A stepfather took his 10-year-old stepdaughter, who had a noticeably swollen belly, to the clinic — and the doctors were left stunned and pale after the examination.

Sometimes, absent fathers are idealized—portrayed as sailors, astronauts, or secret agents. For the child, it becomes a comforting illusion, a gentler story to cover the painful reality: he left out of selfishness. Believing in a noble reason is easier than confronting the hurt of being abandoned.

But what happens when it’s the mother who chooses to leave?