At 42, Anya finally dares to love again, only to be met with silence from the man who promised to be there. He vanishes without a word when she needs him the most, leaving her questioning if love is worth the risk after all.
I’ve built a life most would call complete. A successful career as an architect, good friends, and a steady rhythm to my days.
Yet, I’d often feel so lonely in my quiet apartment. My friends would tell me it was about time I found a partner, but I’d never agree.
A woman sitting in her house | Source: Midjourney
“Anya, when was the last time you went on a date?” my friend Lisa teased one day.
“Oh, I think my soulmate must be my drafting table at this point.” I laughed it off, but deep down, her words struck a nerve.
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, seriously. Don’t you miss having someone around?”
I forced a half-smile. “I don’t think it’s in the cards for me. Too much history, too much… complication.”
A woman talking to a friend | Source: Midjourney
I was 25 the last time I was in love.
My high school sweetheart, Stephan, and I had dreams as big as the sky. But life happened. My mom passed away, and grief consumed me.
I still remember Stephan’s last words before he left.
“Anya, I can’t do this anymore,” he’d said in a cold voice. “You’ve changed. You’re just too sad, and I need someone who’s happy. I need someone who’s there for me. Not someone who just spends her entire day crying!”
A young man sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t believe it. Instead of staying with me during the worst time of my life, Stephan chose to walk away.
I didn’t even ask him to stay back. I cried like a baby the night he left me.
However, I soon picked up the broken pieces of my heart and tried to distract my mind by focusing on my work.
As years passed, I told myself I didn’t need a man to be happy. I had a thriving career and became the strong, independent woman I’d dreamed of.
But deep down, I’d feel the ache for something more whenever I’d see couples on the street.
A couple walking on the street | Source: Pexels
Lately, though, it wasn’t just the loneliness bothering me. I’d feel worn down and fatigued and would often get headaches and spells of dizziness.
Lisa and some others nudged me to see a doctor, but I brushed it off as stress from work. After all, a few aches were nothing compared to what I’d been through, right?
A few weeks after Lisa’s pep talk, I found myself at a neighborhood charity event. It was one of those pop-up art galleries that featured local artists.
People in an art gallery | Source: Pexels
I was standing in front of a watercolor painting of a misty mountain when a deep, cheerful voice spoke beside me.
“Not bad, right? Although the brushwork here is, uh, interesting.”
I looked over, meeting the eyes of a man with a mischievous grin and an infectious energy that caught me off guard.
“I’d say unique,” I replied, raising an eyebrow. “I take it you’re an art critic in disguise?”
“History professor, actually,” he laughed. “Liam’s the name. And you?”
A man standing in an art gallery | Source: Midjourney
“Anya,” I said, trying not to smile too much. But something about him drew me in. I guess it was his intelligence.
As we talked, his sense of humor and insight made me feel instantly comfortable. I learned he was a history professor, just 35, but surprisingly mature for his age.
Unlike other men I’d known, he didn’t rush to impress or make advances.
He seemed genuinely interested in art, and in me, without any hidden agenda. There was something refreshingly steady about him.
A man talking to a woman | Source: Midjourney
I told myself he was just a nice guy I’d chat with once and then forget. But that turned out to be wishful thinking.
Over the next few weeks, we kept running into each other at different places. We even started meeting up on purpose.
I found myself looking forward to seeing him in a way I hadn’t felt in years.
One evening at the diner, we were talking over coffee when I asked him about his family.
A woman holding her coffee | Source: Pexels
“They, uh, they’re a bit different,” he told me. “And I don’t see them often.”
He didn’t elaborate, and quickly changed the topic. He rarely mentioned them after that.
It was strange, but I didn’t push. I understood the need to keep some things close to the chest.
Soon, our friendship blossomed into something deeper, something I hadn’t let myself feel in years. Every time I’d catch myself replaying our conversations in my head, I knew it was more than just companionship.
A woman standing in her kitchen | Source: Midjourney
Liam and I were together now. He was my boyfriend, though saying it out loud still felt surreal.
One afternoon, we met up for lunch at a small diner. In the background, the TV was showing a weather report.
