My Daughter Skipped Breakfast Every Day Even Though I Gave Her Pocket Money – I Thought She Was Dieting Until I Discovered A Shocking Secret

Every day, I give my daughter pocket money. However, I recently discovered that she has been skipping breakfast for over a week. She looked pale and often complained of stomach pain. I thought she was dieting until I uncovered a shocking secret.

My name is Adam. I just turned 40 and am the director of a transportation company. My wife passed away in a car accident many years ago, leaving me to raise our young daughter alone.

My daughter, Elly, is a ninth-grader—beautiful and intelligent, just like her mother. However, she has a strong personality, likely because she grew up without her mom. Sometimes, she can be a bit stubborn and overly headstrong.

Today, when I got home, something terrible happened. Elly had fainted in her room. Panicked, I rushed her to the hospital immediately. The doctors said that Elly’s calcium levels had dropped due to prolonged fasting and advised me to ensure she eats properly.

On the way home, I asked her, “Why are you skipping meals?”
She hesitated before replying, “I want to lose weight.”
I glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Your figure is already beautiful.”

“That’s just what you think, Dad,” she retorted.
I felt a surge of frustration and wanted to scold her, but considering her recent hospital visit, I held back.

The moment we got home, Elly headed straight to her room. I asked the housekeeper to take her some porridge, then called Jessica, my current girlfriend.

“Hi, Jess. Elly was admitted to the hospital today.”
“Oh my God! What happened?” she exclaimed in panic.
“She’s not telling me much. Could you come over and talk to her?” I sighed.
“Of course! I’ll be right there,” she replied before hanging up immediately.

Fifteen minutes later, Jessica arrived and hurried upstairs to see Elly. They had always gotten along well. After a while, Jessica came downstairs with Elly by her side.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Elly said, looking at me.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Can you tell me what’s going on now?” I replied calmly.

“Next month, I have to participate in a school dance competition. There’s a weight requirement to join,” Elly confessed, her head hanging low.
I frowned. “What kind of ridiculous competition is this? I’ll call your teacher.”

“Please don’t, Dad. It’s a school rule. If you call, it’ll just make the teacher dislike me even more,” she quickly protested.
“But dieting like this isn’t acceptable. You’re going to make yourself sick before the competition even starts,” I said, my voice tinged with anger.

“I’m sorry! I won’t do it again,” she promised.
Seeing her remorseful face, I couldn’t stay mad. “Starting tomorrow, you’re having breakfast with me at home.”

Elly nodded, and Jessica, sensing the tension, interjected, “Elly’s school principal is my uncle. Let me give him a call.”
I looked at her warmly. “Thank you, Jess.”

“As long as you two are happy, that’s all I care about,” Jessica replied with a cheerful smile.
The next morning, I had breakfast with Elly, but she still didn’t look any better.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” I asked, trying to probe gently.

Elly shook her head, avoiding eye contact. With the instincts of a father, I was certain something was troubling her. Finally, I made a bold decision—to follow her.

After dropping her off at school, I parked my car at a nearby lot and walked toward the school gate. The school guard, Mike, was an old high school friend of mine.

“Hey! Dropping off your daughter?” Mike greeted me cheerfully as soon as he saw me.
“Hey! I need a favor,” I said, cutting straight to the point.

“Alright, spit it out,” he replied, winking at me.
“Have you noticed anything unusual going on with Elly at school?” I asked quietly.

“I’m the security guard, not a counselor,” Mike said with a puzzled look. “Why? Is she in some kind of trouble?”
“She’s been acting very strange lately. Can you keep an eye out for me? I’m really worried,” I confessed, my voice heavy with concern.

Mike glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, then leaned in and whispered, “I’ve got a way to help you.”

Mike’s plan was simple yet effective: disguise me as one of the school’s groundskeepers. Normally, Mike was the one who contacted these workers, so no one would question my presence. All I had to do was wear a uniform, put on a face mask, and carry a pair of pruning shears.

That afternoon, during recess, I saw Elly slowly walking out of her classroom. She looked around nervously before heading down a hallway that led to the back of the school. I followed her at a distance.

Elly stopped in the back courtyard, glancing around anxiously as if she was expecting trouble. Suddenly, another female student appeared, grabbed Elly by the hair, and yanked her roughly.

“Trying to avoid me, huh?” the other girl growled.
Elly whimpered in pain and said, “Please, let me go. I’ll give you all my money.”
The girl smirked maliciously. “Just giving me money would be too easy for you.”

