Daniel was heading home late again after another long shift. His old Ford Focus had been playing up all evening, stuttering at every junctionalmost as if it sensed its days were numbered now that he was finally close to buying the brand-new car hed dreamed of for over a decade. He chuckled to himself, climbing the dimly lit stairwell of his block of flats, imagining the smooth purr of a fresh engine beneath his fingers. That dream was why hed scrimped and saved, why hed taken every overtime shift going, even sacrificing weekends. The last time hed taken a proper holiday? He couldnt remember. His boss appreciated the extra hours but rarely rewarded themwhy bother, when a loyal worker would keep grinding away like a carthorse?
Daniel lived on the outskirts of Birmingham in a small flat inherited from his grandfather. His parents stayed up in Manchester, and visits were rare. He hated when they nagged him about settling downwife, kids, responsibilitynone of that had ever been his priority.
Reaching the fifth floorthe lift was broken againhe nearly tripped over a figure slumped by his door. He flicked on his phone torch, expecting some drunkard, but the light revealed a girl, no older than twelve, curled up against the peeling wallpaper. She startled awake at the brightness, scrambling to her feet. Something fluttered from her gripa photo. Of *him*. He recognised it instantly: a snapshot from a wild student night out over a decade ago.
«Hello! I-Ive come to see you,» she stammered, clutching the picture to her chest.
Daniel jammed his key into the lock, pretending not to hear. What was this? A scam? A setup? Hed heard horror storieskids used as bait, men accused of things they hadnt done. His pulse hammered as he scanned the empty hallway. No cameras. No police lying in wait. The whole floor was desertedmost flats had been abandoned after the elderly tenants passed.
«I dont know you, and I didnt invite you,» he snapped, shoving the door open.
«Wait! Ive got nowhere else to go! Youre Daniel Whitmore, right?» Her voice trembled, but her eyes were sharp.
«Yeah. And?»
«Then its true! Youre my dad. Youre the only one who can help me!»
He barked out a laugh. *Father?* Impossible. Hed never wanted kids. But as he moved to shut the door, she blurted:
«Its too late! You cant just abandon me!»
Something in her tonedesperate, *adult*made him pause. Against his better judgement, he let her in.
Over weak tea and stale digestiveshis cupboards were bareshe explained. Her name was Emily. Thirteen years ago, Daniel had a one-night stand with a girl named Charlotte after a university party. Charlotte had left quietly the next morning, never telling him she was pregnant. Shed raised Emily alone, scraping byuntil now. A heart condition. An operation they couldnt afford.
«Ill pay you back! Ill get a summer job, anythingplease!»
Daniels fists clenched. Even if this *was* his child*was* it?why should he bail out a stranger? But then he spotted it: a birthmark behind her ear, a tiny star. *Just like his.*
That night, he wrestled with himself. The money hed saved£25,000, enough for the car of his dreamswas hidden behind a loose floorboard. But what was the car *for*? To impress women? He was past that. To feel young? That ship had sailed.
By dawn, hed made his choice. He slipped the cash into Emilys backpack while she slept and drove her to the station in silence, ignoring her tearful insults.
Three months later, he returned home to find Charlotte and Emily waiting at his door. The operation had been a success. Emily flung her arms around him, sobbing. Charlotteolder now, wiserjust smiled.
«You didnt have to do that,» she whispered.
Daniel shrugged. «Maybe I did.»
He took them to the park the next dayice cream, laughter, the first proper family outing of his life. Later, over tea, Charlotte confessed shed been too scared to tell him about the pregnancy all those years ago.
«I thought youd hate me,» she admitted.
Daniel exhaled. «I was an idiot.»
He quit his job, found something better. Proposed to Charlotte six months later. And when he *did* finally buy that car? It was a sensible family SUV.
Sometimes, he realised, the dreams you chase arent the ones you need. The best things come when you stop running.
