Arriving at the lake with my daughter, I hoped for a peaceful escape, but instead, we ran into my ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Tensions flared, old wounds reopened, and amid our argument, our daughter disappeared. So I had to head into the woods with my ex to find her.
Millie and I finally made it to the lake. The drive had been long—four hours of “Are we there yet?” and endless rounds of “I Spy.” Honestly, four hours alone in a car with a six-year-old isn’t the most pleasant way to spend time, but we were here.
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I set up the tent while Millie danced around, her excitement bubbling over. As I finished the tent, I noticed how Millie’s eyes lingered on the other kids. They were laughing, playing with their mom and dad.
My heart tightened. It wasn’t easy being a single mother, especially when my little girl missed her dad so much. Millie ran up to me, her little hands holding out her water wings.
“Mom, can you teach me to swim?” Millie asked.
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“Of course, sweetie. That’s why we came to the lake,” I said, smiling. “But for now, let’s use the water wings, okay? They’ll keep you safe.”
“Ugh,” Millie frowned, crossing her arms. “I’m not a baby. I’m old enough to swim without them.”
“I know, sweetheart,” I said gently. “Someone promised they’d teach you how—”
“Dad!” Millie interrupted, her face lighting up.
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“Yes,” I nodded. “Dad was going to teach you.”
“No, Mom, look! There’s Dad!” Millie suddenly shouted, pointing behind me.
I turned around and saw Richard, my ex-husband, standing there with his new girlfriend. Sabrina? Samantha? Sarah? She looked so young—at least ten years younger than him.
Millie’s eyes lit up when she saw him, and she took off running. Richard bent down and scooped her up in a big hug, spinning her around like he always did.
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It had only been eight months since Richard and I divorced. We had both gotten tired of the endless arguments and the harsh words that seemed to fill every conversation.
But even though we were no longer together, he still made sure to visit Millie every week. I slowly got up from my folding chair, trying to muster a polite smile as I approached them.
“Kira, I didn’t know you were coming to the lake,” Richard said. “Sadie and I decided to have a lake vacation too.”
Sadie! Close enough. I forced a smile and nodded. “Hi, Richard.”
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Sadie looked at Millie and asked, “Millie is still swimming with water wings?”
My stomach tightened, and I tried to keep my voice steady. “Well, now her dad has the chance to teach her to swim.”
Richard smiled, missing the tension in my voice. “We’ll get right to it,” he said, lifting Millie up in his arms. She squealed with delight as he carried her toward the water.
I stood there, watching them. For a brief moment, I smiled, seeing how happy Millie was. I almost forgot why Richard and I divorced in the first place. Almost.
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But those moments didn’t last long before reality hit me again. Richard’s irresponsibility had always been a problem. It was one of the main reasons we couldn’t make our marriage work.
He often acted like a child, which might be why Millie loved spending time with him so much—he was fun, playful, and carefree. But that also meant he didn’t always notice the important things.
I watched them in the water, and it didn’t take long for me to see that Millie was shivering. Her lips were starting to turn a little blue, and I knew she had been in the water too long.
“Richard! Get her out of the water! She’s shivering!” I shouted from the shore, noticing how cold Millie had become.
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“Oh, come on, Kira. We’re having fun!” Richard called back, clearly oblivious to how cold she was.
“Now!” I demanded, more forcefully this time. Millie’s joyful expression faded, replaced by disappointment. I hated being the one to spoil the fun, but someone had to keep her safe.
Reluctantly, Richard carried Millie out of the water. I met them with a towel, wrapping her up quickly. Her skin was icy, and I hurried to change her into dry clothes, but the shivering wouldn’t stop.
Richard stood there, looking irritated. “Why can’t you just let her have fun?”
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“Fun in moderation, Richard,” I shot back, frustration bubbling over. “She’s freezing! Look at her!”
“She’ll warm up in the sun. What’s the big deal?” he replied, shrugging off my concerns as if they didn’t matter.
“The big deal is that you never think ahead! You just play with her without considering her safety!” I said.
“I do think about her safety!” Richard argued, his voice rising. “I was with her the whole time!”
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“No, you didn’t think! You didn’t notice she was cold and needed to warm up first. You’ve always been like this!” I retorted.
“Oh, here we go. I take care of our child, Kira. What more do you want?” he snapped back.
“I want you to stop acting like a child yourself! Millie needs a father, Richard, not just a playmate!” I shouted.
“I am her father!” Richard yelled.
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“No! You’re just an entertainer who shows up to have fun. You don’t do what a father should do!” I said, my voice trembling with emotion.
“What should a father do, Kira?” Richard demanded.
Before I could answer, Sadie walked over.
“Hey,” she said.
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“WHAT?!” Richard and I snapped at the same time.
“Where’s Millie?” Sadie asked, looking around.
“She’s warming up in the sun,” I said, pointing to where Millie had been sitting. But when I turned around, she wasn’t there. My heart stopped. “Where is she?” I said and started walking around the camp, looking for her.
“Millie!” Richard shouted, catching up to me.
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“Millie!” I called, but there was no response.
“This is your fault,” Richard said, his voice harsh. “You just had to start a fight.”