Suddenly, I noticed Liam’s attention snap to the screen as the reporter announced, “Cosolia is expected to have a bout of bad weather. Prepare your umbrellas, folks, because this isolated town is sure to become even more closed off with the upcoming rain…”
Liam’s focus sharpened at the mention of the small town.
A man standing in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney
Meanwhile, I’d never heard of the place before.
“You know the place?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah, uh, I’ve been there a few times,” he said. “I didn’t know they were going to have rain right now. Anyway, what are we having for lunch?”
He quickly changed the topic, but it didn’t bother me. I thought it was just the historian in him who was fascinated with odd places.
A man looking away while talking to a woman | Source: Midjourney
After a wonderful evening with Liam, I found myself feeling unusually dizzy and faint. This was different. It was worse than the usual fatigue I’d brushed off as work stress.
My head felt heavy, and for a moment, my vision blurred. That was the day I finally decided it was time to see a doctor.
Sitting in the sterile waiting room, I kept telling myself it was nothing serious.
Just stress, just work, I thought. You’re gonna be okay.
But the doctor’s expression told me otherwise.
A doctor studying a report | Source: Pexels
He explained that the tests showed I had Multiple Sclerosis. The words didn’t sink in right away.
“It’s probably just stress, right?” I laughed weakly.
The doctor told me to calm down before he explained more.
He said words like “tests,” “rare”, and “serious,” but I have no idea what he told me. I could only feel my heart pound against my chest as I looked at him.
A woman in a doctor’s office | Source: Midjourney
At that point, I thought of Liam. He was the one person who’d brought light back into my life. Maybe he’d know what to say to make this all feel less terrifying.
As I left the doctor’s office, I felt tears stream down my cheeks. I quickly sat inside my car and typed out a message to Liam.
A woman using her phone | Source: Pexels
Liam, I need to tell you something. I was at the doctor’s today… they diagnosed me with Multiple Sclerosis. I’m so scared. I don’t even know where to start dealing with this. I thought I’d be okay, but I’m not. I could really use your support right now, babe. Please meet me.
I hit send, praying he’d respond quickly.
Hours passed, though, and my phone stayed silent. By the time night turned to dawn, I was nearly sick with worry.
Maybe he doesn’t want to deal with this, I thought.
A worried woman in her house | Source: Midjourney
Day one turned into day two, then day three, and still, there was no word.
He’s gone silent. Maybe he’s busy, but it’s been days. What if… what if he doesn’t want to deal with this? The thought hit me again, hard. I was alone again.
Memories of Stephan flooded back and his cold words echoed in my mind. “You’re just too sad, and I need someone who’s happy.”
Was I about to lose Liam the same way?
A worried woman | Source: Midjourney
Desperation took over, and I combed through his social media, looking for any sign of life. I called him repeatedly, but it went to voicemail. I even went to his apartment, but his neighbor told me he’d left suddenly.
“Why would he just leave without a word? Did my illness scare him that much?” I whispered to myself.
The pain of abandonment was too familiar. I was convinced Liam had chosen to walk away, just when I needed him the most.
On the fourth day, just as I was starting to accept that Liam had disappeared, my phone finally rang. His name lit up the screen.
A woman looking at her phone | Source: Midjourney
“Anya, I’m so sorry. I had to leave in such a rush,” he started, his voice sounding strained and exhausted. “My grandmother… she lives in Cosolia. She got really sick, and I just—”
Cosolia. That small town on the weather report, the one that had captured his attention at the diner. It all clicked, but the anger I’d felt these past days pushed through.
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Do you have any idea what that did to me, Liam?” I interrupted. “You just vanished. I thought… I thought you were gone. Like everyone else.”
There was a pause, and his voice softened when he spoke again.
“I know, Anya. And I hate that I put you through that. I wanted to reach out, but everything went wrong. The storm knocked out all the power, the roads flooded… I couldn’t get to you.” His words poured out in a rush. “I couldn’t even find a working phone. The whole area was cut off.”
A man talking on the phone | Source: Pexels
Was he telling the truth? I wondered, feeling a flicker of doubt. Why hadn’t he ever mentioned this grandmother before? Or even that she lived in Cosolia? And what about all those times I’d asked about his family… why had he dodged my questions? Was he hiding more? My mind raced with questions, one after another. Should I trust him?
