My son left me alone with his debts and illness 13 years ago – Yesterday he knocked on my door

A man kneeling in a living room, looking helpless | Source: Midjourney

My anger eased, just a little. “You could have told me. We could have faced it together.”

“I know now,” he said, lowering his head. “I was young and stupid. Will you ever forgive me?”

I sighed, feeling the heaviness of thirteen years of loneliness and pain. “I need time, Daniel. But you can stay for now.”

A young man having a serious conversation with an older woman in a living room | Source: Midjourney

We ate dinner together, the silence broken only by the clinking of forks on plates. I couldn’t help but notice how much he had changed. The lanky teenager was gone, replaced by a man with broad shoulders and tired eyes.

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“So,” I said, breaking the silence, “what have you been doing all these years?”

Daniel pushed his meal onto his plate. “It’s a long story, Mom. I’ve been… everywhere. I tried to get out of it.”

“And that’s the case?” I asked. “Did you manage to get out?”

A woman having a conversation over a meal in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney

He nodded. “I think so. I’m clean now. I have been for a while. I have a job in town. I just… I needed to see you first. To apologize.”

I wanted to believe him. My God, as I wanted to believe. But thirteen years of disappointment and loneliness had taught me to be careful.

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“That’s… good, Daniel. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

As I showed him his old room, Daniel whispered, “I miss you every day, Mom.”

A man looking into a bedroom | Source: Midjourney

I nodded, not feeling able to speak. As I closed my bedroom door, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe we can rebuild our relationship.

This hope was shattered at 2 a.m., when I woke up to strange noises. I slipped into the hallway, my bare feet silent on the cold floor.

Daniel, lit by the moonlight, was rummaging in the cupboard where I kept my savings. The money I had saved for years, working despite illness and exhaustion.

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A man holding cash in his hands, looking surprised | Source: Midjourney

“What are you doing ?” My voice was barely a whisper, but Daniel jumped as if he had been shot.

He turned around, a wad of cash in his hand. “Mom ! I…I can explain!”

“Get out of here.” The words were frozen. “Get out now, or I’ll call the police.”

Daniel’s face fell. For a moment, I saw the little boy he was. Then his expression hardened. Without a word, he took his bags, which were still by the front door, and left.

A man leaving an apartment building, carrying luggage | Source: Midjourney

When the door slammed behind him, I collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed down my face, but I felt a strange sense of peace. I had survived thirteen years without him. I had survived Robert’s death, crushing debt, and chronic illness.

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I could survive that too. At dawn, I made a decision. It was time to focus on myself, to build a life filled with people who truly cared about me. Daniel had made his choice. Now it was time to make mine.

A modest apartment building at sunrise | Source: Midjourney

I picked up the phone and dialed Dr. Chen’s number. When his answering machine picked up, I left a message.

“Dr. Chen, this is Evelyn. I think I’m ready for the support group you talked about. And… I think I need to talk to someone. A therapist, perhaps. Call me back when you can.”

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A smiling woman making a phone call | Source: Midjourney

What would you have done?

Also read: I received a video message from my distraught mother – I was shocked to find out what my father had done to her

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 real people, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or depiction of characters and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.