My stepdad, Tim, has been in my life since I was 8 years old. He stepped in and raised me while my dad was often away for work. Unfortunately, my dad never liked Tim, and despite my mom’s efforts to ease the tension between them—even up until she passed away last year—it never really got better.

When I started planning my wedding, I really wanted my dad to walk me down the aisle. He agreed and even offered to cover all the expenses, but he had one condition: Tim couldn’t attend the ceremony.

I was heartbroken. I love my stepdad deeply, and it felt wrong to exclude him. But having just lost my mom, I felt I couldn’t bear to also lose my dad on such an important day. So, with a heavy heart, I told Tim he couldn’t come. He didn’t argue—he simply agreed and didn’t say another word about it.

On the day of the wedding, as my dad walked me down the aisle, Tim quietly left the country. A few days later, I received a letter from him. Reading it broke me—I couldn’t stop crying.