**Diary Entry**
No one remembered her when she was little, but the moment she started earning, her parents suddenly reappeared. All through her childhood, theyd been preoccupied with where to place her. Shed come into their family at the worst possible timethey hadnt wanted her. At first, her grandmother helped care for her, but after Gran had a stroke, there was no one left to raise the little girl. Their meagre pension and her parents wages werent enough to look after an ill woman, let alone a child. After a few months, they made the decision to send Emily to a childrens homejust for a while.
*»Youll stay here while your father and I earn a bit more money,»* her mother had said.
Emily believed them. She waited. Life in the home was no fairy taleno private room, no warmth or care. It felt almost like a prison. She couldnt befriend the other children; the staff barely noticed her. To survive, she buried herself in books, the only kindness that ever came her way, donated by charities now and then.
She always did well in school, and when she got into university, she was overjoyed to move to another city. She had barely any money to start with, but she found part-time work and saved every penny to launch her own business. People laughed when she opened a tiny online shop selling handmade candles.
*»What kind of job is that? Youll never make decent money,»* they sneered.
But the little business grew. She was one of the first in the market doing it, and soon, customers flocked in. A young man helped with deliverieseventually quitting his own job to make candles alongside her. Gradually, it became a family trade.
The care home staff heard about Emilyshe was the face of the shop now, and the publicity reached her parents too. Under the pretence of placing an order, they contacted her. When the parcel arrived, they traced the return address straight to her door.
She wasnt pleased to see them. Theyd forgotten herand she had forgotten them. Maybe it was harsh, but she turned them away, her husband backing her up.
They hadnt raised her. Hadnt even checked if she was alive. Now, suddenly, they pretended to love her?
Too late. They shouldve looked for her sooner. Shouldve brought her home.
Now Emilys grown. A mother herself. She doesnt need parents like that.
**Lesson:** Blood doesnt make familylove does. And sometimes, the hardest doors to close are the ones you shouldve never opened in the first place.