Then, to my horror, the girl spread her legs and pointed between them. “Be a good dog and crawl through my legs, and maybe I’ll let you off.”

Elly shook her head repeatedly. “I can’t… I can’t.”
“Oh, so you don’t want to survive in this school anymore, huh?” the girl screamed angrily, raising her hand as if to slap Elly.

At this point, Elly cowered, covering her head in fear. Her knees buckled, and she looked completely helpless. That was the last straw for me. I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Hey! What are you two doing?” I yelled. The bully froze in shock before quickly running off, muttering under her breath. Elly, too, ran away in fear.

A surge of furious anger overtook me. I was on the verge of storming into the principal’s office to address this situation, but I decided it was more important to get the full story from Elly first.

That evening, I sat in the living room waiting for Elly. When she walked in and tried to head upstairs, I stopped her.
“Stop right there! Come here. We need to talk,” I said firmly.

She froze, glancing at me suspiciously. “What is it, Dad?”
“Why are you hiding things from me?” I asked, my face serious, my eyes filled with disappointment.
Elly looked confused, as if she didn’t understand what I was talking about. “What do you mean?” she asked hesitantly.

At that moment, all the anger I had been holding in boiled over. Despite my efforts to stay calm, I couldn’t keep it in any longer. “The gardener you saw this morning—was me,” I said sharply.

Suddenly, Elly broke into tears. Her sobbing felt like a lightning bolt striking my chest, leaving me stunned and speechless. Panicking, I rushed over to hold her in my arms, even though I knew it wasn’t enough to ease her pain.

“Whatever it is, we’ll fix it together. But you need to tell me the truth,” I said, clutching her tightly.
Elly cried even harder, her eyes red and swollen, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t,” she said between sobs.
“Why not? Who is that girl? If I need to, I’ll go straight to the principal to sort this out,” I said, my voice firm with frustration.

Elly shook her head, refusing to say anything. My heart ached as I watched her tremble with fear. Her silence felt like a knot I couldn’t untie, only heightening my worry and anger.

“You have to tell me, Elly. I’m the only one who can help you,” I pleaded. But every question was met with silence and her muffled sobs.
Unable to contain my anger any longer, I blurted out, “Fine, I’ll go to the principal myself.”

As I turned to leave, Elly screamed, “Dad! Don’t go—it’s Ms. Jessica!”
I froze in my tracks and spun around. “What did you just say?”

Still crying, Elly stammered, “It’s Ms. Jessica. She’s the one who called the principal and got me kicked out of the dance team. She told Lita and the others to bully me.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Jessica? That can’t be true,” I said, struggling to process her words.

Elly cried harder, her voice trembling. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me! I didn’t believe it either until I overheard her talking to the principal. She threatened me, Dad. She said if I told you, she’d pull her funding from your company. I know things have been hard for you lately, so I didn’t want to make it worse.”

The ground beneath me felt like it was crumbling. Everything I had witnessed that day, combined with what Elly was saying, made it impossible for me to doubt her. She couldn’t have lied about this.

Why would Jessica do such a thing? Just then, my phone rang. It was Jessica.
I gently told Elly, “Go to your room and rest. I promise I’ll handle this.”

Elly glared at me, her voice laced with frustration. “You’ll just believe her, won’t you?” she snapped before running upstairs. I wanted to call her back, but she was already gone. Sighing heavily, I answered the phone.

Jessica’s voice came through the line, cheerful and calm. “Hey, honey. About Elly—Principal James mentioned something. He said there aren’t any issues, so I’m not sure why she’s making up stories like this.”

Her words felt like venom. Was she lying, or was this the truth? Could this really be the woman I loved?
“Are you there, Adam? Why aren’t you saying anything?” she asked, sounding uneasy.

I took a deep breath and made my choice. I would trust my daughter. “I know everything, Jessica,” I said, my voice cold.
“What? What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice rising in panic.

“Elly told me everything. From now on, I don’t want to see you again,” I said firmly before ending the call without waiting for her response. The silence after the call ended was deafening, filled with a cold finality. I blocked her number immediately.

Just then, the housekeeper came rushing down the stairs, her face pale. “Sir, Ms. Elly just took your car and drove off!”
I was startled, realizing that the car keys in my pocket were gone. Elly must have taken them when I hugged her earlier.

