Chapter 1: Daddy’s Absence, A New BeginningMy name is Gift, and life has never been the same since I lost my father. I was just seventeen when death snatched him away. One moment, I was “daddy’s little girl,” and the next, I was standing by his grave, trying to understand why the world suddenly felt so empty.Mum was only thirty-six at the time. She looked so young, so lost, and so fragile, yet she carried herself like a woman determined to keep our little family alive. I admired her strength, but inside, I was breaking.School made it worse. It seemed like everyone noticed my loss. Whispers followed me in the corridors. “She doesn’t have a father.” “Her mum will soon bring another man home.” The taunts pierced me deeper than any knife.One afternoon, after enduring too much, I came home with tears still wet on my cheeks. Mum was in the living room, folding clothes, and she froze when she saw my face.“Gift, what’s wrong?” she asked softly, dropping the fabric on the chair.I sat beside her, my heart pounding. “Mum… they keep teasing me at school. They say I don’t have a father, and that one day you’ll bring another man home. I don’t know how to feel about it.”Her eyes dimmed with sadness. For a moment, she looked as though she carried the weight of both our worlds. But before I could continue, she pulled me into her arms.“My daughter,” she whispered, “people will always talk. But you must remember—you are not defined by their words.”I held her tighter. “Mum… if you ever bring a man home, I promise, I won’t fight you. I’ll accept him. I don’t want to lose you too.”She pulled back and cupped my face. “Gift, you’ll never lose me. And if that time comes, I’ll make sure you are ready.”At that moment, I meant every word. I thought my heart could handle it.---Three years later, I was no longer that fragile, grieving girl. I was a young woman, nearly twenty, preparing to celebrate my birthday in a month’s time. I had learned to smile again, though a part of me would always long for Dad.On the morning of my birthday, Mum called me into the sitting room. She was glowing, wearing a dress I hadn’t seen before. Beside her stood a tall man with warm eyes and a smile that felt almost fatherly.“Gift,” Mum said with a sparkle in her eyes, “meet David.”I blinked. For a second, my heart raced, unsure how to react. But then I looked at him closely — well-dressed, respectable, and charming. Something in his aura reassured me.“Happy birthday, young lady,” he said with a gentle smile, handing me a small, wrapped box.I took the gift, and instead of fear or rejection, what I felt was… relief. Finally, I could say I had a father again.The weeks passed quickly, and soon, Mum and David were married. The wedding was simple yet elegant, and I found myself beaming more than the bride herself. It wasn’t just about Mum finding happiness—it was about me finally standing tall without the shame of being “fatherless.”With David’s support, Mum opened a boutique, and it flourished. He himself was a well-known architect, constantly busy but never too busy to check on us. For the first time in years, I felt like part of a whole family.When I gained admission into one of the biggest universities in the country, David was there every step of the way. He drove me to campus, met my lecturers, and even checked on me regularly. Soon, my friends began calling me Daddy’s girl, and for once, I didn’t mind.Life seemed perfect. Too perfect.I didn’t know then that the real challenges—the kind that would test not just my studies but my heart—were waiting just around the corner. And as I stepped into my new university life, I had no idea that love, rivalry, and betrayal would soon tear at the seams of everything I thought I had secured.