
Hello, my name is Demodex folliculorum and I live in the pores of the skin of your face that’s why it’s important to wash your face and remove makeup!!
The only way you can see me is with a microscope. I measure between 0,3 and 0,4 mm, and like spiders, I have 8 legs.
I like living in hair follicles that have your nose, cheek and eyelashes. These are places where there’s more fat to feed me.
I feed on your secretions and your dead skin. I can put up to 25 eggs in every hair follicle.
My digestive system is not able to eliminate my waste, so i accumulate them in my body until I explode and die. My remains cause hypersensitivity reactions.
According to some studies, in some people, I can cause infections on eyelids and rosacea.
I am a mite that is present in almost every adult on this planet.
Are you going to sleep in makeup tonight?
I Found a Note in My Daughterâs Backpack Saying, âIâm Your Real Dad, Come and See Me After Schoolâ â I Went Pale When I Found Out Who Did It

Trentâs world unravels when he finds a cryptic note in his nine-year-old daughterâs backpack: âIâm your real dad, come and see me.â Suspicion gnaws at him, but nothing prepares him for the shocking truth he uncovers.
I stood at the kitchen sink, staring at the half-full coffee mug in my hand. The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the quiet street outside.
Mornings like this used to mean something to me â peace, warmth, the simple comfort of knowing Lily was just upstairs, getting ready for school. But lately, things felt different.

A man staring out his kitchen window | Source: Midjourney
I set the mug down with a sigh, listening to the faint sound of Lilyâs footsteps from above. She used to charge down the stairs, her hair a mess, talking a mile a minute about her dreams or whatever happened at school the day before.
Now? Now, she dragged her feet, barely speaking, like there was a weight on her shoulders.
Something was wrong, and it worried me.

A worried man | Source: Midjourney
âLily,â I called, hoping for some kind of response that would ease the tension. âYou want pancakes? I can make some before you go.â
âNot hungry,â she muttered from the top of the stairs, her voice as flat as it had been for weeks.
I winced. She hadnât sounded like that before: so sharp, so cold. It wasnât like her at all. Drying my hands, I turned to face her as she came down.
âHey, kiddo, whatâs going on? Youâve been kinda quiet lately.â

A man standing at the foot of the stairs | Source: Midjourney
She shrugged, still not meeting my eyes. âNothing.â
I hated that response. She used to tell me everything, but now it felt like she was shutting me out. She pulled on her backpack and moved toward the door like she couldnât wait to leave.
âLily, wait.â My heart was in my throat. I hated how distant sheâd become, and it frightened me more than I wanted to admit. âYou know you can talk to me, right? About anything.â
She paused with her hand on the doorknob.

A girl standing by the front door | Source: Midjourney
For a second, I thought maybe sheâd turn around and open up to me. But then her shoulders stiffened, and she just nodded.
âYeah. I know.â Her words were hollow, as if she didnât believe them herself. She opened the door and slipped out without another word.
I stood there in the silence, feeling it close in on me. Something was wrong. I just didnât know what it was yet.

A worried man | Source: Midjourney
That afternoon, I was going through the laundry, like I always did on the weekends. Lily had tossed her backpack onto her bed, and it looked like it had survived some kind of battlefield.
I figured Iâd clean it out before throwing it in the wash, so I started digging through the mess of crumpled papers and snack wrappers. Thatâs when I found the note.
A folded piece of paper slipped out of the side pocket, so worn that it was practically falling apart.

A folded note | Source: Midjourney
I stared at it for a second before unfolding it, something heavy settling in my chest.
âIâm your real dad. Come and see me last Monday of September behind the school.â
My heart stopped. The words blurred for a second and it seemed like my brain couldnât process what they meant. Real dad? What the hell was this?
I was Lilyâs dad⊠Iâd raised her since the day she was born.

A shocked man | Source: Midjourney
Kate, my wife, whoâd been gone for six years now, wouldnât have kept something like this from me. She loved me. She wouldnât have cheated on me.
Would she?
I felt sick to my stomach. The note wasnât just some random thing. It felt targeted. Like someone knew exactly how to hurt me, using Lily to get to me. But who? And why?
I wanted to confront Lily right then and demand answers.

A confused man | Source: Midjourney
But something stopped me. I couldnât do that to her, not yet.
The note said to meet on the last Monday of September, which was in two days. I needed to know who was behind this.
Two days later, I was sitting in my car, watching the school. I hated doing this; following my daughter like some kind of detective, but I had no choice. I needed to know what was going on.