“Anya? Are you there?” His voice broke into my thoughts, pulling me back.
I took a breath. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about your family, Liam? Every time I asked, you brushed it off.”
A woman talking to her boyfriend on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Because…” he sighed. “I was ashamed. My family doesn’t have much. They live in a small town, and I thought you’d see me differently if you knew. My life’s messy, Anya. I didn’t want you to see that part of me.”
I stayed quiet for a moment, letting his words sink in. The sincerity in his words felt real.
“Liam,” I said softly, “I’m not the kind of person who judges someone for where they come from or how much they have. I care about you for who you are.”
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
“Thank you, Anya,” he said before taking a deep breath. “That… means everything to me. I’ll be back by tomorrow. And I’ll be here for you, for whatever you need.”
When Liam returned the next day, he came straight to my place. We sat on the couch and talked about everything. About my diagnosis, his family, and our fears.
And for the first time, I let down my walls completely.
“I don’t want to be a burden, Liam,” I said quietly, tears brimming. “You didn’t sign up for this…”
He took my hand and looked straight into my eyes.
A man holding his girlfriend’s hands | Source: Pexels
“Anya, life isn’t about ‘signing up’ for things. It throws us surprises. Good and bad. And I’m not going anywhere.” He squeezed my hand gently. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll be here with you, for as long as you need me.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I looked at him.
“I’m so sorry for putting you through this, Liam,” I managed to say between sobs. “I…”
He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. It was exactly the kind of hug I needed at that moment.
A man hugging his girlfriend | Source: Pexels
A few days later, Liam drove me to my next doctor’s appointment. He opened the door for me and held my hand as we entered the office.
For the first time in years, I had someone standing by my side during one of the lowest points of my life. Someone who wouldn’t leave if I cried too much. Someone who was ready to accept both the good and the messy sides of me.
I don’t know what I did to deserve a person like Liam. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.
A man smiling at his girlfriend | Source: Midjourney
If you enjoyed reading this story, here’s another one you might like: Inheriting her beloved grandmother’s house, Claire pours her heart into its renovation for her mom. But the unexpected return of her estranged sister, Emma, after fourteen years, with a demand for a share of the inheritance, throws Claire’s plans into turmoil. What will she do now?
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Old Man Goes to Visit Daughter for His 80th Birthday, She Doesn’t Let Him Enter Her House – Story of the Day
Richard visits his daughter to celebrate his eightieth birthday with her, but she answers the door in tears and sends him away. Richard suspects trouble and realizes he’s right after peeking through her front windows.
Richard tapped his fingers nervously against the steering wheel as he drove. Deidre used to drive down every Thanksgiving, but that stopped after his wife’s funeral four years ago. Now, there were only weekly calls.
Richard spread his arms wide as Deidre appeared in the doorway. “Surprise!” he yelled.
“Dad? What are you doing here?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I came to celebrate my birthday with you…it’s the big eight-o!” Richard replied, but the joy in his voice trailed off quickly. “What’s wrong, honey? Why are you crying?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“It’s nothing; everything’s fine,” Deidre quickly wiped her tears and smiled a little. “I just…I wasn’t expecting you, and this isn’t really a good time. Sorry, Dad, but I, uh, need to focus. On my work. Look, I’ll call you. We’ll have dinner later, okay? Sorry.”
Deidre shut the door, leaving Richard hurt and confused. Something was terribly wrong. Was Deidre in trouble?
Richard stepped back from the front door but didn’t leave. He stepped over the short, flowering shrubs lining the path and snuck up to peek through the windows.
Two rough-looking men were in the sitting room with Deidre.
“Who was that?” One of them asked in a rough voice.
“Nobody,” Deidre lied in a shaky voice. “Just a neighbor’s kid…pulling a doorbell prank and running away.”
“Back to business then,” the second man said. “You’re now six months behind on your loan repayments, Deidre. Mr. Marco’s getting impatient.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“I just need more time. Business is sure to pick up again in the winter,” she pleaded.
