Girl Learns Dad She Never Saw Wants to Claim Her Inheritance – Story of the Day

Marissa was shocked when she learned Ted, who had raised her for 15 years, was her adoptive father. The girl left her home to find her biological father, only to be heartbroken again.

Marissa was a little bigger than a peanut when Ted first held her in his arms and sang her lullabies. When she smiled at him and called him daddy for the first time, he cried like a baby.

His wife, who later died of cancer, used to scold him and Marissa for their late-night snacks. He would steal food from the pantry for his little daughter, and most late nights, they gobbled down an entire ice cream tub. But time... changes everything, doesn't it?

Ted loved Marissa the most in the world. He would do anything for his daughter and protect her from all harm. But on Marissa's 15th birthday, things changed. Everything changed…

After the birthday party was over and everyone had left, Ted sat Marissa down and told her the truth.

"This changes nothing for us, honey," he said. "I know this may come as a surprise, or maybe a shock, to you, but I'm not your biological father. Your mother and I adopted you, Marissa. We did, yes…I decided I'd tell you the truth when you were older to comprehend it, and yes, that's it."

"Bad joke, dad," Marissa scoffed. "By the way, I'm going to Stacey's house tomorrow for a sleepover. Just thought I'd let you know."

"Honey, I'm—I'm serious."

A parent is the one who adores their child, no matter what.

"All right, Dad. I'm sick of hearing your jokes! Also," Marissa sighed, pointing to the dishes. "Before we go to bed, we need to clear this stuff out and clean this place! I don't want to wake up to this mess tomorrow."

"You don't believe me?" asked Ted.

"Believe what, dad? That you adopted me?"

"I did," said Ted. "Hold on."

Ted returned with her adoption paperwork, and that's when reality dawned on her. Marissa's face went pale as she read it.

"You're not my dad?" she asked quietly.

"I am, honey," said Ted, trying his best to stay calm. "As I said, I will always be your dad, no matter what. I just didn't want to hide anything from you."

Marissa's eyes welled up, and she was crying. "No, this changes things..." she sobbed. "If you're not my biological father and Mom isn't my biological mother, where are my biological parents? Where are they?"

"They didn't want you," Ted said quietly. "They had abandoned you, and your mother and I took you in."

"Lies!" cried Marissa. "You're lying! How am I supposed to believe you? You lied to me for 15 years! No, no, this is not right! I don't want to be with you, dad! I want to find my parents! I want to hear the truth from them!"

The next day, Marissa was gone, and Ted found a post-it note on her computer.

"Don't come looking for me, and don't call me! I'm going to find them! I will! Meanwhile, I'll stay with Stacey."

Ted sighed. He hadn't expected Marissa to react like that. "I'm hoping you'll return soon, honey," he told himself. "I truly do."

But weeks passed, and Marissa never returned home. Because she had stopped taking his calls, Ted called Stacey, and he found out something shocking.

"She went where?" he asked, stunned.

"I don't know, Mr. Wallace…she just said she met someone online, and she found out her grandfather's funeral is today. She told me not to tell you, but I know you're worried."

"Marissa! Jesus!" Ted sighed. "Did she tell you anything about where the funeral will be? Anything?"

"I'm sorry, but no."

"Please call me when she returns. Please, okay?"

Ted was very worried. He decided to wait until evening for Marissa to be back, or he would call the cops.

***

Marissa arrived at her grandfather's funeral, hoping to meet her biological father for the first time. She had contacted the shelter and discovered that his name was Derek. They gave her more information, and she looked him up on Facebook and searched public databases, and she found him. There was only one Derek who looked like her.

She messaged him on Facebook, saying she wanted to meet him, but he didn't respond. So she looked through his friend list and found one of his neighbors. She messaged the neighbor, and he responded.

"Oh, yes, yes, Derek's father lives across the street from us. He's our neighbor, not Derek...You're Derek's daughter? Oh, your grandfather frequently mentioned you. He was really missing you. I don't see Derek very often, but he'll be there for his father's funeral. Your grandfather passed away."

Marissa was sad that her grandfather had passed away, but she couldn't wait to meet Derek.

***

At the funeral, Marissa hid among the visitors, her eyes darting everywhere in search of Derek. When she couldn't find him, she looked around the place, and there he was, in a quiet corner. He was conversing with a man in a tuxedo who appeared to be much older than him.

Marissa was over the moon to just see him. She couldn't wait to meet him and introduce herself as his daughter. But she decided to wait. She hid behind a tree close to them, unintentionally eavesdropping on their conversation, and what she heard broke her heart.

"What did my father do?" Derek raged.

"He left it to your daughter, sir," the other man explained. "We need to find her and get the papers signed for the estate to be transferred to you."

"Why do I need to do that?" Derek demanded angrily. "Mr. Fisher, please! I can't believe I'll have to beg her for something that rightfully belongs to me! My father's estate should be mine! After her mother died, I abandoned her at a shelter. Her mother and I... it was all a mistake! How am I supposed to track her down now? What nonsense!"

Marissa simply walked away while they were still talking. She could not believe what she had just heard. Derek never wanted her. He voluntarily gave her up. Ted had been right, and she was wrong.

Marissa felt guilty that she'd left the man who had raised her and loved her for a man who only wanted her for her inheritance.

***

Ted drove to Stacey's house late that evening, worried, but Marissa wasn't there.

"Where is this girl? She's not taking my calls! Where's her laptop?" asked Ted.

Marissa's laptop was password protected; no luck there. In the end, Ted decided to call the cops. But before he could, his phone rang, and he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw it was Marissa calling him.

"Dad…" He heard her crying.

"Marissa, sweetheart! Where are you?" asked Ted, worried.

"Dad, I'm near Stacey's house… I…" she sobbed, and her phone went dead.

"Darn it! Not now! But she's here… She's here!"

Ted ran out into the rain when he noticed Marissa crying on the street outside Stacey's house.

"Marissa!" Ted took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Honey, you'll get cold. Come inside."

"I—I was a terrible daughter, dad," she sobbed. "I was a terrible human to you!"

"Oh honey, you were not," he said as he hugged her. "You were not. Let's go in, ok?"

"No," said Marissa, sniffing. "I wanna go home, dad. To our home."

"Alright, alright…" he said, consoling her. "As my daughter says, ok? Let's go home."

So Ted drove Marissa home, and they never brought up the adoption topic again after that. Marissa realized Ted was her real dad because he gave her a loving home. She didn't need anything more from life.

But a few days later, she got a visit from Derek. He had read her messages late and wanted to 'embrace' her. Of course, it was all an act for her inheritance.

Marissa knew that, so she slammed the door in his face. "I don't want the inheritance or you!" she told him. "I will donate that money to charity! You don't deserve it! And, yes, get out of here before I call the cops!"

What can we learn from this story?

• A parent is the one who adores their child, no matter what. Ted wasn't Marissa's biological father, but he loved her like his own daughter, whereas her biological father only wanted her for the money.
• Your karma will catch up with you eventually. Derek left Marissa because he didn't want her, but when it came to money, he returned to her like a greedy dog. Karma eventually caught up with him, and he learned his lesson.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a poor widowed janitor who adopted an abandoned baby he found on the runway, only for her birth mom to show up on her 18th birthday and claim her back.

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