Bound by His Promise

Tina Smith was the only person present for her daughter's cremation, and her loose black dress barely hid the weight she had lost.

Her wistful eyes were red and puffy from tears too, and she took out a pair of hair pins, arching her back as she gently slid them into her daughter's hair.

It was a birthday present for her daughter, which she had designed herself.

"Happy birthday, baby. Mommy will always love you."

As Tina leaned down to gently kiss her daughter's forehead, the icy touch to her lips left tears welling up in her eyes again.

It was soon time nonetheless.

"My condolences."

A crematory assistant approached Tina, reminding her politely, "When is the father coming?"

There was a father noted on the papers, after all.

Still, there was a brief flicker of coldness in Tina's eyes. "He isn't coming!"

"But are you really not going to wait?"

The crematory assistant was a father himself, so he understood that he would be burdened with a lifetime of regret if he did not see his daughter one last time.

"Wait?"

Tina chuckled coolly. "That's exactly what my daughter did outside an amusement park last night, in the blistering cold of fourteen degrees. She waited since morning too, and her father never showed up even as blood welled out of her mouth and she passed out.

"And guess what? Said father rented out Wonderland to celebrate the birthday of his mistress' daughter!"

The crematory assistant was stumped, not expecting that such a failure of a father existed.

As he watched, Tina brushed her fingers longingly over her daughter's pale, stiff cheek, choking with tears as she breathed, "Do it. Let's not keep her waiting—it'd just torment her further."

All she could hope was for her beloved daughter to find a good home in her next life, and a father who would love her, so that she did not have to wait for nothing.

-

It was the height of winter, and the skies darkened soon after Tina left the crematorium.

Holding the urn containing her daughter's ashes tightly, she got into the back of a taxi, staring out the window with misery in her eyes.

However, the taxi slowed down as there was traffic up ahead at the road near Wonderland.

There was a massive LCD screen dead ahead, playing the headline: [Dazzling fireworks in Wonderland as Barnes Group's CEO celebrates daughter's birthday]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Countless dazzling fireworks erupted in the skies, soon followed by the words: Happy birthday, Rory!

And beneath the light show, Rory Cook was wearing the princess gown that her daughter had wanted so badly, smiling blissfully as Henry Barnes and Linda Cook held her hands.

As the second round of fireworks erupted dazzlingly overhead, the couple leaned down together, each placing a loving kiss on the little girl's cheeks.

"You really need to see it to believe it—Mr. Barnes really loves his daughter."

"It's called a package deal…"

The footage stopped, but the voices of envy were endless.

Tina's eyes turned red even as she looked on.

Even as she felt knives slicing through her heart, she enveloped the urn containing her daughter's ashes, murmuring through the pain, "Don't look, baby!"

She did not want her daughter to be hurt!

-

It was only ten at night when Tina returned to the villa where she and Henry lived.

After tidying her daughter's belongings, she held the urn, sitting blankly on her tiny bed through the night.

She finally headed downstairs early the next morning, running headlong into a towering figure—Henry.

He never looked at her, his expression cold as always.

"Where's Sophie?"

"Heh." Tina snorted in disdain.

He finally remembered her daughter, three days after she died.

Henry frowned at Tina right then.

Was she throwing a fit at him for ghosting Sophie?

However, he withheld his annoyance and did not snap at Tina, instead saying quietly, "I'm taking her to the amusement park."

Tiny's heart clenched at the word.

She would never forget her baby lying in a pool of her own blood after she had rushed over to that amusement park following a call from the staff member.

But Henry was nowhere to be seen.

Just that morning, Sophie had told her over the phone that her daddy came on time, that they were having fun, and that she did not have to worry.

It was only then that Tina realized that Sophie was lying—the very first time that Sophie had ever lied to Tina—because she was convinced that her father would come as promised.

A mere child, waiting stupidly in the blistering cold from dawn to dusk…

Her eyes turning red, Tina wheeled on Henry as she snapped icily, "Get her?! She's dead! Where would you get her?! From the depths of hell?!"

"Watch it!!!" Henry bellowed in fury.

It was just one playdate, and she was cursing her own daughter for that?! And she was supposed to be Sophie's mother!

Leveling a scornful look as if Tina was crazy, he snapped, "You're unbelievable!"

But he was not bothered to keep humoring her either, only glaring at Tina icily to caution her from further antics.

He headed upstairs, ready to get Sophie himself, when his phone rang.

It was a special ringtone, so he stopped in his tracks, whipping out his phone and answering it instantly.

A young girl's cutesy voice rang in the quiet room. "Daddy? Can you come visit me? I miss you…"