When my ex-husband Leo called after three years of silence, saying he wanted to reconnect with our daughter Lily, I dared to hope. He had walked out when she was just two—no explanation, just left to be with the woman he’d cheated on me with. I had spent years answering Lily’s heartbreaking questions, doing my best to shield her from his absence. So when he finally said he wanted to see her, I said yes—for her.

Leo picked Lily up for the weekend. Saturday, he sent smiling photos from the park, the carousel. Lily looked so happy, I allowed myself to believe he meant it this time. But Sunday, my sister called in shock—Leo had gotten married, and Lily was the flower girl. He never told me. I found a photo online: my daughter, dressed in white, between Leo and his new wife, the hashtags reading #FamilyComplete. My stomach dropped.

I rushed to the venue. Lily sat alone, clutching her teddy bear. She whispered, “Can we go home now?” When I picked her up, Rachel—Leo’s bride—asked us to wait for a “family photo.” I snapped. “She’s not your daughter. She’s not a prop.” A bridesmaid, disgusted, exposed Rachel’s plan: she’d told them she’d “borrow the kid” for the wedding. I left without another word.

Leo never called again. Lily asked that night, “Am I really his princess?” I held her tight and said, “You’re mine. And I’ll always protect you.” Some fathers don’t deserve the title. But some mothers learn to be enough—for two.