The Beginning
This story belongs to an earlier time...
There once lived a couple, Steven and Lena, who fell in love deeply and chose to marry against the wishes of their families. Despite the disapproval and severed ties, they built a small world of their own, filled with love and mutual respect. Their joy only grew when Lena became pregnant with their first child.
But life had its trials.
One day, Steven lost his high-paying job after the branch of his organization suddenly shut down in their area. The news came like a storm, shaking the foundation of their peaceful life. With Lena pregnant and no income, they found themselves slipping into a financial crisis. Despite applying to countless jobs, Steven faced rejection after rejection. The burden grew heavier each day, and so did his anxiety and despair. He worried endlessly about Lena’s medical needs and whether he could provide for their unborn child.
But Lena—gentle and understanding—never let Steven drown in despair. She knew his heart, his effort, his pain. With words of encouragement and an unshakable smile, she lifted him each time he fell. Her strength became his.
Time moved on, and one morning, Lena gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. They named her “Lisa”, a name they had lovingly picked out together.
And as if destiny heard their silent prayers, the very week Lisa was born, Steven received a job offer. The opportunity came through a close friend’s recommendation—a blessing in disguise. The only challenge was that the job was abroad. It meant leaving Lena and the newborn behind during their most vulnerable days. It wasn’t a decision taken lightly, but poverty had left them little choice.
Steven held Lena close one last time before his departure, kissing his baby girl on the forehead and whispering a promise: “I’ll be back soon, with enough for us to never worry again.”
Left alone, Lena embraced motherhood with courage. Lisa grew to be a cheerful month-old, her laughter filling the silence of their home. But amidst the joy, Lena began to feel something wasn’t right. She often felt faint, her body growing weaker by the day.
One day, she collapsed.
With the help of her closest friend, Jade, Lena visited the hospital. After multiple tests, the doctors delivered a devastating diagnosis: “an advanced-stage brain tumor”. They confessed that her condition was beyond saving—her days were tragically numbered.
A Mother’s Silent Goodbye
Lena knew her time was slipping away. The diagnosis of a terminal brain tumor was something she chose to carry alone, hidden from her husband Steven, who had just moved abroad to work tirelessly for their family's future. She didn’t want to burden him. Not now.
But there was one thing that haunted her—Baby Lisa.
Lisa, their precious daughter, had just turned five months old. As Lena’s body weakened day by day, her heart remained strong only for her child. Knowing she might not see Lisa grow, she decided to take one final step as a mother.
She wrote a heartfelt letter to Steven, pouring out the truth she had hidden—the illness, the pain, the love. She handed Jade a sealed envelope containing her final letter to Steven and a small, precious gift meant for Baby Lisa—something to remember her by.
With tears and trembling hands, Lena placed Lisa in Jade’s arms and looked to Jade and her husband—a childless couple, but full of love.
“Take care of her… until Steven returns,” she whispered.
They promised to keep Baby Lisa happy always.
And then, with quiet courage, Lena left the world peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of love in the small hands of her daughter… and the promise of a father who was yet to know the truth.
Five years had quietly passed since Lena's death. During that time, Baby Lisa was lovingly raised by Jade and her husband. Though not her biological parents, they gave her a home, warmth, and care—filling the void Steven had left behind.
Steven, her real father, had never returned. No phone calls. No letters. No sign of the man who had once promised to come back soon.
Jade and her husband began to wonder—what really happened to him?
Then, one day, life took an unexpected turn. Jade found out she was pregnant. What once felt impossible had become a miracle.
But with the joy of new life came fear—fear of divided love, fear of changing dynamics. And slowly, their hearts shifted.
After many sleepless nights, the couple made a painful decision: they would leave Lisa at an orphanage, believing it was best for their new beginning.
Lisa, now five, was confused but didn’t cry. As young as she was, she understood something deep: she was alone again.
Standing at the orphanage gate, she clutched the only thing left from her past—a photograph of her family last clicked by Steven before leaving abroad—and walked into a new chapter, not knowing what the future held.
