At Woman’s Funeral, Man Introduces Himself as Her Kid’s Dad, Another Man Does the Same Later – Story of the Day

At her mother's funeral, Vanessa met her biological father who had never known about her. She lived with him for a while until things took a turn, and she was sent to foster care. Then another man showed up, revealing something shocking.

Vanessa was crying quietly on the first pew of the chapel in Orlando her grandparents had rented for the memorial service. Her mom, Lucy, had died. She was only 30 years and had lost her battle with cancer. At 13 years old, Vanessa felt alone despite having amazing grandparents. Her mom had been her best friend.

However, she had never known her father. Lucy said she was a stupid 17-year-old when she got pregnant and decided not to tell him because they had already broken up. They graduated before Lucy's stomach grew and never saw each other again.

Vanessa was crying over her mother dying. | Source: Shutterstock

"Vanessa, do you want something to drink, honey?" her grandmother asked gently, sitting down next o her.

"No, Grandma," she responded in tears.

Vanessa saw her grandfather coming to talk to them when another man approached them, too. "Hello?" he said. "Are you Mr. and Mrs. Granville?"

"Yes," Vanessa's grandmother answered, looking curiously at the man, who had to be around Lucy's age.

"My name is Edward, and I believe I'm Vanessa's father," the man revealed.

The teenager's jaw went slack, and both her grandparents stood around the man, asking for further explanation. It turns out Lucy had reached out to him when she knew her end was coming and told him everything.

"I don't want Vanessa to grow up alone, and I can step up now. She can come live with me," Edward said, smiling slightly at the young girl, who still didn't know what to think.

But over the next few days, Edward made a convincing argument, as he wanted to bond with the daughter he hadn't met before. Vanessa didn't exactly want to live with a stranger, but her grandparents encouraged the relationship. She felt like there was no other option, and she moved in with him in the end.

She felt fine living at Edward's house. | Source: Pexels

Luckily, Edward seemed friendly and gave her plenty of space. He wasn't the warmest father and didn't show much interest in her, but she was okay with that. She was mourning her mother and adjusting. Unfortunately, her troubles were about to begin.

A few months later, both her grandparents died in a tragic accident, and Edward's attitude changed completely. He was awful to her and didn't want anything to do with her. Eventually, he called CPS, told me she was not his daughter, and Vanessa was removed from their home. They placed her in a foster home with a kind couple.

Now, she felt utterly alone in the world. Her only solace was the considerable trust her grandparents had left her which she would be able to access when she turned 18. At the least, she could look forward to the future.

***

One night during dinner, the doorbell rang, and her foster mother, Hannah, got up from the table to open it. A strange man was at the door, and Vanessa looked up from her plate curiously.

"Yes?" Hannah asked, looking at the man on her porch.

A man showed up at her foster home. | Source: Pexels

"Hello, yes. My name is Edward, and I'm here to see Vanessa," the man answered, and Vanessa frowned.

"Vanessa's father? That Edward?" Hannah asked, her forehead creasing. She had only ever heard terrible things about the man and got worried. "Maybe you should leave, or I'll call the police."

"Please, let me explain the situation," the man said.

"Vanessa, you don't have to see this man anymore," Hannah told her and looked back at the man. "You need to go now!"

"That's not my father, Hannah," Vanessa spoke up, getting up from the table and approaching the adults near the door.

"Oh… okay, well. I don't know what to say," Hannah looked at them.

"Who are you?" Vanessa asked, her eyebrows crooked.

"I'm the real Edward, Vanessa," he said, and the girl scoffed.

"What do you mean 'the real Edward?'" the teenager asked, arms crossed now.

"The Edward that introduced himself to your family, he was hired by my wife — soon-to-be ex-wife," Edward explained.

Vanessa didn't believe him at first. | Source: Pexels

"I'm still lost," Vanessa continued.

"Please, come in, sir. Let's talk about this further," Hannah invited, closing the door and gesturing for Edward to sit down on the couch.

Once they got situated, Edward began. "I recently went through old messages on my Facebook and discovered that your mother had written to me. But the person who answered her was my wife, not me. Lucy wanted me to meet you, but I was away on a business trip. My wife apparently told her that."

"Okay…" Vanessa said, urging him to continue.

"Well, apparently, my wife got one of her friends to play the part of Edward, so no one would come looking for me. She thought your grandparents would reach out to ask for child support or something," Edward continued.

"Wait… the man I lived with for months was a complete stranger? Why would he pretend for so long?" the teenager said, shocked.

She gave him a chance. | Source: Pexels

"Yes, and I believe he was going to take your grandparents' money. I only discovered this recently when I confronted my wife. She let that detail spill out and implied that her friend wanted money. I don't know what happened with that," Edward finished.

Vanessa laughed humorlessly. "My grandparents placed everything in a trust that only I can touch at 18. That's why he changed after they died. Wow," she stated, shaking her head at the absurdity.

"That's awful," Edward continued.

"But now, I'm sorry but I can't trust you to be my father. I've been duped once already," Vanessa added, her arms crossing again.

Vanessa smiled reluctantly at him and nodded.

They bonded over their love of football. | Source: Pexels

They got the test done, and the results confirmed everything. It took a few months, but Vanessa eventually moved into his house, thanks to Hannah's encouragement. The kind woman only wanted the best for her.

Edward was great to Vanessa, and they bonded over their love of football. It was not too late to form a father-daughter relationship, and he only wished that Lucy had told him the truth back then. He could've helped.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don't trust strangers so easily. Vanessa and her grandparents trusted that fake Edward too much, which could've been dangerous for the young teenager.
• Things have a way of working out. Vanessa thought she was alone and lost after her grandparents' death, but her birth father showed up.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who divorced his wife after their fifth daughter was born.

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