At her mother’s funeral, Vanessa met her biological father who had never known about her. She lived with him for a while until things took a turn and she was sent to foster care. Then, another man showed up revealing something shocking. Vanessa was crying quietly on the first pew of the chapel in Orlando her grandparents had rented for the memorial service. Her mom, Lucia, died.
She was only 30 years old and lost her battle with cancer. At 13, Vanessa felt alone despite having amazing grandparents. Her mom had been her best friend. However, she’d never known her father. Lucy said she was a stupid 17-year-old when she got pregnant and decided not to tell him because they’d already broken up.
They graduated before Lucy’s stomach grew and never saw each other again. “Vanessa, do you want something to drink, honey?” her grandmother asked gently, sitting down next to her. “No, grandma,” she responded. Vanessa saw her grandfather coming to talk to them when another man approached them too.
“Hello,” he said. “Are you Mr. and Mrs. Granville?” “Yes, my name is Edward, and I believe I’m Vanessa’s father,” the man revealed.
The teenager’s jaw went slack, and both her grandparents stood around the man asking for further explanation. It turns out Lucy had reached out to him when she knew her end was coming and told him everything. “I don’t want Vanessa to grow up alone, and I can step up now,” Edward said, smiling slightly at the young girl who didn’t know what to think. But over the next few days, Edward made a convincing argument as he wanted to bond with a daughter he hadn’t met before. Vanessa didn’t exactly want to live with a stranger, but her grandparents encouraged the relationship.
She felt like there was no other option, and she moved in with him. In the end, luckily, Edward seemed friendly and gave her plenty of space. He wasn’t the warmest father and didn’t show much interest in her, but she was okay with that. She was mourning her mother, and unfortunately, her troubles were about to begin. A few months later, both her grandparents died in a tragic accident, and Edward’s attitude changed completely.
He was awful to her and didn’t want anything to do with her. Eventually, he called CPS, told her he wasn’t her father, and Vanessa was removed from their home. They placed her in a foster home with a kind couple. Now she felt utterly alone in the world. Her only solace was the considerable trust her grandparents had left her, which she would be able to access when she turned 18.
At the least, she could look forward to the future. One night during dinner, the doorbell rang, and her foster mother, Hannah, got up from the table to open it. A strange man was at the door, and Vanessa looked up from her plate. “Yes?” Hannah asked, looking at the man on her porch.
“Hello, yes, my name’s Edward, and I’m here to see Vanessa,” the man answered. “Vanessa’s father?” That Edward?” Hannah asked, her forehead creasing. She’d only ever heard terrible things about the man and got worried.
“Maybe you should leave, or I’ll call the police,” Hannah said. “Please let me explain the situation,” the man said. “Vanessa, you don’t have to see this man anymore,” Hannah told her and looked back at the man. “That’s not my father, Hannah,” Vanessa spoke up, getting up from the table and approaching the adults near the door. “Oh, okay, well, I don’t know what to say,” Hannah looked at them.
“Who are you?” Vanessa asked, her eyebrows creasing. “I’m the real Edward, Vanessa,” he said, and the girl scoffed. “What do you mean, the real Edward? The Edward that introduced himself to your family who was hired by my wife, soon to be ex-wife,” Edward explained.
“I’m still lost,” Vanessa continued. “Please come in, sir. Let’s talk about this further,” Hannah invited, closing the door and gesturing for Edward to sit down. Once they got situated, Edward began, “I recently went through old messages on my Facebook and discovered that your mother had written to me, but the person who answered her was my wife, not me. Lucy wanted me to meet you, but I was away on a business trip.
My wife apparently told her that.” “Okay,” Vanessa said. “Well, apparently, my wife got one of her friends to play the part of Edward so no one would come looking for me. She thought your grandparents would reach out to ask for child support or something,” the man continued. “The man I lived with for months was a complete stranger?
Why would he pretend for so long?” the teenager said. “Yes, I believe he was going to take your grandparents’ money. I only discovered this recently when I confronted my wife. She let the details spill out and implied her friend wanted money.
I don’t know what happened with that,” Edward finished. “My grandparents placed everything in a trust that only I can touch at 18,” Vanessa said. “That’s why he changed after they died,” she stated, shaking her head. “That’s awful,” Edward continued. “But now, I’m sorry, but I can’t trust you to be my father.
I’ve been duped once already. Let’s get a DNA test. I want everything out in the open. And if you have a good situation here, I wouldn’t dare pull you out. We can take things slow, or you can choose.
I mean, you’re old enough to decide. I’m open to anything you want,” Edward’s voice sounded sincere. Vanessa smiled reluctantly at him and nodded. They got the test done, and the results confirmed everything. It took a few months, but Vanessa eventually moved into his house.
Thanks to Hannah’s encouragement, the kind woman only wanted the best for her. Edward was great to Vanessa, and they bonded over their love of football. It was not too late to form a father-daughter relationship, and he only wished that Lucy had told him the truth back then. He could have helped. [Music] foreign [Music]
Read More: Sick Dad Learns Daughter Has Cancer Too, Is Forced to Choose between Saving Himself or His Daughter