My Ex Showed Up on Father’s Day with His New Girlfriend to Look Like a Great Dad to Our Daughter — So I Let Him Embarrass Hims

Kyle, an absent father, texted about visiting on Father’s Day after weeks of silence. I agreed for Emma’s sake, though she struggled with a half-finished card for a dad who rarely showed up. On Sunday, Kyle arrived with cologne, a gift bag, and his girlfriend Ava filming, giving Emma a trendy water bottle. When Emma presented her card reading “Happy Father’s Day… to Mom,”

citing my constant care, Kyle’s smile faded. I handed him a folder of missed payments and a lawyer’s letter. Ava, shocked, accused Kyle of lying about custody. They left quietly. Later, Emma asked if she erred; I reassured her, and we baked cookies, brushing off glitter and pain. Tucking her in, she called me both her parents—a truth no staged post could overshadow.