When Simon and I had Sophie, he promised to be an equal parent—but that never happened. He wanted a boy, and when Sophie was born, his interest faded. I raised our daughter alone, watching him give attention to other kids while ignoring his own. One night, Sophie asked me, “Why doesn’t Dad love me?” It broke me. I confronted Simon, and to my surprise, he agreed to spend a day with us at the fair.

At the fair, Sophie lit up with joy. She begged for a pink alien plush in a claw machine, but after many failed tries, we left empty-handed. The next day, hoping to surprise her, I returned with Sophie to win the toy—only to discover it was gone. That evening, I spotted the plush in Simon’s car and assumed he got it for Sophie. But when I asked, he denied everything.

Days later, Sophie and I visited my friend Christine. Her son, Jimmy, was clutching the same pink alien toy. When I asked where he got it, he said, “Simon gave it to me… but told me not to tell anyone he visits my mom.” That was it. I checked Christine’s phone while she was out of the room and found messages proving her affair with Simon.

Furious but focused, I grabbed Sophie and left. We hunted down that toy until a reluctant fair worker finally gave us one. I also picked up divorce papers. That night, I handed them to Simon and kicked him out.

Sophie slept peacefully that night, hugging her alien. It was just us now.