**Diary Entry**
No one remembered her when she was little, but the moment she started earning money, her parents suddenly reappeared.
Her parents spent her entire childhood figuring out where to place her. She came into their lives at the worst possible timethey never wanted her. At first, her grandmother helped care for her, but after she had a stroke, there was no one left to raise the little girl. Their modest pension and her parents wages werent enough to care for a sick woman, let alone a child. After a few months, they decided to send Emily to an orphanage temporarily.
Youll stay here for a while while your father and I try to make ends meet, her mother told her.
Emily truly believed them and waited, because life in the orphanage was no fairy tale. There were no private rooms, no warmth or careit all felt like a prison. She couldnt befriend the other children, the teachers barely noticed her, so to survive, Emily lost herself in books donated by charities.
She always did well in school, and when she got into university, she was thrilled to move to a new city. With almost no money to her name, she took part-time jobs and saved up to start her own business. People laughed when she opened a small online shop selling homemade candles.
What kind of job is that? Youll never make real money, they said.
But the little business grew. She was one of the first in the market to do it, and soon, customers poured in. A young man helped with deliveries, and eventually, he quit his job to make candles alongside her. The business expanded, becoming a family venture.
The orphanage staff heard about Emilyafter all, she was the face of the shopand so did her parents. Under the guise of placing an order, they reached out. When their package arrived, they traced the return address straight to Emilys home.
She wasnt happy to see them. They had forgotten her, and she had forgotten them. Maybe it was rude, but she showed them the doorher husband backing her up.
They hadnt raised her, hadnt even checked on her, and now suddenly they pretended to love her. It was too late. They should have looked for her sooner, should have brought her home. Now Emily was grown, a mother herself, and she didnt need parents like that.
