My dad chose his gold digger girlfriend over our family, so we kicked him to the curb. A year later, he went broke and she dumped him the second she found out. He came crawling back to us immediately. But it wasn’t to be a family again.

When my dad’s business first began thriving, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. We were suddenly able to afford three meals a day, and kids in school stopped making fun of me because I no longer wore ripped clothes. Our dad quickly moved us into this much bigger home where we had our own rooms and hot water all the time.

On the outside, everything looked perfect. And at first, I thought it was. Sure, Dad was suddenly super into his image, dressing fancy even around the house and going to events almost every night. I didn’t notice how troubling that was until I saw Mom crying one night. Through tears, she told me Dad had canceled their anniversary dinner for some client meeting.

I was only twelve, but even I knew that was wrong. The real salt in the wound came a few weeks later. Dad had met a girl named Serena during that same client meeting he ditched the anniversary for. Serena was young, gorgeous, and knew exactly how to turn heads. Within weeks, Dad announced he was leaving Mom to marry Serena.

Even I flipped out. I yelled at him that Mom was there for him when he had nothing, and that Serena just came along. He couldn’t just leave Mom for some shiny Barbie he’d known two weeks. But he didn’t see it that way. He told Mom, in front of us, that a man of his status needed someone who took care of her body the way Serena does.

I remember feeling so angry watching Mom cry silently as she packed her bags. Serena moved in with us a few days later, and life became uncomfortable really fast. Serena and Dad always took fancy vacations, leaving me and my siblings alone for weeks at a time with nannies he had hired full-time.

When they were home, we barely got any attention. Serena and Dad were always out horse riding, wine tasting, all the luxuries. We always wanted to join, and Dad always seemed like he was happy, but Serena never let us. It was clear she never liked us, and with how easily Dad was manipulated by her, he always did exactly what she said.

What’s worse, I could tell the reason Serena hated us was because we cost Dad money. School fees, extracurriculars, it all annoyed her. So much so that she approached me one night and told me flat out to stop stealing his money, that it was for her, not me.

I tried to talk to him about it the next day, but he just accused me of hating Serena because she replaced Mom. That’s when I knew there was no getting through to him.

And then the inevitable happened. With Dad and Serena’s lifestyle, it didn’t take long before money started getting tight. Their solo vacations downgraded from lavish resorts to budget hotels. The fancy restaurants they once visited almost daily became takeout pizza nights.

As expected, Serena didn’t handle these changes gracefully. At dinners, she openly mocked Dad for being cheap or scoffed at the jewelry he bought that was “too cheap.” Dad always looked embarrassed, scrambling to keep her happy, constantly apologizing like a wounded puppy.

It was around this time that Dad started pulling us from our private schools and canceling our activities, all so he could spend the money on Serena. My younger sister cried herself to sleep after losing her spot on the gymnastics team. My brother stopped talking altogether, retreating into himself.

When I confronted Dad about how much he was hurting us, he barely reacted. His focus was solely on Serena. One evening, as we were having dinner, Dad announced he’d taken money out of our college fund because Serena needed a vacation to “de-stress.” That’s when we knew we couldn’t stay.

The next day, Mom welcomed us back with open arms. Her house was small, but it felt warm. Our days were simple again, doing homework at the kitchen table, laughing over silly things at dinner. Mom never said a bad word about Dad, but sometimes I saw sadness flash across her face when she thought we weren’t looking.

A year passed quietly. We didn’t hear much from Dad, and honestly, we weren’t sure we wanted to. Then one night, Dad showed up on our doorstep looking like he’d aged ten years. His clothes were shabby, and his eyes were tired.

Mom hesitated, then let him in. He sat on the edge of our worn-out sofa, staring down at his hands. Slowly, he told us everything. He said that in the last year, his business had filed for bankruptcy and that his money had officially run out.

That’s when he started crying and calling himself stupid. He admitted that the second he had nothing left, Serena left him. She apparently didn’t even comfort him. Literally started packing her bags the second he told her.

It was honestly heartbreaking to watch our dad like that. By the end of his speech, he was red from crying and embarrassed. And he actually asked for a second chance, not just from us, but from our mom, too. He wanted us to be a family again.

Mom just sat there quietly for a long time. My sister, Emma, fifteen, was crying silently. My brother, Liam, ten, just stared at the floor. I’m seventeen now, and I felt so conflicted. Part of me wanted to tell Dad to get lost after everything he’d done. The other part remembered how he used to push me on the swings before all the money stuff.

Finally, Mom spoke up. She told Dad he could stay on our couch for a few nights while he figured things out. Not a full reconciliation, just basic human decency. Dad looked relieved, but also kind of disappointed. I think he expected us to welcome him back with open arms.

That night was super awkward. Dad tried making small talk during dinner, asking about school and stuff. We gave short answers. Mom kept things civil but distant. After dinner, I helped Mom with dishes while Dad tried connecting with Emma and Liam in the living room. It wasn’t going well from what I could hear.