A man sitting in his car | Source: Pexels
I watched as Lily walked slowly to the back fence of the school, her shoulders tense, like she knew this wasnât right. And then I saw him: a tall guy, slouching a little, standing by the fence. It took me a second, but when I realized who it was, my blood ran cold.
Jeff. A guy I knew from work. Heâd always been quiet and kept to himself, but I never thought much about it.
Until now.

A man leaning against a fence | Source: Midjourney
Lily hesitated for a moment before walking up to him. I cracked the window, just enough to hear their voices.
âYou came,â Jeff said, his voice low and almost too calm. âI wasnât sure you would.â
Lily didnât respond, but I could see her fidgeting with the straps of her backpack. She was nervous. I could feel it from where I was sitting.
âI know this is a lot,â Jeff continued, his voice gentle in a way that made my skin crawl. âBut your mom wanted you to know the truth. She didnât want to hurt you. Or⊠him.â

A man talking to a girl | Source: Midjourney
I couldnât just sit there anymore. I pushed the car door open and stormed toward them, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might explode. âWhat the hell is going on here?â
Jeff flinched, his face tightening for a second before he composed himself. âTrent. I was hoping we could talk about this.â
âTalk?â My voice shook with rage. âYou think you can just show up and tell my daughter youâre her father?â

A shouting man | Source: Midjourney
Jeff glanced at Lily, who looked more confused than Iâd ever seen her, and then back at me. âShe deserves to know. Kate and I⊠we had something. Lily is my daughter.â
I couldnât believe what I was hearing. My hands clenched into fists, my whole body shaking with disbelief. âNo. Youâre lying. Kate wouldnât do that to me. She wouldnât keep that from me.â
âShe didnât want to hurt you, Trent.â Jeffâs voice was so calm, so sure of himself. âShe thought it was for the best.â

A man and a girl | Source: Midjourney
I turned to Lily, my heart breaking at the look on her face: wide-eyed and terrified. âLily, donât listen to him. Heâs lying.â
Lilyâs voice was barely a whisper, but it cut through me like a knife. âIs it true? Dad⊠is it true?â
I dropped to my knees in front of her, my hands resting on her arms. âIt doesnât matter what anyone says. Iâm your dad. Iâve been there every day of your life. Thatâs what makes me your father. Nothing else.â

A girl standing near a fence | Source: Midjourney
She didnât say anything, just stared at me, her lip quivering. I could feel her shaking beneath my hands, and it killed me to see her like that. I turned back to Jeff, my rage flaring again.
âGet out of here.â
Jeff sighed, looking almost sad. âI know this is hard, but Iâm not going anywhere. She deserves to know the truth.â
âYouâre not her father,â I growled, barely holding back my anger. âYou never will be.â

A man shouting | Source: Midjourney
Jeff gave me one last pitying look before turning and walking away. I wanted to chase him, to demand answers, but Lilyâs small sob pulled me back.
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as tightly as I could. I wouldnât let anyone hurt her. Not ever.
That night, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind racing with thoughts I didnât want to have. Could it be true? Could Kate have hidden something like that from me?

A man lying in bed | Source: Pexels
I thought about every moment weâd shared, every laugh, every conversation. Nothing made sense anymore.
The next day, I started digging into Jeffâs past. I couldnât just sit around waiting for answers. I needed to know the truth.
It didnât take long to find out that Jeff had been fired from our company a month ago for lying on his rĂ©sumĂ©.

A man using his laptop | Source: Pexels
He had a history of manipulation, of using people to get what he wanted. The relief I felt was overwhelming. Heâd lied about everything.
A few nights later, Lily and I were sitting on the couch, watching some show that neither of us were really paying attention to. I knew I had to talk to her. She deserved to know the truth.
âLily,â I said softly, âwe need to talk about Jeff.â

A girl sitting on a sofa | Source: Midjourney
She tensed, curling a little closer to me, but she didnât say anything.
âHe lied to you, kiddo. About everything. Jeff is not your real dad. Heâs just⊠sick. He was trying to hurt us.â
Lily looked up at me, her eyes wide and scared. âBut⊠what if itâs true?â
âIt doesnât matter what he said,â I told her, pulling her closer. âIâm your dad. Iâve always been your dad, and nothing will ever change that.â

A worried girl | Source: Midjourney
She stared at me for a long moment, her lip trembling, and then she nodded. âI love you, Dad.â
âI love you too, kiddo. Always.â
A few days later, I got a call from the police. Jeff had been arrested for stalking another family. Turns out, the guy had a history of lying and manipulating people. It was over. I hung up the phone, feeling like I could finally breathe again.

A man standing in his home | Source: Midjourney
Lily was at the kitchen table, drawing quietly. I walked over and kissed the top of her head. We were going to be okay.
We had to be.
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