Back to Reality

When my daughter stood in front of me with open disgust on her face, demanding that I, Gavin Hale, apologize to their dear Malcolm Innes, I did not even glance at her. I picked up the teacup in front of me and took a slow, unhurried sip.

"Dad, if you don't apologize, we won't call you Dad anymore!"

"Then don't."

I no longer cared about this daughter of mine; one who would side with someone else over her own father.

I thought back to a time when she had been sick. I stayed at her bedside for three days and three nights, too consumed to eat or drink. When she recovered, I was the one who collapsed. It nearly killed me.

Later, wanting her to have real skills she could carry through life, I swallowed my pride and begged the country's most renowned arts instructor to take her on as a student and teach her music, painting and every classical discipline.

I also spent a long time pleading with Corinne Cavell before our daughter was finally granted access to the family's heir training.

I could say in good conscience that I had given her everything I had. However, the moment Malcolm appeared, everything changed.

Malcolm said the children were still young and should not be crushed under the weight of their studies. He encouraged my daughter, Elise Cavell, to get out more, spend time with kids her own age, and learn to relax.

Elise never went back to a single class. She spent her days following Malcolm around, shopping for clothes.

If that was the path she had chosen, I would not stand in her way.

After all, I was only a supporting character in this novel. My storyline had run its course, and the System confirmed that I had performed my role well. It had gone to negotiate a bonus on my behalf.

In two weeks at most, the System would bring me back to my original world.

I set the teacup down and glanced at her. I felt nothing.

Elise's face scrunched up with discomfort, and a flicker of panic passed through her eyes. In all the years she had been alive, I had never once refused her this directly.

However, the look was gone as quickly as it came. She tilted her chin up, triumphant, and began showing off the makeup and pretty dress Malcolm had bought her, even spinning in a circle right in front of me so I would not miss a thing.

"This is all from Malcolm. Doesn't it look nice?

"You never let me have any of this before. You said I was too young and that it'd ruin my focus. You worked me half to death with classes and lessons, and whenever I didn't listen, you'd smack my hands.

"You were always dragging me up on stage to perform in front of people. You treated me like something on display. You never once gave me any respect!"

The sheer absurdity of it made me laugh. Malcolm had probably coached her on every word.

I had been afraid that, with her being a girl, the Cavells would never take her seriously, and that she would drift through life and stumble into some careless marriage without ever knowing her own worth.

That was why I had taken her to dinners and social events from the time she was young, given her the chance to stand in front of a room and show people what she was capable of, and taught her how to carry herself.

However, after two gifts from Malcolm, she had decided all of it meant nothing.

Did she have any idea how much of myself I had poured into her?

I said nothing. Elise puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

"You don't even love me!

"Malcolm actually cares about me! He doesn't drag me out of bed at the crack of dawn to memorize stuff and do worksheets. He buys me new clothes, reads me bedtime stories and takes me to the amusement park. He's a thousand times the dad you'll ever be!

"Mom already said she wants Malcolm to move in, and that she's gonna divorce you!"

Elise grabbed the vase off the table and hurled it to the floor. It shattered and she stormed out.

Even though I had already made my peace with leaving this world behind, her words still left a bitter taste in my mouth.