The spring chill bit through his tattered coat, but he barely noticed. It had been two years since his life had turned to absolute shambles. Two years since he lost everything.

His job, his home, and Tina, the woman he thought he’d spend his life with.

Tina’s departure had been swift and brutal.

“You’re stuck, Dylan,” she had said, her suitcase by the door. “And now… Gavin is offering me a life you’ll never be able to give me.”

Soon after he lost his job, his apartment followed, taking him even further down his spiral.

The scrape of designer heels against the pavement yanked Dylan back to the present. He looked up, ready to ask if they wanted him to clean their shoes. But when he saw who it was, he froze.

A woman in a cream blazer and gold bracelets was rummaging through her oversized handbag. Vanessa.

Tina’s best friend.

“Dylan?” Her voice was filled with amusement. “Is that really you?”

He couldn’t ignore her, so he nodded hesitantly.

“Yeah. Hi, Vanessa,” he said.

“Well,” she let out a short laugh. “Life’s been kind of hard, hasn’t it? How the mighty have fallen.”

She looked him head to toe, gesturing at his disheveled appearance.

Vanessa tilted her head, her lips curling into a smirk.

“Did you ever figure it out?” she drawled.

“Figure what out?” Dylan asked, frowning.

What could she possibly be on about?

“Oh, for God’s sake,” she rolled her eyes. “The kid. Tina had a kid. Your kid. Didn’t she ever tell you?”

Dylan’s heart stopped. The noise of the street faded, replaced by the roar of blood in his ears.

“Oh, goodness, Dylan. Wake up. Get with the program!”

“Please, Vanessa, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Vanessa looked at him for a moment, her eyes almost softening. She sighed.

“Tina had a baby after she left you,” Vanessa said, checking her manicure. “Gavin wasn’t too keen on playing stepdad to the kid. And she was about a year old when Tina dumped the poor thing in some care facility. It’s been, what, two years? No, wait. Yeah… I think she’d be about three by now.”

Dylan staggered to his feet.

Vanessa snorted loudly.

“Why would I make this up? I saw Tina at a party last month. She was practically bragging about how she’d ‘fixed’ her life. She said that Gavin is going to propose any day now. She’s living in luxury.”

Vanessa leaned closer, her tone dripping with condescension.

“Maybe it’s time you fixed yours.”

Before Dylan could respond, she strode away, her heels clicking against the pavement.

At least, it was before the car had been taken away.

His fist clenched as he stared at the ornate door in front of him. He knocked twice.

When the door swung open, Tina stood there in yoga pants and a silk top, holding a glass of white wine. Her eyes widened in shock.

“Dylan?” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“I need answers,” he said, stepping forward. “Vanessa told me about the baby. Our baby.”

“Who the hell does she think she is, running her mouth like that? Just because I didn’t invite her to my massage party last month. She’s so bitter.”

“Tina,” Dylan said firmly. “Is it true? Do I have a daughter?”

Her shoulders slumped and she set her wine glass down on the hallway table.

“Yes, Dylan,” she said. “It’s true. Her name is Lila. I named her that because there was a character on a TV show that I liked with the name. She’s three now.”

Dylan’s chest tightened, the anger bubbling under the surface.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you…” he stopped himself, swallowing hard. “Where is she?”

Tina stiffened, defensive.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was? I tried to raise her on my own, but Gavin didn’t want a kid in the picture. And the thought of coming back to you just gave me migraines. Constantly. So, Gavin gave me an ultimatum. I did what I had to do.”

“You abandoned her!” Dylan spat. “Your own child!”

Tina’s jaw tightened.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

Tina hesitated.

“She’s at Sunnyside Care Center. It’s downtown. But look, she may not even be there. Maybe some family took her in, adopted her, and she’s living the life. I asked for a clean break, so they cannot contact me at all.”

Dylan’s hands shook. How could someone be so cold?

“I need proof, Tina. I need something that shows I’m her father.”

“To do what? But fine, wait here. I had you put onto her birth certificate.”

She disappeared down one of the hallways and returned with a folded piece of paper.

“Here’s her birth certificate. Now, leave me alone, Dylan. You’re wasting your time. If she’s there, there’s no way they’ll ever give her to someone like you.”

