I’m Scott, a 34-year-old single dad. Four years ago, I lost my wife Katherine in a terrible accident. Since then, it’s been just me and our daughter Bella. I did my best to keep life steady for her, even when my heart was breaking. Last week, something happened that shook me to my core. Bella came home from daycare hugging a soft, handmade teddy bear a beautiful blue one with a delicate “K” embroidered on its foot.

When I asked where she got it, Bella said a kind lady at daycare gave it to her because she knew Bella missed Mommy. That night, I was drawn to Katherine’s old closet something I hadn’t opened in years. I found a note taped to her suitcase that I’d never seen before: “For rainy days. She’ll need a piece of me.” The handwriting was Katherine’s. But the blue sweater she always wore during pregnancy was gone.

Confused, I checked the security footage from that same day. What I saw was impossible: Katherine, alive and well, quietly entering our house with a key she shouldn’t have. I confronted Katherine. She confessed she never wanted to be a mother and, overwhelmed by everything, had faked her death with her father’s help to escape her life. The bear was her way of reaching out to Bella, a small piece of love she wanted to leave behind.

She begged for a second chance, but I couldn’t trust her after everything. She left again shortly after. I took legal action against her family for the emotional trauma and deception. The case revealed shocking lies, and Katherine’s world began to unravel. Now, it’s just Bella and me. I promised her I’d never leave and would always protect her. Sometimes love means holding on, even when it hurts.