I Became the Father of 9 Girls After My First Love Passed Away – What They Had Hidden From Me Left Me Speechless
“After our brief night together in high school… I got pregnant.”
The words blurred for a second before I forced myself to focus again. I stopped reading and lifted my eyes toward Mia. She, like the others, was watching me in anticipation. I looked back down at the letter.
“I told myself I was protecting you. That I was giving you a chance at a different life.
But the truth is… I was scared. If I ever got the chance, I would’ve told you everything. I would’ve told you that I never stopped loving you. You deserved to know that. If you’re reading this now… I’m sorry it took this long.
And I hope, somehow, you found your way to us.
—Charlotte.”
“I told myself I was protecting you.”
A tear slipped down before I could stop it. Nine faces looked back at me, waiting.
I lowered the letter slowly. Then, I got up and walked toward Mia.
“You knew?” I asked quietly.
She nodded. “We figured it out when we read the letters. But we didn’t know how to tell you.”
I looked at her. And suddenly… things made sense. The way she carried herself and looked at me sometimes, as if there was something unspoken between us.
“You knew?”
Then I pulled her tightly into my arms.
“I don’t need a DNA test.”
Mia let out a broken laugh. “I know.”
I pulled back and gestured for the other eight to join us, and we shared a huge hug!
“You’re all my daughters,” I said. “That doesn’t change anything.”
And it didn’t.
“You’re all my daughters.”
***
I folded my first love‘s letter carefully and set it on the table.
Mia wiped her eyes. “I thought you’d be more shocked.”
“I am,” I admitted. “I just… don’t feel lost.”
That seemed to surprise them.
One of the younger ones, Nelly, asked, “You’re not upset?”
“No,” I said honestly. “I think I spent enough years being upset about things I didn’t understand.”
“I thought you’d be more shocked.”
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