As I stood there in shock, Jessica rushed into the room. “Adam, you have to explain everything to me today,” she demanded.
“I don’t have time for this. Elly took my car and drove off,” I blurted, panic evident in my voice.

Jessica’s face turned pale. “I know where she went. Get in my car,” she said urgently, grabbing my hand and pulling me along.
We sped down the road in Jessica’s car, my mind racing with questions. “How does Elly even know how to drive?” I asked, bewildered.

“You really don’t know your daughter at all,” Jessica snapped, frustration evident in her tone.
I ran my hand through my hair, exasperated. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“Look!” Jessica shouted suddenly. “That’s your car!”

I looked ahead and spotted my black BMW speeding down the road. Elly was undoubtedly in the driver’s seat, and she was driving dangerously fast.

“Where could she be going?” I muttered, my anxiety growing.
“To your wife’s grave,” Jessica replied calmly, keeping her eyes on the car ahead.

Elly accelerated, and soon, it turned into a full-on chase. Suddenly, Elly’s car swerved out of control, veering toward a steep slope on the side of the road.

Jessica, wide-eyed with fear, pushed the pedal to the floor. In the split second before Elly’s car could plunge off the edge, Jessica managed to position our car in its path, resulting in a violent collision.

Elly’s car was deflected away from the slope, but now our car skidded dangerously close to the cliff. Jessica, summoning every ounce of strength and skill, twisted the steering wheel furiously, shifted gears, and slammed the brakes just in time. Our car crashed into a nearby tree, bringing it to a halt.

Hours later, I woke up in a hospital bed. Jessica’s bed was beside mine, and she was still unconscious.

Elly sat by my side, her small frame trembling as she sobbed uncontrollably. Her red, swollen eyes were filled with tears. “Dad… Dad… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she wailed.

I immediately pulled her into my arms, feeling her fragile body shake with fear, pain, and overwhelming guilt.
“What happened? Tell me everything,” I said gently, stroking her back, though worry churned inside me.

Elly lowered her head. “It was all my fault. The bullying, skipping breakfast, the dance team—all of it was a lie. I made it all up so you’d think Jessica was behind it,” she confessed.

Her words hit me like a thunderbolt. I sat frozen, unable to process the truth. “How did you know I was watching you?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

Her tone turned quieter, but there was a hint of pride. “I know you too well, Dad. With the way I acted, I knew you’d follow me. That morning, I skipped school and spied on you. When I saw you ask Mr. Mike for help, I staged everything you saw.”

The revelation left me both furious and stunned.
“Are you really in ninth grade?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“I’m smart, Dad. Just like you,” she replied with misplaced pride.

“Being smart doesn’t mean doing things like this! Why would you do that to Jessica?” I demanded, my breath heavy with anger and disbelief.

Finally, Elly lifted her tear-streaked face to meet my gaze. Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with raw emotion. “Because I don’t want anyone to replace Mom.”

Her words pierced my heart like a dagger. My chest tightened, and my eyes stung with unshed tears. Though my wife had been gone for years, her absence had left a void in Elly’s life that no one else could fill. All she wanted was to hold on to the memory of her mother.

I realized I had been too eager to fill that void with Jessica, not understanding that such a wound couldn’t simply be patched up—it required time and genuine care.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I was wrong,” I said, my voice trembling with emotion.

Elly hugged me tightly, her cries growing louder. “I’m the one who should apologize. I know how much you’ve tried for me, and Jessica has been nothing but kind. But I just couldn’t accept it. I regret everything now. If it weren’t for her today, I… I might not even be here. What should I do now?” she sobbed.

I held her close, whispering softly. “Don’t cry, sweetheart. Neither your mom nor Jessica would want to see you like this. Come with me.”

I guided her to Jessica’s bedside. “Wake her up,” I urged.

Elly hesitated, her eyes overflowing with tears. Then, as if she had finally accepted Jessica, she choked out the words, “Mom… Mom…”

At that moment, something miraculous happened. Jessica’s fingers twitched slightly, as if responding to Elly’s heartfelt call. Perhaps she, too, felt the love and acceptance in Elly’s voice.

We would now start building a new, happy family together.

This story draws inspiration from real-life events and individuals, but it has been adapted and fictionalized for creative expression. Names, characters, and specific details have been altered to protect individuals’ privacy and to enhance the storyline. Any similarity to real persons, living or deceased, or actual events is coincidental and unintentional.