Later, I overheard Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. Dad was apologizing again, saying how stupid he’d been. Mom wasn’t having it. She told him that actions have consequences and he couldn’t just waltz back into our lives expecting everything to be fine. I silently cheered for her.

The next morning, I woke up early for school and found Dad already awake making breakfast. Pancakes, my favorite from when I was little. I could tell he was trying hard, but it felt manipulative somehow, like he thought pancakes could fix years of abandonment. I grabbed a granola bar instead and headed out early.

At school, I couldn’t focus on anything. My friend Jaden noticed something was up, so I explained the whole situation during lunch. He thought I should give Dad a chance, but he didn’t understand. His parents have been happily married forever.

When I got home that afternoon, I found Dad fixing the leaky faucet in the bathroom. Mom was at work and Emma and Liam weren’t home yet. It was just us. He tried making conversation, asking about my college plans. I gave short answers while grabbing a snack from the kitchen.

Then Dad dropped a bomb. He said he’d been thinking about how to make things right and he’d found some jewelry of Serena’s that she’d left behind. Expensive stuff. He was planning to sell it and put the money toward our college funds.

I just stared at him. Part of me was impressed he was trying to make amends. The other part wondered if Serena would come after him when she realized. I didn’t say much, just nodded and went to my room to do homework.

That night at dinner, Dad announced his plan to everyone. Mom looked concerned and asked if that was even legal. Dad insisted Serena had abandoned the items when she left. Emma seemed hopeful, but Mom wasn’t convinced. She pulled Dad aside after dinner for a private conversation.

I couldn’t help myself. I eavesdropped. Mom was telling Dad he couldn’t solve problems by creating new ones. If Serena came after him for the jewelry, it would just make everything worse. Dad got defensive, saying he was just trying to make things right. Their voices got louder until Mom told him to lower his voice because we could hear.

The next day was Saturday. Dad suggested we all go to the park like we used to. Mom said she had errands to run, but told us kids we could go if we wanted. Liam actually seemed excited, which surprised me. Emma said she had homework. I reluctantly agreed to go, mostly to keep an eye on Liam.

At the park, Dad tried way too hard, pushing Liam on the swings, asking about my friends, buying us ice cream. It was like watching someone follow a “how-to dad” instruction manual. I kept my responses minimal, but Liam was warming up to him.

Then Dad’s phone rang. His face changed when he saw who it was. He stepped away to answer, but I could still hear bits of the conversation. It was Serena. She was yelling about her stuff. Dad was trying to calm her down, saying they could talk about it. When he came back, he looked stressed but tried to act normal.

On the way home, Dad got another call. This time from someone named Marcus Delgado. Dad’s voice got all nervous as he explained he just needed more time to pay something back. When he hung up, I asked who Marcus was. Dad brushed it off as just business stuff, but I could tell he was lying.

When we got home, Mom was waiting with a strange expression. She pulled me aside while Dad was talking to Liam about his video games. She told me a woman had shown up at the house looking for Dad. Tall, blonde, and furious. Serena.

Mom had told her Dad wasn’t living there, just visiting occasionally. Serena hadn’t believed her and threatened to come back.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about Dad’s phone calls and Serena’s visit. Something wasn’t adding up. Around midnight, I heard the front door open and close. I peeked out my window and saw Dad hurrying down the street to meet someone in a parked car. They talked for about ten minutes before Dad came back looking even more stressed.

The next morning at breakfast, Dad announced he had a job interview. Mom looked surprised but supportive. As soon as Dad left, Mom told us she was worried. She’d found a crumpled note in the trash with what looked like gambling debts written on it. The name “Marcus Delgado” was at the top.

I decided to do some digging. While Mom was at the grocery store, I checked Dad’s duffel bag that he brought with him. Inside, I found a pawn shop receipt for a diamond bracelet, but the amount was way less than what it had to be worth. There was also a threatening text message on his phone from Marcus about collecting what’s owed.

That’s when it hit me. Dad wasn’t just broke because Serena spent all his money. He had gambling debts, and now he was trying to use us as a safe haven while he figured out how to pay them off. The whole family reunion thing was just a cover.

When Dad got back from his interview, I confronted him in the kitchen. I asked him straight up about Marcus and the gambling. Dad’s face went white. He tried denying it at first, then got angry that I’d gone through his stuff. Finally, he broke down and admitted everything.

Turns out, as the business started struggling, Dad had turned to gambling to try to save it. He’d lost big, borrowed from some sketchy people, and now they were after him. Serena had left not just because the money ran out, but because these guys had started showing up at their house. Dad had come to us not just for reconciliation, but because he needed a place to hide.