Now, all she had left was a name of her father…
“Steven”………………
Traces of the Past
20 years passed by…………………..
After 20 long years, Steven returned to the land he once called home—now unfamiliar and cold. His heart beat with hope but shattered as he learned the truth…
Lena, his beloved wife, had passed away just six months after he left for abroad—silently battling an advanced brain tumor. She had hidden her pain, never telling him the truth, and in her final days, she entrusted their infant daughter, Lisa, to her dearest friend—Jade.
Determined to find his daughter, Steven began tracing Jade’s whereabouts. Days of search and inquiries finally led him to a distant village, where he found Jade’s old home—now silent, worn, and faded with time.
There, he met a man named “Eden”—Jade’s only son.
Eden welcomed Steven in, surprised yet distant. As they spoke, Steven asked the one question that weighed on his soul:
“Where is Lisa?”
Eden sighed deeply and explained,
“After my father passed, it was just me and mom. I couldn’t manage my career and care for her. So I moved her to an orphanage that provides senior care. I pay for her stay… and visit her once a year.”
Steven was heartbroken—not just for Jade, but for the painful twist of fate that had scattered every thread of his past.
Still, one question echoed in his mind—Where is Lisa?
Eden didn’t have the answer.
But he did give Steven the name of the orphanage where Jade now lived.
With heavy steps and a hopeful heart, Steven began another journey—this time to meet the woman who once raised his daughter…
Hoping she held the key to the answer he had waited 20 years for:
“Where is my daughter Lisa?”
The Truth Unfolds
After a long, exhausting journey, Steven finally arrived at the old-age home Eden had mentioned. An attendant escorted him inside, and soon he stood before a frail, aged woman—Jade.
She sat in a wheelchair, her hair short and grey, her face lined with the weight of years and regret. She was clearly dependent on others for even the simplest tasks.
Seeing her in such a condition, Steven’s heart sank. Emotions welled up inside him. But before he could speak, Jade looked up, her eyes glistening with recognition.
“I know you will come back,” she said softly. “You don’t need to say a word… I remember everything. You’re Lena’s Steven.”
Jade slowly wheeled herself to a corner of the room and pulled out an old envelope—still intact, still carefully preserved. “This is for Baby Lisa,” she said, “a gift Lena gave me before she passed… and her final letter to you.”
Tears streamed down her wrinkled face as she continued, “Maybe it’s God’s will that you’re here today—so I can ask for your forgiveness. I committed a terrible sin. I handed Baby Lisa over to an orphanage when I was expecting my own child… I feared I wouldn’t be able to give her the love she deserved. I never heard from them again.”
With trembling hands, Jade gave Steven the name and address of the orphanage. “Lisa must be a grown woman by now. Please… go find her.”
Steven, holding back tears, knelt beside her and whispered, “Thank you, Jade. I’ll find her.”
And with that, he set out—carrying the letter, the gift, and the hope of reuniting with the daughter he never stopped searching for.
The Lost Trail
Holding on to hope and the orphanage address Jade had given him, Steven finally reached the location—only to find an unexpected scene. The place was no longer what it once was. The orphanage had been shut down years ago, replaced by the steel frames and dust of a new building project underway.
Confused and shaken, Steven asked around. Locals confirmed the orphanage had closed long back. But Steven didn’t give up.
Determined, he approached the authorities overseeing the site and insisted on checking the old records. After hours of searching through dusty files and faded documents, the answer he feared most became reality—there was no record of a child named Lisa ever being registered.
Stunned and broken, Steven stepped outside, dropped to the ground, and held his head in despair.
“Oh God… where is my child? What a cruel fate… What an unlucky father I am.”
With eyes full of pain but a heart still clinging to hope, Steven stood up, ready to keep searching—because a father's promise is never broken.
A Chance Encounter
Walking aimlessly through the streets, Steven felt more defeated than ever. For the first time, the strong father who had braved the world for his family felt truly lost. His tired eyes welled up, tears rolling slowly down his wrinkled cheeks—falling onto the envelope Lena had once left behind.
