The late afternoon sun illuminated the living room as I sorted through the mail, and Serena arrived early from her job. She brought her usual energy and the sweet scent of vanilla with her. I was always excited for her monthly visits.
“Hey, Dad! You won’t believe what happened with Jessica…” she started, but noticed my unease. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I replied. “Go on.”
She paused. “Actually, I met someone—Edison. He’s amazing, and we want to get married. But…”
“But?” I asked, sensing something was wrong.
“He’s sixty.”
The shock hit me hard. My 18-year-old daughter with a 60-year-old? I struggled to process it. “Sixty, Serena? Don’t you see the problem?”
“Age doesn’t define love, Dad. Edison makes me feel seen and cared for,” she argued.
“Please, meet him, Dad. You’ll love him.”
Despite my concerns, I agreed to meet Edison. But when I overheard a conversation between Edison and a woman named Annie, I learned that Edison was using Serena for a bet to clear his gambling debts. Furious, I rushed to Serena, but she was defensive, accusing me of not being there for her growing up.
Determined to protect her, I hired a private investigator, who uncovered Edison’s dark past. I confronted Edison at a casino, using a fake identity to warn him off. Reluctantly, he agreed to stay away from Serena. But when I found out about their engagement party, I knew the battle wasn’t over.
At the party, I confronted Edison, but he threatened to expose my past mistakes to Serena. Feeling defeated, I ran into Annie, who revealed how much Edison had destroyed her life with his gambling. She agreed to help me expose him.
On the wedding day, our plan unfolded perfectly. As Edison tried to marry Serena, people stood up to reveal his lies, and Serena finally saw the truth. Devastated, she left, and Edison was arrested.
Later, I offered Serena a plane ticket to Boston for her dream of studying fashion design. “It’s time to start over,” I said, relieved to have saved her from a terrible mistake.
This experience reminded me how important it is to always be there for your kids, no matter the cost.