But what if the mother is the one who walks away?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the question Alexey Dultsev found himself asking.
\nOne morning, he sat at the kitchen table, head in his hands, listening to the tick of the clock.<\/p>\n
His body ached from fatigue and heartbreak. Across from him sat a three-year-old girl\u2014Karina.<\/p>\n
Her green eyes, rosy cheeks, and curls made her look like a doll. She was playing with her porridge and watching cartoons.<\/p>\n
Karina was his stepdaughter. Her biological mother, Zhenya, had left.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s Mommy?\u201d Karina asked, pouting. \u201cWhy can she stay home, but I have to go to kindergarten?\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexey didn\u2019t expect this moment so soon. He struggled to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2026 had to go do something,\u201d he said, washing a plate to distract himself. \u201cMaybe you\u2019ll stay with Grandma Tamara for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Karina\u2019s face fell. \u201cI don\u2019t want to! It\u2019s scary there. Grandma says there\u2019s a monster who eats bad kids. She yells. She calls me \u2018child of sin\u2019\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexey remembered Tamara\u2014Zhenya\u2019s cold, bitter mother. She was strict and deeply religious, hardly the right person to care for a sensitive child like Karina.<\/p>\n
Still, he had little choice. That day, he took Karina to her grandmother\u2019s village. But the moment he pulled up, the girl clung to him, crying:<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t leave me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Tamara grabbed her, scolding. As Alexey drove off, he saw Karina chasing the car, sobbing:<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy! Don\u2019t go!\u201d<\/p>\n
He slammed on the brakes, ran back, and hugged her tight.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019m not leaving you. Ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tamara screamed threats, but he didn\u2019t care. He took Karina home.<\/p>\n
Alexey had met Zhenya a year and a half earlier\u2014a stunning brunette with a magnetic charm. At first, she never mentioned her daughter, who lived with her grandmother in the countryside. Only when things got serious did she confess.<\/p>\n
Alexey had grown up modestly\u2014his father was a plasterer, and he himself worked his way up in construction.<\/p>\n
By his mid-twenties, he was doing well, even co-owning a renovation business. When Zhenya told him about Karina, he was surprised, but accepting.<\/p>\n
He insisted they bring Karina to the city. Zhenya agreed half-heartedly, claiming the child would do better in daycare. They married, and Alexey legally adopted Karina. Things seemed to be falling into place.<\/p>\n
But soon, everything fell apart.<\/p>\n
His business partner, Danil Svitov, had been laundering money. When the law caught up, Danil fled the country\u2014and Zhenya went with him.<\/p>\n
She left behind only a note: \u201cI don\u2019t want this life. Give Karina back to her grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n
The betrayal devastated Alexey\u2014not for himself, but for Karina. Her mother had abandoned her completely.<\/p>\n
Still, Alexey stepped up. He raised Karina alone, even as he lost his business and reputation.
\nHe took whatever jobs he could find, learned to braid her hair, cook her favorite foods, and comfort her during nightmares.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t just act like a father\u2014he became one.<\/p>\n
For illustrative purpose only
\nBy age eight, Karina was a bright, energetic girl with short hair and a love for K-pop.<\/p>\n
Alexey knew all her idols and swapped rock music for BTS. He stopped cooking liver and onions\u2014Karina hated them\u2014and mastered lasagna instead.<\/p>\n
But when she turned ten, things changed.
\nOne winter morning, Karina looked pale at school.<\/p>\n
During gym class, a boy mocked her: \u201cKarina\u2019s pregnant!\u201d The others laughed. Karina, horrified, burst into tears. A teacher took her aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kissed a boy once,\u201d she sobbed. \u201cHis sister said you get pregnant from that. My belly\u2019s getting big\u2026 and today I saw blood\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
The teacher quickly realized: Karina was having her first period.<\/p>\n
But she had no idea what was happening\u2014no one had ever explained.<\/p>\n
Alexey rushed to the school. Overwhelmed and guilt-ridden, he admitted:
\n\u201cI thought we had more time. She\u2019s still my little girl\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
At the hospital, doctors confirmed it was puberty\u2014but also discovered a benign ovarian tumor.
\nIt explained her swollen belly and rapid development. Surgery was needed.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, it was a success.<\/p>\n
Alexey took time off work and stayed by her side throughout recovery.<\/p>\n
He read to her, played games, and never let go of her hand.<\/p>\n
For illustrative purpose only
\nOne evening, her teacher, Kristina, visited.<\/p>\n
She brought books and comfort\u2014and quietly became part of their lives.<\/p>\n
She helped Alexey understand what Karina needed as a growing girl\u2014dresses, cosmetics, open conversations. Over time, Kristina and Alexey grew closer. Eventually, they married.<\/p>\n
Karina now had two parents\u2014not by blood, but by love.<\/p>\n
Their home, once marked by abandonment and grief, was finally filled with warmth, safety, and joy.<\/p>\n
And that, Alexey realized, was the greatest wealth of all.<\/p>\n