He found a quiet bench beside a small flower shop and sat down, consumed by memories. He pulled out an old, faded family photograph—the last one taken with Lena and their newborn daughter before he had left for work abroad.
Just then, a red car pulled up outside the shop. A young woman stepped out—radiant, with curly golden-brown hair and striking blue eyes. She rushed into the shop, mobile phone in hand.
As fate would have it, in her hurry, she bumped into Steven, who was just rising from the bench. Her phone slipped from her hands and hit the ground. “I’m so sorry, sir,” she said quickly, gathering the flowers she had pre-ordered, and hurried back to her car—unaware she had left her phone behind.
Steven noticed the phone lying near the bench. He tried to call after her, but the car had already disappeared into traffic.
Confused, he went inside the flower shop to ask about the girl. But the shopkeeper shook their head. “She’s new. Came in only today. We don’t know her.”
Steven, not knowing how to use modern smartphones, held onto the device. Suddenly, the phone rang.
To his shock, the screen lit up—with - his family photo- as the wallpaper.
His hands trembling, he answered the call.
A man’s voice on the other end said, “Hello, John here. That phone belongs to Lisa—my fiancée. She had forgotten it while picking up the wedding flowers. We’re getting married tonight.”
Steven’s heart skipped a beat.
The man continued, “Can you please bring it to this address? It’s important. Thank you, sir.”
Still in disbelief, Steven agreed and clutched the phone tightly.
The name. The photo. The timing.
Could it be… his daughter Lisa?
Finally Revealing of painful truth
The grand wedding ceremony was in full swing when Steven arrived at the venue, holding onto the last hope of meeting his long-lost daughter, Lisa.
But his frail, aged appearance and worn-out clothes made the security guards suspicious.
They stopped him at the gate, refusing to let him in.
Steven pleaded, “Please… I just need to speak to Lisa and John. It’s important.”
But they wouldn’t listen. Pushed away and mocked, he shouted from the gates —
“Lisa! Lisa! Please listen to me!”
His cries drew attention. Guests began gathering outside. Lisa’s to-be- in-laws demanded to know from him what was going on. Steven, holding onto a faint hope, showed them Lisa’s forgotten mobile phone, saying:
“Your son, John, asked me to return this. And this photo… looks closely. This is my family. I’m… I’m Lisa’s father.”
They were taken aback. They didn’t believe him, thinking he was just a confused, mentally disturbed old man.
Just then, Lisa and John stepped out to see what the commotion was. Lisa immediately recognized him —
“You… you’re the man from the flower shop!”
Steven gently handed her the phone and then the envelope from Lena, her late mother.
With teary eyes, he placed his hand over Lisa’s head:
“My child, Lisa... May God bless you on your big day. I thought I’d never get to see you again. But I did. And I thank God.”
Lisa looked at him coldly, still believing the version of truth told at the orphanage.
“You’re the one who abandoned us 25 years ago,” she said.
“Still, thank you for coming. You're welcome to attend the wedding and have dinner… before you leave.”
Steven didn’t say another word. With a heavy heart, he walked away silently.
On his way back, Steven was heartbroken — misunderstood by the very daughter he had searched for all these years, after enduring unbearable struggles abroad, including wrongful imprisonment for a crime he never committed.
That night, Lisa couldn’t sleep. Something about Steven’s words, his eyes, his silence haunted her. She opened the envelope and found a letter from her mother, Lena, along with a family heirloom bangle, passed down through generations.
The letter spoke of Lena’s love, her pain, her sacrifice… and of Steven’s innocence and struggles. Tears rolled down Lisa’s face.
She turned to John and whispered:
“I need to find my father. I hurt him. I need to say sorry… and hug him.”
John nodded, and they both rushed out into the night, searching desperately for Steven.
But fate had one final turn left.
A few blocks away, they saw a crowd and an ambulance. Lisa’s heart pounded.
They rushed to the spot… and broke down.
It was Steven.
He had been accidentally hit by a car, lying lifeless.
Lisa screamed, crying uncontrollably as she held his still body.
“Please forgive me, Dad. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
********************