“Time is one thing you haven’t got, sweetie,” the man replied, pulling out his gun. “People who owe Mr. Marco money don’t have a great life expectancy and end up feeding the fishes in the lake…” He pointed the weapon at her.
Terror froze Richard in place. But soon, the man stepped back with a look of disgust and tucked the gun away in the waistband of his trousers.
“Look around this dump and see if there’s anything valuable we can take to Mr. Marco, Danny,” he ordered. “She’s a businesswoman, so there must be a computer or some kind of equipment around here.”
”But I need those things!” she cried. “I can’t make money without my equipment!”
The man patted the butt of his gun. ”Boo-Hoo. I can still change my mind, you know. Don’t be ungrateful, now.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
The men ransacked her home before they stormed out, leaving Deidre curled up sobbing on the floor.
Nothing made sense to Richard because Deidre’s business was doing well. At least that’s what she had told him. But now, Richard could sense something was amiss. Deidre needed his help.
The men loaded several appliances from Deidre’s home in their vehicle.
When they finally drove away, Richard followed them.
The men stopped at a two-storeyed brick building downtown that looked like a bar. While it was closed, the door was unlocked. No one on the staff stopped Richard as he entered the building.
The men had joined a large table where several other rough-looking men were seated. One of them stood and swaggered toward him.
“The club’s closed,” he growled. “Come back later.”
“I’m here to discuss Deidre’s debt,” Richard announced.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Oh?” The man seated at the head of the table rose and stared at Richard. He looked like a gentleman except for a nasty scar above his left eye. Richard guessed he was Mr. Marco.
”How much does she owe you?” Richard asked.
Mr. Marco smirked. “A good samaritan, huh? Deidre took out a business loan of $80,000 from me. She was supposed to pay me back from her monthly profits, only she never made any.”
”I have around $20,000 in my savings,” Richard gulped fearfully, shaken Deidre had borrowed such a big sum.
”That’s only a quarter of what she owes us.” Mr. Marco sighed. “But there’s something you can do to make up the difference.”
Richard didn’t like the sound of that, but he had to do whatever it took to save his daughter from the mess she’d gotten herself into.
”What do you want me to do?” he asked.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Mr. Marco grinned at Richard and beckoned him closer to the table.
”My partner and I recently started a small business importing cars to Canada, but some of the paperwork has been delayed, so we’re having difficulties getting the…’merchandise’…across the border. A kind, innocent-looking Grandpa like you should have no trouble crossing the border in one of our cars.”
Richard had no choice but to agree. Later that night, he pulled into a gas station near the border town to use the bathroom and parked beside a patrol.
“Jesus!” he gasped as the German Shepherd in the back of the police cruiser began barking at him and pawing at the window.
Service dogs were trained not to bark at random people unless…Oh, man.
He quickly climbed back in the car, a Valiant, and started reversing as the police dog went crazy.
Two cops hurried out of the gas station store and yelled at him to stop as they glanced at him. The GPS app voiced directions, but Richard shoved it in his pocket to silence the darn thing.
He pushed the Valiant to its limits as he wove through traffic, leaving a trail of outraged drivers and narrowly avoided collisions in his wake. The sirens blared behind him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Richard soon spotted a narrow, unmarked dirt road veering into the forest ahead. He sharply turned, leaving the road behind him as he raced into the forest. The muddy trails were awful to navigate, but Richard pushed on.
He turned down a narrow track leading downhill. Then, he turned up a slight rise and instantly regretted it.
The car was now stuck in a precarious position, balanced on a narrow rise above a wide river. Richard tried to reverse back the way he came, but the tires spun without getting traction.
In fact, the car was sliding closer to the water.
“No!” Richard desperately pulled up the parking brake, but it didn’t work.
The car’s nose hit the river with a loud splash, sending a wave of dark water flooding over the bonnet. Richard shoved the car door open, desperate to escape the sinking vehicle.
The pressure from the water started to push the car door shut against Richard’s legs. Richard splashed around in panic as the river filled the interior.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
As the water level crept up his face, he tipped his head back, took one last breath, and pulled himself underwater.
Richard squeezed himself out of the opening and pushed himself up toward the surface. He took in a lungful of air and swam toward the river bank.
