Some things creep up on people without warning.

This woman lost her dad to a sudden heart attack.

She never got to tell him that she forgave him for abandoning her.

So now, she’s regretting how she talked to him before he died.

Read the story below for all the details.

AITAH for not telling my dad I forgave him before he died?

I (22F) lost my dad three months ago.

It was a sudden heart attack with no warning.

One minute he was sending me a meme.

Next, I’m getting a call from my uncle telling me he’s gone.

This woman was abandoned by her dad when she was 13.

We weren’t on good terms when he died.

My dad and mom split when I was 13, and it wasn’t pretty.

He cheated a lot.

Then, he kind of disappeared for a while and moved to a different state.

He started a new family.

He didn’t really try when she was in high school.

I didn’t hear much from him through high school.

Maybe just the occasional birthday text, or he would send a Facebook like.

That’s it.

She confronted him for it.

At 19, I finally confronted him.

I told him how abandoned I felt

I told him how I needed him and he wasn’t there.

He apologized and said he regretted everything.

He started to make it up to her.

And he tried, I’ll give him that.

He’d call sometimes, and send random care packages, even visited me once at college.

But I couldn’t bring myself to fully let him back in.

I was still angry.

I smiled during our calls, but I kept him at arm’s length.

He asked for forgiveness.

The last time we spoke, he said, “I know I hurt you. I just hope one day you’ll forgive me. Really forgive me.”

I told him I needed time.

Now, I have all the time in the world, and so does he.

He died before she could say she forgave him.

He died thinking I hadn’t forgiven him.

But the truth is, I had.

I just didn’t know how to say it.

I didn’t know if he deserved to hear it, and now, it’s eating me alive.

Her stepmom added to her guilt.

His wife, my stepmom, recently messaged me.

She said, “I hope you gave him peace before he passed. He talked about you all the time.”

I didn’t respond.

Her friends are divided.

My friends are split.

Some say I was protecting myself.

Others say I should’ve given him closure.

So here I am, asking strangers.

AITA for never telling my dad I forgave him?

It’s too late now regardless. She needs to forgive herself just like she forgave her dad.

Let’s see what others have to say about this on Reddit.

This person makes a good point.

This user suggests visiting him and saying it out loud.

You can’t control death, says this person.

This person advises forgiving herself and moving on.

And finally, short and simple.

Tell the people you love how you feel before it’s too late.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.