My Ex Showed Up on Father’s Day with His New Girlfriend to Look Like a Great Dad to Our Daughter —

After months of silence, my ex-husband Kyle texted, wanting a Father’s Day visit with our nine-year-old daughter, Emma. His Instagram paints him as Father of the Year, but he hasn’t paid child support in six months or called Emma in weeks. I agreed to the visit, suspecting he was after social media likes. Emma, hurt by his absence, made a Father’s Day card at school but left it unfinished, questioning if she even has a dad. Inspired, she crafted a card for me, calling me her

true parent for always being there. When Kyle arrived with his girlfriend Ava, filming for a perfect reel, Emma gave him the card. His smile faded as he read “Happy Father’s Day… to Mom!” Emma explained I do the real parenting. I handed Kyle a folder of missed payments and court notices. Shocked, Ava confronted him, and they left. Emma and I baked cookies, her words—“You’re both my parents”—making it the best Father’s Day.