemed disappointed.
‘Mark… you’re still the same loser,’ she said, looking at me haughtily. ‘Are you still living in this poverty? You’re a man, you should be earning money, building something big! And you? Just sitting here and… sewing cheap things?’
I didn’t answer. I just looked at her, letting her words hang in the air. I didn’t want to argue because I knew that her return was never about us, never about the family.
‘I came back for my daughters!’ she said with a mocking smile. ‘I have something for them.’
She took out two stylish designer dresses and a thick wad of cash. Her smile grew even wider, as if she was waiting for my reaction.
‘Girls, you can have this,’ she said, as if she was giving them the greatest gift in the world. ‘But there’s one condition…’
My heart sank as I looked at Emma and Clara. They didn’t understand what was going on, didn’t know what her words really meant. They just wanted those dresses, to feel important and beautiful. But I knew there was something much worse behind it. Something I didn’t want for my daughters.
Lauren took out a piece of paper with her conditions written on it. I felt the air become heavy, as if the whole world had slowed down. I knew her well. I knew she hadn’t come back out of love, that she had her own agenda. But I couldn’t let my daughters become victims of her decisions.
Instead of responding immediately, I took the piece of paper and looked at it. Then I turned to Lauren and said:
‘Lauren, over the years I’ve learned that the most important things are love and family. You left to search for something you didn’t find in us. And us? We’re here, together, creating our own world. Our life isn’t perfect, but it’s full of love and passion. Emma, Clara and I don’t want what you’re offering.’
Lauren stood there, surprised by my words. She was sure she could come back, take the girls and get her life back. But now it wasn’t that simple.
‘Mark, I… I don’t know what to say…’ she said, not looking at me. ‘I didn’t think about it that way.’
‘I know you never thought about us that way, Lauren,’ I replied calmly. ‘But now it’s too late to change anything. I raised Emma and Clara, and they don’t want to be part of your world, which was never theirs. We have everything we need — love, security, and each other.’
Lauren’s gaze shifted to the girls standing next to me. Emma gently took Clara’s hand and looked at her mother with a curious, concerned look.
‘I’m sorry, Mum,’ Emma said, not understanding what was going on. ‘But we don’t want to go back. We have Dad, we have each other, we have our own world.’
Lauren looked at them for a moment, as if trying to understand what had changed. Then, with a quiet sigh, she turned and left the flat.
When the door closed, I felt a huge sense of relief. My daughters looked at me, smiling broadly.
‘Dad, this is our place, right?’ asked Clara.
‘Yes, sweetheart. This is our place. And it always will be,’ I replied, hugging them both.
It was a moment that will remain in my heart forever. I no longer had to fight for anything. I had everything that was important to me — my family.