The desperation in his eyes as he explained made my stomach turn. I was furious. The betrayal felt like a physical blow. I stormed out of the kitchen and slammed my bedroom door so hard the framed photo of our family vacation taken before he left us fell off the wall, the glass cracking across Dad’s smiling face.

My hands were shaking as I texted Emma to come to my room ASAP. She showed up a minute later, her hair still wet from the shower, concern etched across her face. I told her everything, the words tumbling out in a rush of anger and fear. Her face fell as I explained Dad’s real situation, her eyes widening when I mentioned Marcus Delgado.

We both agreed we needed to tell Mom right away, though I dreaded adding more weight to her already burdened shoulders.

Mom got home from her shift at the diner about an hour later. I could hear her keys jangling as she hung them by the door, the familiar sigh as she kicked off her sensible black shoes. We pulled her into her bedroom and spilled everything. She sat on the edge of her bed, the mattress sagging beneath her weight, her face getting paler by the second.

When we finished, she just stared at the floor for what felt like forever, absently rubbing the calluses on her hands. Calluses she’d developed working double shifts to support us after Dad left.

“I need to talk to your father,” she finally said. Her voice was calm but ice cold. I’d never heard that tone before. It sent shivers down my spine.

We followed her to the living room where Dad was watching TV with Liam. Some cartoon was playing and Liam was laughing, oblivious to the storm about to break. Mom asked Liam to go play in his room for a bit. He looked confused but complied, glancing back at us from the hallway with curious eyes.

As soon as he left, Mom unleashed. She didn’t yell. That would have been easier to handle. Instead, she spoke in this deadly quiet voice, asking Dad how he could bring this danger to her home, to her children. Each word was precisely chosen and delivered with surgical precision.

Dad tried to defend himself, saying these guys weren’t actually dangerous, just persistent. The way his eyes darted around the room betrayed his own disbelief in what he was saying.

Mom wasn’t buying it. She told him he had twenty-four hours to figure something out or she was calling the police. Dad begged her not to, saying it would only make things worse, that these weren’t the kind of people who responded well to law enforcement involvement. The desperation in his voice made me realize just how deep he was in.

That night was the most awkward dinner ever. The only sounds were forks scraping against plates and Liam’s occasional attempts at conversation that quickly died in the frigid atmosphere. Nobody talked. Liam kept looking around, confused about why everyone was so tense, his eyes lingering on Dad’s untouched meatloaf.

After dinner, I helped Mom with dishes while Dad sat on the couch staring at his phone. I could tell he was panicking, his leg bouncing uncontrollably, his fingers tapping frantically against the screen.

Later, I overheard Dad on the phone in the bathroom, trying to keep his voice down. The thin walls of our house made his whispered pleas perfectly audible. He was talking to someone named Keith, begging for a jaw, hmm. I know I said that last time, but this is different, he insisted, his voice cracking. “These guys don’t mess around, Keith.”

From what I could make out, Keith wasn’t interested in helping. Dad sounded desperate, offering collateral he didn’t have, promising returns he couldn’t guarantee. When he emerged from the bathroom, his eyes were red-rimmed and he avoided looking at me as we passed in the hallway.

The next morning, Dad was gone before anyone woke up. The house felt eerily quiet without his nervous energy filling the spaces. He left a note saying he was meeting with an old business contact who might be able to help. The handwriting was shaky. Some words crossed out and rewritten.

Mom just shook her head when she read it, her lips pressed into a thin line of disbelief. She called in sick to work and spent the morning making calls to a lawyer friend for advice, pacing the kitchen with a cup of coffee that grew cold in her hands.

Around noon, the doorbell rang. The sound cut through the tense silence like a knife. Mom looked through the peephole and her whole body tensed up, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the doorframe. She told us to go to our rooms, her voice leaving no room for argument.

I pretended to go, but doubled back and hid around the corner, my heart pounding so loudly I was sure it would give me away. Mom opened the door just a crack, keeping the chain on, her body positioned to block any view into our home.

It was Serena. Even from my hiding spot, I could see she looked different than I remembered, less polished, more frantic. Her designer clothes seemed rumpled, her usually perfect hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She demanded to know where Dad was, saying he had taken things that belonged to her.

Mom told her Dad wasn’t there and tried to close the door, but Serena stuck her foot in, the pointed toe of her expensive boot preventing the door from shutting.

“He pawned my tennis bracelet,” Serena hissed, her voice carrying the raspy edge of someone who’d been crying or yelling, or both. “That was worth twenty grand, and he got what, three for it? I want the rest of my stuff before he sells that, too.”

Her manicured nails gripped the edge of the door, red polish chipped and uneven. Mom told her to take it up with Dad and tried again to close the door. Serena pushed harder, her desperation matching Dad’s in a way that made me realize they were both drowning in the same mess.

“Those people he owes money to. They think I’m involved. They followed me yesterday. Do you understand what kind of people these are?”

Fear made her voice crack, and for a moment, I almost felt sorry for her.

That’s