After Years of Silence, Woman Refuses to Pay Hospital Bills for Estranged Father’s New Child

A woman sought advice on Reddit after facing an emotional dilemma involving her estranged father, who reached out for financial help years after abandoning their family.

She explained that she lives in a Southeast Asian country where divorce is not legally permitted, adding that marriage often carries lifelong legal and cultural weight. Her parents married when her mother was 20 and her father 25, after her mother became pregnant. “They got married because my mom is, well, already pregnant with me,” she recalled. But when she was just 10, her father left, saying he was unhappy and that their marriage had been rushed.

From that moment on, her father vanished from their lives, aside from rare visits from his relatives. “[My mom] would work multiple jobs — a caregiver during weekdays and laundry work on weekends — to provide for us,” she wrote.

Over the years, she and her family rebuilt their lives. After finishing college, she began working to support her mother and younger brother. “I eventually got us in a place where we are now living comfortably,” she shared proudly. “My mother doesn’t have to work again, and my brother can attend a private school.” For the first time, their lives felt stable and peaceful.

That peace shattered when her father suddenly reached out, apologizing for the past. “He said he was sorry and that he was immature,” she wrote. He also revealed that he now had a new partner — whom she referred to as a “glorified mistress,” since her parents were never legally separated — and a young child.

The uncomfortable situation worsened when he introduced her to the child, who tried to call her “older sister.” She refused, saying, “He’s not my brother — he’s a stranger to me.”

Soon after, her father called again, this time begging for money. “Just this morning, my dad called,” she wrote. “He was begging me for money. His kid just got dengue, and their hospital bills are already piling up.”

Her response was unwavering: “I told him no. He and his wife can figure it out like he forced my mom to do when he left for them. I don’t have any other sibling.”

Her mother urged compassion, telling her she was being too harsh and reminding her that “they’re still family.” But the woman couldn’t forgive so easily.

Reddit users largely supported her decision. “Tell your father he can use all the money he didn’t give your mother to support his other children,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “Isn’t it weird that he showed up right before his kid had an emergency? I doubt your half brother is actually sick — he might just be trying to scam you. If he is sick, your dad can use the money he saved from not supporting you and your brother all these years.”