Friday nights at the restaurant are always chaos—full tables, clattering dishes, waiters rushing in every direction. I thought it would just be another busy night… until they walked in. Mr. Thompson came first, broad-shouldered and loud, the kind of man who thought the world revolved around him. His wife followed, floating in a floral dress that probably cost more than my monthly rent, her nose tilted as if the very air offended her. Their two teenagers trailed behind, faces glued to their phones, thumbs moving like their lives depended on

Molly never expected her life to change the way it did after her mother’s funeral. She was only seventeen, broken-hearted, and sitting by Daisy’s coffin when someone whispered to her, “Molly, look! Your dad’s here!” She looked up in shock. Danny—her dad—was standing at the door. Her parents had divorced ten years ago. Ever since then, Molly had only heard terrible things about him. Her mother had always described him as “a drunkard” and someone not worth trusting. But deep down, Molly had never hated her father. She missed him.