I’m Jake, a 32-year-old father, and my daughter Allie is my world. At just three years old, she is a true daddy’s girl. Our days are filled with animal-shaped pancakes, park adventures, and bedtime stories where she reigns as queen of our pillow forts. Life with her is magic.
But everything shifted when my wife, Sarah, sat me down one evening. She quietly asked me to move out for a while so Allie could “bond” with her. I was stunned. How could I just disappear from my daughter’s life, even briefly?
After much arguing, we compromised. I’d tell Allie I was helping a friend and stay away for a week. It broke my heart each night when she asked over the phone, “Daddy, when are you coming home?”
By day five, I couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to surprise her with her favorite Happy Meal. But as I walked into the house, I found Sarah laughing with Dan, a coworker she had once casually mentioned. The look on their faces said everything.