“Oh, of course. When something bad happens, it’s my fault. When something good happens, it’s to your credit,” I snapped.
“I’m not to blame for how things turn out,” Richard muttered, but I could hear the guilt creeping into his voice.
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We realized Millie had likely run into the woods. My heart pounded as the fear set in. Richard quickly suggested that Sadie come with us to help search, but she refused, shaking her head and backing away.
Richard’s face turned red with anger, but I couldn’t blame Sadie. She was too young, too detached to care about someone else’s child.
Richard and I plunged into the forest, calling out for Millie. But there was no response, only the eerie silence of the woods.
“I don’t understand why you’re so mad at me,” Richard suddenly said.
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“Because you act like a child, Richard,” I replied. “I get that Millie loves you for it. You’re the fun parent. But it’s not fair to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“You get to do all the fun stuff,” I explained, my frustration bubbling up. “You let her eat forbidden sweets, take her to amusement parks, watch cartoons late into the night. But that’s not all there is to parenting. And I end up being the bad guy because I’m the one making sure she eats right, studies, and goes to the doctor.”
Richard fell silent. After a moment, he finally spoke. “I never thought of it that way.”
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“Yeah, well, I don’t exactly enjoy playing the strict adult all the time,” I said. “But someone has to. If we shared the responsibilities more equally, it would be easier for both of us. But as it stands, she only associates you with fun, and me with all the rules.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, unexpectedly. “My dad was very strict, and I was always scared of becoming like him.”
“I understand that, Richard,” I said, softening a little. “But you can’t always be her friend. Sometimes, you need to be the adult, too.”
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Before he could respond, I heard a small voice calling out. “Mom!” I whipped my head around, looking for Millie, but I couldn’t see her. “Mom! I’m here!” she shouted again.
I looked up and saw Millie perched in a tree, clinging to a branch. “Oh my God! How did you get up there? Get down now!”
“I can’t! I’m scared!” Millie cried.
“Jump!” Richard called out, stepping forward. “I’ll catch you!”
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“Richard,” I hissed. “That’s dangerous!”
“It’s the only way,” he insisted.
I looked between them, fear tightening my chest. “Jump, Millie! We’ll catch you.”
“No! I’m scared!” she cried, clinging to the branch.
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“It’s a game!” Richard shouted.
“Yes! Mom and Dad will catch you!” I echoed.
Millie looked at us, fear in her eyes. It felt like forever before she finally jumped. Richard and I caught her together, our arms wrapping around her securely.
“Never do that again,” Richard said, his voice firm. “It’s dangerous. You really scared us, Millie.”
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I was surprised by the seriousness in his tone.
“But you and Mom were fighting,” Millie said.
Richard sighed. “I’m sorry we did that in front of you,” he said gently. “But you can’t just run away like that. It’s not safe, and you need to understand that there are consequences.”
He glanced at me, as if asking for help in deciding what those consequences should be. I just shrugged. “So, you won’t be swimming anymore today,” he said firmly.
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Millie protested, “That’s not fair!”
“It wasn’t fair for you to run away from us either, was it?” he asked.
“Ugh… fine,” she grumbled.
Richard picked her up, and we started walking out of the woods. As we walked, Millie’s head drooped against his shoulder, and within minutes, she was fast asleep.
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A little while passed in silence before Richard and I spoke at the same time. “Thank you,” I said, just as he said, “You were right.”
“You first,” I said, nodding for him to continue.
Richard shook his head. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m her dad; it’s what I should do. And you were right, Kira. It’s not easy being the bad cop.”
“I know, right?” I replied, feeling some of the tension lift.
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Richard’s voice softened. “I should take on more responsibilities—studying, doctor’s visits. You’ve done so much on your own.”
“We should split things evenly,” I suggested, hoping he understood.
He chuckled. “Okay, but maybe you should take the fun stuff for a while.”
“Okay, thanks,” I said.
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Richard looked at me with sincerity. “Thank you, Kira. You’ve been raising our daughter well.”
I started to respond, but he interrupted me. “No, really. I’m sorry for acting like a child. I’ll do better,” he said, looking into my eyes.
Something stirred inside me, and before I knew it, I leaned in and kissed him. Richard kissed me back, and in that moment, I realized that despite everything, I still loved him. But then reality hit, and I pulled away.
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“This is wrong… You’re with Sadie,” I reminded him.
“I don’t care,” Richard replied, pulling me closer with his free hand, the one that wasn’t holding Millie. I noticed Millie smiling slyly, her eyes half-open.
“Richard, do you know how to check if a child is really asleep?” I asked playfully.
“No, Kira. How?” he asked, playing along.
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“If you lift her hand and it stays up, she’s not really asleep!”
Richard lifted Millie’s hand, and she held it in the air, giving herself away. We both laughed, the tension between us easing.
“She’s a rascal, just like you,” I said softly.
Richard laughed quietly. “Of course. But let’s not talk about what you were like in college,” he teased.
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I lightly elbowed him, and we both laughed again. “She’s too young to hear that,” I said, still smiling.
“No! I want to know!” Millie shouted, no longer pretending to be asleep.
We laughed and continued walking, knowing that things were changing between us.
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