I Found a Note in My Daughters Backpack Saying, I am Your Real Dad, Come and See Me After School, I Went Pale When I Found Out Who Did It

“Lily, wait.” His voice trembled slightly. “You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”

For a moment, her hand hovered on the doorknob. Trent’s heart leapt—maybe she’d finally open up. But she stiffened instead, gave a hollow nod, and left without another word.

That silence weighed heavily on Trent. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure out what.

Later that afternoon, Trent was cleaning up Lily’s room, intending to do her laundry. When he picked up her backpack, it felt unusually heavy. Curious, he unzipped it, sifting through the jumble of papers and discarded snacks. Then, a worn, folded piece of paper slipped out from a side pocket. His heart sank.

He unfolded it, and his pulse quickened.

“I’m your real dad. Come and see me the last Monday of September behind the school.”

Trent’s world tilted. His mind raced—what did this mean? Real dad? The note felt like a punch to the gut. Kate, his late wife, had been gone for six years, and she’d never mentioned anything like this. Could she have hidden such a devastating secret?

Doubt flooded him. He couldn’t believe Kate would betray him, but the note was real. Someone had written it with the intention of upending his life. He stared at the date—two days away. He had to find out who was behind this.

Two days later, Trent sat in his car, parked near the school, his nerves stretched to the breaking point. He hated spying on his daughter, but he needed answers. As he watched, Lily walked hesitantly toward the back of the schoolyard, her body language tense and unsure. And then, he saw him—a man waiting by the fence, slouched, but familiar.