No one remembered her when she was little, but the moment she started earning money, her parents suddenly reappeared.
They spent her entire childhood debating where to place her. Shed come into their lives at the worst possible timeunwanted. At first, her grandmother helped care for her, but after the old woman had a stroke, there was no one left to raise the girl. Their meagre pensions and wages couldnt cover the cost of caring for an invalid, let alone a child. Within months, they made the decision to send Emily temporarily to a childrens home.
“Youll stay here just a while, love,” her mother had said, forcing a smile. “Just till your dad and I get a bit more sorted.”
Emily believed them. She waited. But life in the home was no fairy tale. No private room, no warmth, no comfortjust rules and silence. She never made friends with the other children; the staff barely noticed her. To survive, she buried herself in books, the only gifts that ever came, donated by well-meaning charities.
She worked hard, earning top marks in school, and when she secured a place at university, she seized the chance to leave for a new city. Money was tight, but she scraped by with part-time jobs, saving every pound to start her own business. People laughed when she opened a tiny online shop selling homemade candles.
“Proper job, that? Youll never make real money,” they scoffed.
But the little business thrived. She was one of the first in the market, and soon, orders flooded in. A young man, James, helped with deliveriesthen quit his own job to join her. Together, they built it into something bigger. A family business.
The care home staff heard about Emilyher face was all over the shops branding. And so, inevitably, her parents did too. They reached out under the pretence of buying candles. When their package arrived, they tracked the return address straight to her door.
She wasnt happy to see them. Theyd forgotten her. Shed forgotten them. Maybe it was harsh, but she sent them away, James standing firm beside her.
They hadnt raised her. Hadnt checked on her. Now, suddenly, they wanted to play the loving parents? It was too late. They shouldve looked for her sooner. Shouldve brought her home. But Emily was grown nowa mother herself. She didnt need them anymore.
