Anatoliy Ilyich was the father of three wonderful daughters. They lived quite modestly in a small wooden house. While he was alive, no one cared about his inheritance. His daughters got married, and he was left with his wife, but not for long. Soon, she passed away. At first, Anatoliy managed on his own, but eventually, he also fell ill. The older daughters were too busy and couldn’t come to help. Only the youngest offered to come and take care of her father. She couldn’t take him to her place, as she was living with her mother-in-law.
Elena’s son was in the army, and her husband was an alcoholic. She was overjoyed that she would finally see her father again and be with him. From a young age, Anatoliy Ilyich didn’t have much affection for his daughter Elena. He suspected that she wasn’t his biological child. She didn’t resemble anyone in the family. The two older daughters were copies of their father, with dark skin, straight noses, while Elena was the complete opposite: fair, curly-haired, and fair-skinned. His wife swore that Elena was his, but Anatoliy never truly believed her. The village started spreading rumors that Elena’s mother had been unfaithful.
Many conflicts arose because of this, and many tears were shed. Years passed, and things calmed down, but only until the moments when Anatoliy started drinking and mentioned Elena. Anatoliy’s mother despised her youngest granddaughter. She always treated her unfairly. Everything was for the older ones, and Elena received nothing. When Elena asked why everyone had gifts except her, she was told, “I’m not your grandmother, get out of here! Your real grandmother only knows who your real grandmother is!” Her sisters didn’t accept her either, insisting that they were their father’s children and she was not.
Elena didn’t hold grudges; she endured everything. When she grew up and started earning her own money, she gave her sisters gifts, hoping they would warm up to her. But they took the gifts and looked down on her. Elena helped her father get back on his feet. She fed him, took care of him, but he was still unhappy and irritated when he saw Elena. When the older daughters finally came to visit, he perked up as if they had replaced someone else. He would cook and joke with them. Elena tried to stay out of sight. She was content just to see her father in a good mood from a distance. She asked her sisters to stay longer, but they refused, saying they had husbands waiting and work to do.
Anatoliy fell into deep apathy: he stopped talking, eating, and drinking. He would only get up when necessary. On his way to the toilet, he stumbled and nearly fell, and Elena barely managed to get him back into bed. After that, he grabbed her head and, looking into her eyes, shouted, “Daughter!” She screamed back, “Dad, just don’t die!” A doctor was called. The prognosis was grim. The older daughters came once but left after seeing their father’s condition.
Elena took care of him diligently, gave him massages, fed him delicious meals, and followed all the doctor’s instructions. She supported him during walks. Her father’s speech was unclear and slow, but Elena understood him. “Forgive me, my daughter, I’m useless now.
Your hands are golden. Forgive me.” Elena couldn’t say anything in response; she just cried and kissed her father’s hands. Soon after, her father passed away, leaving his entire inheritance to his youngest daughter.
The older daughters couldn’t believe that he left everything to her, as they were his real daughters, or so they thought. Elena confided in her only friend how she and her father had come to understand that she was his daughter and he was her father, a process that took a long time. When the two older sisters argued, she didn’t know whether to show them the letter from their father or not… “I have one and only daughter – Elena,” was written in that letter.
