Thirteen years ago, I lost my daughter when my wife left me for another man. Yesterday, I received a letter addressed to “Grandpa Steve,” and what I read nearly brought me to my knees.
It had been over a decade since I’d last seen Alexandra. She was just 13 when my ex-wife, Carol, walked out of our lives, taking her with her. I was 37 at the time.
That day is still burned into my memory. It was a sweltering summer afternoon. I came home from work to find Carol sitting quietly at the kitchen table, waiting.
Back then, I was a construction foreman in Chicago. The company wasn’t large, but we tackled everything from roads to buildings. The job was tough—long hours in blazing heat or freezing cold—but I gave it everything I had.
The company was owned by Richard, a sharply dressed man who always wore a forced smile. He flaunted his money—fancy cars, lavish parties—and Carol was drawn to all of it. She loved dressing up, pretending she fit into his world. Me? I never felt like I belonged.
Looking back, maybe I should’ve seen the signs.
“Steve, this isn’t working,” she told me, like she’d rehearsed the line.
I was stunned. “What are you saying?”
She sighed. “I’m leaving. Richard and I are in love. I’m taking Alexandra with me. She deserves more than this.”
Those words—“a better life”—still sting. I worked tirelessly to provide for them. Our home was humble but safe. We had meals, clothes, and love. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was real.
But that wasn’t enough for Carol. She craved more—wealth, comfort, status—and she found all of that with my boss, leaving my world in pieces.
I tried to stay in my daughter’s life, but Carol poisoned her view of me. I suspect she lied, maybe even said I cheated. Whatever it was, Alexandra slowly shut me out. She stopped taking my calls, ignored my letters. Eventually, to her, I simply disappeared.
Grief took its toll. I fell into a dark depression, neglected my health, and ended up in the hospital—facing one surgery after another. The bills were overwhelming, and I had to start selling off everything I had…