My father was a ghost long before I understood what it meant. He walked out on us when I was five, and I’ve rarely heard from him since—no birthdays, no calls, and not a cent of child support.

My mom has been my everything. It’s been just the two of us against the world, and she’s sacrificed so much to support my dreams. Music, especially the piano, has always been my escape. Despite our financial constraints, my mom worked extra shifts to keep me playing.

“Lexie,” she’d say, “You have real talent. I’ll do everything I can to help you achieve your dreams.”

At graduation, I was only expecting a cake. I knew how hard she worked and didn’t want to ask for more. But when I came home that afternoon, there it was: my dream piano. I was overwhelmed, not just by the gift, but by her sacrifices.

I posted about it on social media, tagging my mom and writing a heartfelt caption about how amazing she was.

A few days later, I received a text from one of my dad’s old friends, congratulating me and mentioning how generous my dad was for the piano. I was shocked to find that my dad had reposted my story, claiming credit for the gift.

He hadn’t paid child support or been present for years. I was furious but didn’t want to embarrass him on social media before settling the payments.

Karma stepped in sooner than expected. At a community charity event, I met Ralph, who introduced himself as my dad’s coworker. He mentioned how proud my dad was and the piano gift. My mom, calm but firm, corrected him.

“My ex hasn’t paid child support in years. I bought the piano,” she said. “Her father didn’t contribute at all.”

Ralph, who turned out to be my dad’s boss, was stunned. He realized my dad’s lies and soon fired him. My dad faced years of unpaid child support, and the courts got involved.

As for me, I’ve been composing music on my piano, dedicated to making my mom proud. I’m heading to college to study music, and my dad learned that pretending to be a parent is far different from actually being one.