Reaching land made Richard realize how close he was to death. He was thankfully breathing. But he still needed to do something about the $80,000. So Richard hitchhiked home.
”I need to mortgage my house,” he told the bank assistant. ”And I need the cash in my bank account fast.”
Richard waited impatiently as the bank employee processed the paperwork. He jumped in fright when Deidre called him.
“Some thugs from a local gang were just here asking about you, Dad…what is happening?”
“Tell them I’ll be there soon. I arranged to pay off your debt for you. I don’t understand why you didn’t come to me first, Deidre, but this isn’t the time to discuss that.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Richard ended the call and signed the paperwork. He didn’t want to give up the home where he had created memories with his family, but it was the only way to help Deidre.
A few hours later, he pulled into the club’s parking lot in a rented car and headed toward the entrance.
”Dad, wait!” Richard looked back as Deidre ran toward him.
”I won’t let you face those thugs alone,” she said. ”I still don’t understand how you found out about this mess or how you got the money to repay them, but the least I can do is stand by you while you save me.”
Richard studied the determined look in Deidre’s eyes and knew he couldn’t convince her to leave. As they entered the club, the thugs herded him and Deidre toward the table.
Richard placed his duffel bag, which contained the cash he’d withdrawn after the mortgage went through, and put it on the table.
”Here’s the $80,000 Deidre owed you plus another $15,000 to cover the cost of your car. I, uh, got into some trouble, and the car ended up in a river.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Mr. Marco’s mouth twisted angrily, and he thumped his fist against the table.
“You have the audacity to offer me a measly $15,000? After you come in here and tell me you sank the $100,000 shipment hidden in that car? That doesn’t even BEGIN to cover what you now owe me.”
The gangster grabbed the duffel bag and threw it to one of his thugs.
”You know, Deidre, I really believed in you, but sometimes, in business, you’ve got to know when to cut your losses.”
He removed a gun from his suit jacket and pointed it straight at Deidre’s forehead.
Richard pulled Deidre behind him. “No, please! This is all my fault! Don’t punish her!”
”Well, you made a good point.” The gangster shrugged, and the next moment, Richard was staring down the gun barrel.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
But suddenly, they heard police sirens outside.
Mr. Marco turned and ran toward the back of the club as loud gunfire boomed and shook the place.
Father and daughter crawled under the table. There was chaos in the club, and as Richard looked into his daughter’s fear-filled eyes, he knew he had to get her to safety, no matter what.
Richard and Deidre pulled one of the tables over and barricaded themselves in a corner. They hid there until the police escorted them to safety. Thankfully, Mr. Marco was apprehended.
”Are you certain you don’t have any heart-related health issues?” Richard shook his head at the paramedic while in the ambulance.
Richard swallowed hard when the police detective approached the ambulance.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
“Sir, what were you and your daughter doing in this club today?” the detective asked sternly.
Richard explained about Deidre’s loan and how they’d come to the club that day to repay it. He hoped he might get away with not mentioning the car he sank in the river.
The detective glanced at Deidre. “If we hadn’t found a car full of contraband in the river, we wouldn’t have been here to rescue you. You shouldn’t be taking loans from such disreputable people, miss.”
“A car in the river?” Richard asked nervously.
“It was registered to Mr. Marco’s cousin, which was exactly the lede we needed to take this gang down,” replied the officer.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Richard sighed in relief. He was in the clear.
The cops let him and Deidre go once they provided their statements.
”I owe you a huge apology, Dad. I dragged you into this whole mess,” Deidre apologized as they walked to the front, where Richard’s car was parked.
Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t know how to tell you. How does anyone tell their father that they’re a huge failure?”
“You are not a failure!” Richard put his hands on Deidre’s shoulders. ”Maybe your business idea didn’t work out as well as you’d hoped, but you tried, Deidre. I wish you’d felt comfortable enough to tell me what was really going on in your life. Heck, I just wish you felt you could be as close with me as you were with your mother,” he continued. ”I don’t think you’ve been ‘fine’ for quite a while now.”
Deidre burst into tears, and Richard put an arm around her. “It’s okay, honey,” he whispered soothingly. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
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