No one remembered her when she was little, but the moment she began earning money, her parents suddenly reappeared.
They had spent her entire childhood debating where to place her. She had arrived in their lives at the worst possible timeunwanted, inconvenient. At first, her grandmother helped care for her, but after the old woman suffered a stroke, there was no one left to raise the little girl. Their modest pensions and meagre wages werent enough to care for an ill adult, let alone a child. Within months, the decision was madeEmily would be sent to an orphanage, just for a little while.
*”Youll stay here while your father and I sort things out,”* her mother had said, voice tight.
Emily believed them. She waited. But life in the home was no fairy tale. No private rooms, no tenderness, no comfortjust shared spaces and strict routines, more like a prison than a refuge. She never made friends; the staff barely noticed her. To survive, Emily buried herself in books donated by charities, losing herself in stories that felt kinder than reality.
School became her escape. She earned top marks, and when she secured a university place, relief flooded herfinally, a way out. Money was tight, but she scraped by with part-time work, saving every penny to start her own business. People laughed when she launched a small online shop selling homemade candles.
*”What kind of job is that? Youll never make real money,”* they scoffed.
But the little business grew. She was one of the first in the market, and soon, orders poured in. A young manher now-husbandleft his job to help her, and together, they built something bigger. A proper family business.
The orphanage staff heard about Emilys successher face was all over the shops branding. And, of course, so did her parents. Under the pretence of placing an order, they contacted her. When the package arrived, they traced the return address straight to her doorstep.
Emily wasnt pleased to see them. They had forgotten herand she, in turn, had forgotten them. Perhaps it was unkind, but she slammed the door in their faces, her husband standing firm beside her.
They hadnt raised her. Hadnt checked on her. Now, suddenly, they pretended to love her?
Too late. They should have come sooner. Should have taken her home.
But Emily was grown nowa mother herself. And she didnt need them anymore.