Dylan’s heart raced as he entered the Care Center, clutching the birth certificate in his trembling hands. The director, a kind-faced woman named Sheila, met him at the front desk.

“I’d like to see my daughter,” he said, handing her the document. “Well, I’d like to know if she’s here.”

“Lila! Oh, Lila is a wonderful little girl. She’s an artist, sir. Her hands are always covered in some paint or the other.”

“So, you’re telling me that my child is here?” he asked, sighing in relief.

“Yes, she is,” Sheila smiled. “Follow me.”

She led him to a brightly lit playroom. There, sitting at a small table with a little boy, was a little girl with chestnut curls and wide brown eyes. She was beautiful.

“That’s her?” he whispered.

Sheila nodded.

“That’s our Lila-girl,” she said, smiling fondly. “We’ve battled to find a home for her. People come in and love her, but they seem to have trouble committing toward the end.”

“That’s because she’s not theirs…” he said.

Dylan stepped closer, his legs feeling like lead. Lila looked up from her coloring book, her eyes meeting his. She didn’t smile, but there was curiosity in her gaze.

“She’s beautiful,” he muttered out loud.

“I need you to tell me everything,” she said. “I need to understand the situation here. All I know is that Lila’s mother gave her up.”

Dylan sat down on an armchair and told Sheila everything he had recently found out.

“I need to be honest with you, Dylan. Gaining custody will be a challenge. You’ll need stable housing, a steady income, and court approval. You’ll also need to foster a relationship with Lila while she’s still here. The judge will need to see you interact with her. We’ll have to get a social worker assigned to your case specifically. And they will document everything, and give you the best-case scenario.”

Dylan nodded and smiled.

“I’m glad the process is so thorough,” he said. “But I need you to know that I’ll do whatever it takes, ma’am. This child deserves better than this. She deserves the entire world.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Sheila said. “I agree. Lila is special, just like all our kids. But you need to fight for this if you want it, Dylan. You need to push through.”

The next few weeks were a blur of rejection and frustration.

Desperate, he started sweeping the streets outside stores at night, hoping that someone would notice his effort. He didn’t care about what the job was, just that he needed one.

One evening, the owner of a bodega stepped outside and watched him work.

“You’ve been out here every night,” the man said. “Why?”

Dylan set down his broom.

“I used to manage a store. I lost it all after my girlfriend left me. Now, I’m trying to get my daughter out of foster care.”

Dylan worked as a cleaner for months, scrubbing floors and unloading boxes. Gradually, the owner, Mr. Diego, began trusting him with more responsibilities.

One day, while reorganizing the backroom, Dylan noticed inefficiencies in the store’s system. Nervously, he shared his ideas with Mr. Diego. To his surprise, the man listened, and implemented them.

“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” Mr. Diego said. “Let’s see how far you can go.”

The next day, Dylan found a wallet on the floor. It was thick and stuffed with cash. Immediately, he took it to Mr. Diego, wondering how much was stuffed in there.

“I left it there,” the old man smiled. “And you passed the test, Dylan. How would you feel about managing this place?”

Six months later, Dylan stood in the modest one-bedroom apartment he’d rented with his savings. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean, warm, and ready for Lila.

He converted a little nook into a bedroom for Lila, promising himself that he would move them to a bigger place soon.

When he returned to the Care Center, Sheila greeted him with a smile.

“You’ve done everything we asked, Dylan,” she said. “Lila’s caseworker has approved the custody transfer.”

Moments later, Lila walked into the room, clutching a stuffed bunny. She hesitated, her small face wary.

“Hi, Daddy,” she said. “What are we going to do for our visit today?”

“Baby, we’re going home,” he said, reaching for her little hand.

Lila, now five, sat on the floor behind the counter, coloring pictures of rainbows and sunshine. Dylan glanced at her, his heart swelling with gratitude.

Life wasn’t perfect, but it was theirs.

And for the first time in years, Dylan felt whole again.

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you:

Elena thought her life couldn’t get more complicated after her fiancé vanished upon learning she was pregnant. But when her boss humiliates her during a staff meeting, the truth about her child’s father comes crashing into the spotlight…

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.