The man at my door had hard eyes and a crooked smile. He didn’t introduce himself so much as drop a bomb: “It’s me. Your father. I’m here to claim half of everything you own.”

I stared at him, stunned. This was the man who’d vanished from my life twenty-five years ago, the ghost from my foster care nightmares. He spoke like I should thank him for “letting me go” so I could be “adopted by a rich family.” I laughed bitterly. “You abandoned me. You didn’t give me a future—you gave me scars.”

Before he could reply, my husband Daniel appeared, our toddler’s toy in one hand. His voice was calm but sharp as a blade. “She wasn’t adopted by a rich family. She was dumped into foster care. We met there, fought our way out together, and built this life from nothing. You don’t get to rewrite history or take a dime from her.”

The man faltered, his arrogance draining away. Daniel stepped closer. “She owes you nothing. Now get off my property.” Shoulders slumped, my so-called father left. When Daniel shut the door, I crumbled into his arms. He kissed my hair. “You built this life. We built it. And no one—especially him—gets to take that away.”