William was in no hurry. The day was splendid. The sun blazed with a summer-like warmth. In the park, under the shade of a maple tree, he settled onto a bench. Closing his eyes, he sat quietly for a couple of minutes. The workday was behind him. He could finally unwind. Cooking dinner tonight didn’t appeal to him. The weekend stretched ahead. Mentally, he scanned the nearby cafés. His favorite was the cozy “Lotus.” The food there was delicious. The menu wasn’t extensive, but the service was quick. And, if he felt like it, he could always take food to go.
His thoughts were interrupted by a faint rustle. Cracking his eyes open slightly, he noticed a young woman pushing a stroller pass by. She sat down on the same bench, a little further away. Immediately, she pulled out her phone, and the world around her seemed to vanish.
William discreetly observed her from the side.
So young, barely a woman—more like a teenager. Motherhood hadn’t yet softened her figure with curves. Tall, with long, light-colored hair.
The child stirred in the stroller and let out a small cry. The woman didn’t react right away. It was clear her phone held more of her attention than her baby. Reluctantly, she leaned forward, retrieved a lost pacifier, and the infant began to suck on it eagerly.
“She’s probably thirsty. It’s so hot…” William thought unexpectedly.
No one noticed the storm cloud rolling in. Suddenly, lightning split the sky, and thunder cracked directly overhead. A gust of wind heralded a torrential downpour. Neither William nor the woman with the child had an umbrella. She froze, unsure of what to do.
— To the bus stop! Run! — he shouted, grabbing the stroller and sprinting toward the park’s exit. It was no more than thirty meters, but they were soaked to the bone.
The child began to cry, likely frightened by the thunder. The mother scooped her up. It was a girl, about three or four months old. Her clothes were drenched too.
— She’s so little; she could catch a cold. Let me invite you to a café nearby. Do you have anything dry to change her into? The young mother nodded eagerly:
— Yes, in the bag. I hope it didn’t get wet. — She offered a shy smile.
“She’s practically a kid herself…” William felt a pang of pity for her.
That’s how he met Emily. After that, he often ran into her with the stroller in the park. It was as if she’d casually steer her way toward him. They’d walk for hours, sometimes dining at the café.
Emily was a single mother, living in a factory dormitory. She’d only been given a room because of her daughter. She wasn’t local—originally from out of town. A husband? Never had one.
William wasn’t drawn to her romantically, but he grew deeply attached to her daughter, little Sophie. Emily even trusted him to watch Sophie while she ran errands for an hour or two. One day, a colleague spotted him with the child.
— Whoa, Will, you’re a family man now? Boy or girl? — James was genuinely delighted.
— My little girl. — The words came out tenderly, and in that moment, William almost believed the warm, tiny bundle in his arms was his own flesh and blood.
One day, he noticed Emily was unusually quiet. She wasn’t chattering about trivial things or beaming like a child over ice cream. It took some time for her to open up. The dormitory was closing. It was being transferred to another authority due to factory layoffs. They’d given her one week to find a new place and move out.
— They’re supposed to provide alternative housing, aren’t they? You’ve got a baby, after all. — The news stunned William.
— Who’s going to provide anything? No one cares about us.
— I care. — The decision came to him instantly. — Let’s go pack your things. Are you okay within that?
A couple of hours later, Emily and Sophie were at his place. They had barely any belongings. “I need to get these girls some proper clothes,” William thought before sinking into a deep sleep.
Late that fall, they quietly got married. William adopted Sophie, giving her his last name and patronymic.
His relationship with Emily never went beyond friendship. Neither of them sought more from the other. After work or on weekends, he devoted himself entirely to his daughter.
Emily, meanwhile, would go out to “unwind.” She was exhausted from caring for a child all day.
— Will, I might stay over at Sarah’s tonight. You don’t mind, do you? — Her voice was soft and sweet in that moment.
— No, I don’t mind. — It didn’t matter to him. It meant he’d have the weekend alone with Sophie. She was his only concern. He even gave Emily some money, hoping she’d stay at “Sarah’s” longer. He’d long suspected Emily had a man in her life, but the fear of losing Sophie sealed his lips. He stayed silent.
When Sophie turned three, she started preschool. William drove her there and picked her up himself.
Emily got a job as a waitress at a café. She earned enough for herself, while William provided for Sophie.
Preschool soon gave way to preparations for elementary school. By then, Emily was gone for weeks at a time. When she returned, she was distant with Sophie, sometimes barely acknowledging her.
William was planning to buy an apartment closer to the city center, where he’d already chosen a school. He wasn’t sure what to do with his current two-bedroom place. Maybe rent it out? His finances allowed him to keep it without selling.
One night, Emily came home late, slightly tipsy. William met her in the kitchen:
— Emily, you’ve completely forgotten about Sophie. A mother shouldn’t act this way. — He struggled to keep his emotions in check.
— Shouldn’t!? How am I supposed to act when my whole life’s gone wrong?! And that daughter ruined it! — Her voice rose to a hysterical shriek.
— Don’t shout! You’ll wake Sophie. — He didn’t want his daughter to see her mother drunk.
— Two men assaulted me in a filthy underpass… I was only seventeen… I came to the city for college, failed the exams, went to work at the factory. And then this… — She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably from self-pity.
— I don’t even know which of them is her father. I was too scared to get an abortion. I don’t remember the birth—they did a C-section. I wanted to leave her at the hospital, but they promised me a dorm room as a single mother. I feel nothing for her! I want to forget it all, but I can’t! Every time I look at Sophie, I wonder, ‘Which of those two is her father?’
In the doorway stood Sophie. From the look on her face, she hadn’t been asleep and had heard everything.
— Daddy, Daddy! You won’t leave me, will you?! — She ran to him, clinging tightly. Her small body trembled, her tearful, frightened eyes searching his from below. — You won’t leave me, will you?
William scooped her up and held her close to his heart:
— Sweetheart, what are you saying? I live for you! My little sunshine! Never, ever think that, do you hear me? I love you, my little kitten! — Sophie relaxed in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
— My Daddy.
William and Sophie moved into the new apartment. The old two-bedroom, he signed over to Emily in exchange for her relinquishing all rights to Sophie, including visitation.
That was what Emily herself wanted.
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