I’ve been raising my 9-year-old daughter, Lily, alone since my wife, Kate, passed away. Lately, she’d been distant and going through my things. Then, while doing laundry, I found a crumpled note in her backpack: “I’m your real dad. Meet me behind the school, last Monday of September.” Shocked, I decided to follow her after school.

Lily went to the back of the school and met Jeff, a recently fired coworker. He claimed to be her real father, saying Kate wanted her to know. Furious, I confronted him, but he insisted Lily deserved the truth. After digging into Jeff’s background, I found he had a history of manipulation and had been fired for falsifying information.

Relieved, I reassured Lily that I would always be her dad. Later, I learned from the police that Jeff was arrested for stalking another family. It was a difficult experience, but Lily and I are moving forward together.