When my estranged father, who left 20 years ago, called from his deathbed, I was torn between anger and curiosity. His final wish revealed shocking truths.
I was getting ready for bed when an unfamiliar number called, followed by a text: “ALICE, THIS IS YOUR DAD. PLEASE CALL, I AM IN THE HOSPITAL.” My heart stopped. Dad? After twenty years? Curiosity won, and I called back.
“Dad?”
“Alice, it’s me. I… I don’t have much time.”
“Why are you calling now?”
“I need to explain… to ask something of you. But please, don’t tell your mother.” He revealed that my grandfather paid him to disappear because he thought Dad was a failure. “I took the money to secure your future.”
“Why didn’t you come back?”
“I couldn’t. But I watched from a distance, saw your graduation, your volleyball games.”
I felt my world tilt. “Why didn’t Mom tell me?”
“Maybe she thought she was protecting you.”
“What do you want now?”
“I need to see you, Alice. One last time before I go.”
I decided to go. At the hospital, he looked frail. “Alice,” he whispered.
“Why did you do it, Dad?”
“I thought it was the best way to secure a future for you. I wrote letters every year. They’re in a safety deposit box.”
After his death, I found the letters. They were filled with his regrets and love. I confronted Mom, who admitted she thought it was best for me too.
In the end, I used the money to start a scholarship fund in his name, honoring his memory and sacrifices.
The girl who looked like a doll is now 9 years old – This is her today
When baby Aira was born, her parents knew she was somewhat special. With her blonde hair and big blue eyes, Aira looked stunningly beautiful and many agreed that she resembled a doll.
Although she was still just a baby, her parents decided she should be part of commercials, so they took her to a number of modelling agencies, many of which were interested to work with her.
Almost overnight, photos of Aira flooded social media and people were convinced she wasn’t real but a photoshopped photo of a cute-looking toddler. But Aira was real, and she was dubbed one of the most beautiful girls in the world.
Sadly, her engagements with modelling robbed her of her childhood and everything kids her age did. She didn’t attend kindergarten and was in front of a camera most of the time.
However, as she reached five years of age, modelling agencies were no longer interested in her as she started resembling any child out there. She wasn’t invited to photoshoots and fashion shows.
These days, Aira is nine years old, and she still gets modelling gigs, but it is very rare.
She is active on social media, but there are no photos of her from her early days when she was dubbed doll-girl.
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