When my parents divorced, Dad promised our bond wouldn’t change. At first, it was small disappointments—a missed call,

a forgotten visit. Then he remarried, and his attention shifted to his new wife and her children.

I became an afterthought. Birthdays passed unnoticed, school events were skipped, and even hospital visits were ignored.

Mom was my constant. She stayed up with me during exam stress, cheered at every event, and even learned to braid my hair because it mattered to me.

In middle school, I asked Dad to help pay for a school trip. He agreed, then backed out to buy party supplies for his stepkids.

I stopped asking after that. By senior year, I’d excelled without his support, earning a spot at my dream college.

Before graduation, he offered money for my party, only to withdraw it last minute. I refused to beg. On graduation day,

when top students walked with a mentor, Dad tried to claim the role. Instead, I chose Mike—Mom’s boyfriend—who had been there through everything.

When Dad shouted, “I’m her father!” I calmly replied, “Now you remember?” Then I walked on, knowing real love is proven through actions, not empty promises.