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Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back
Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back
Author: Lucky Panda

Chapter 1

Author: Lucky Panda
Micah Jackman's heart churned with a hundred conflicting emotions. No matter how much he'd speculated before coming here, he never imagined his daughter Anna Jackman's attitude would be so resolute.

What he didn't know was that Anna and I had already given him countless chances, yet he remained completely unmoved.

During the five years we were married, he had endless opportunities to be honest with us about his identity, to tell us he was actually the eldest son of the Jackman family. Yet he remained silent the entire time.

Whenever Anna said she wanted to play piano for him, he would always brush her off by pretending to be poor.

"Alright, but I don't have enough money right now. When I earn more money, I'll buy you a big piano."

For five years, I took Anna to the plaza every day to perform and earn money.

He just watched coldly. He watched for five whole years.

Every time we packed up and came home, Anna would ask me hopefully, "Mommy, did we earn enough money to buy a piano yet? I want to play a lullaby for Daddy. It's the first piano piece I've learned!"

Whenever this happened, I would count the money in our bag and shake my head at her.

"We're still a little short. We'll save more tomorrow, and we'll have enough soon."

Finally, one month before Anna's birthday, I counted the bag of loose change and discovered with delight that we had enough to buy the cheapest piano.

But when I took Anna's hand and arrived at the piano store, I spotted Micah on the second floor immediately. He was holding his first love's daughter while they looked at pianos together.

My hand trembled as I pointed at the piano they were examining and asked the salesperson, "How much does that piano cost?"

The salesperson gave a standard professional smile. "That Steinway piano was reserved by that gentleman a long time ago. The entire instrument was handcrafted by masters. The price is 800 thousand dollars."

Eight hundred thousand dollars. In an instant, all the blood in my body froze.

People had told me before that Micah's background was unusual, but looking at our drafty house and shabby furniture, I would never have believed that Micah was actually wealthy.

Thinking about it now, I suppose it really must have been hard on him, to be willing to endure living in that dilapidated house for five years.

Seeing my silence, Anna asked me curiously, "Mommy, does Daddy have a lot of money? Did he order that piano for me?"

Anna was still too young to understand the relationship between the people on the second floor. Looking at her dress that had been washed until it faded, I opened my mouth but couldn't find the words.
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  • Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back   Chapter 8

    Six more years passed, and Anna truly stood on stage at Wenna's Concert Hall, holding her birthday piano recital there. I stood in the best spot below the stage, suddenly feeling dazed.13 years ago, I'd left with Anna in a desperate gamble, burning all my bridges behind me. No matter how much I dreamed back then, I never could have imagined a day like this.On stage, the young woman was performing her original composition "Shattered Mirror". Dissonant notes tore through the symphony with sharp, piercing pain.Many people marveled at Anna's talent, but only I knew how hard she worked in private. No matter the weather, no matter how hot or cold it got, Anna practiced at the piano for eight hours every single day without exception. Rain or shine, she never missed a day.In other words, all of this success was exactly what Anna deserved.As the final chord faded, the host suddenly appeared on stage to announce a surprise segment. "An anonymous sponsor would like to request 'Lullaby.'

  • Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back   Chapter 7

    "What?"Micah looked stunned.His older brother, Marcus Jackman, rubbed his ring and smiled meaningfully. "Looks like my little brother's mind isn't on the family business at all these days."Marcus' words only fueled their grandfather's anger. "You're a fool. You neglect your own daughter while running off to raise someone else's child."Marcus will handle family matters for now. You need to figure out what you really want!"Three months later, Lucy boarded a plane clutching the signed stock transfer documents from Micah. What she didn't expect was a team of police officers waiting for her on board."Ms. Sinclair, you're being charged with fraud, illegal border crossing, and unlawful asset transfer. Please come with us."While Lucy waited for her trial in court, Micah was frantically searching through the audience at Wenna's Concert Hall.The profile of the young girl on stage reminded him of a rainy night when Anna had curled up in my arms, her fingers still moving unconsciou

  • Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back   Chapter 6

    "Micah, so many people try to get close to you for your money. How do you know Clara Thornton isn't one of them? You should test her a bit longer."Test me? How laughable.Anna and I had spent five years by his side, supporting him with money we earned from performing in the park. And apparently, we still hadn't passed Micah's test.He never imagined that after discovering his true identity, Anna and I would choose to leave."How did they find out who I really am?"Micah asked Eli Smith coldly without turning around."We checked the surveillance footage. A month ago, when you took Ms. Sinclair to the piano store, your wife and daughter were on the first floor.""They've known for a month?"Of course. That explained why his usually well-behaved daughter had suddenly asked him for a piano a month ago. At the time, he'd dismissed it as childish vanity.He hadn't realized then that it was the last chance Anna and I were giving him. Now, all Micah had left was regret."Contact tha

  • Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back   Chapter 5

    Staring at the single gray tick in our chat, Micah's palms soaked through the leather seat cover.On stage, Lucy's daughter, Melody Sinclair, was playing a classical piece. At the climax, the keys suddenly crashed out three wrong notes. Micah frowned involuntarily.Finally, after Micah loosened his tie and checked his watch for the third time, Melody stood and bowed to the audience amid applause. Without waiting for her to come off stage, Micah hurried out of the venue and rushed home.Lucy reached out to stop him but grasped at empty air.When Micah got home, he found everything almost exactly as it had been.Anna and I didn't have much worth taking anyway. After leaving the kindergarten, we'd simply caught a cab straight to the airport.What he didn't know was that seeing we hadn't taken anything actually put his mind somewhat at ease. He assumed we were just angry and had gone out to cool off."Throwing a tantrum like a child."But despite saying this, not seeing us still le

  • Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back   Chapter 4

    When he had time. That was always his excuse.Micah clearly had enough time to take Lucy to the park, but no time to buy the piano he'd already promised his child.I couldn't hide the disappointment in my heart. My arms dropped to my sides. I had no idea how I was going to explain this to Anna.Just then, my phone buzzed. I opened it to find a friend request. I had a sinking feeling, and my heart pounded.I accepted the request and opened the profile. The first post had just been uploaded. It showed a little girl posing with a piano.The caption read, "Thank you, Mr. Jackman, for the piano."It was the very same Steinway that Anna and I had seen at the piano store that day.My mind went blank. So a piano really had been delivered today. We just weren't the ones receiving it.Perhaps out of guilt, Micah was unusually gentle that evening. He patiently washed Anna's feet and even read her a bedtime story.Anna was so surprised she didn't know how to react. Everything that happene

  • Seven Years Abroad: Now He Wants Us Back   Chapter 3

    Seeing my red-rimmed eyes, Anna threw herself into my arms and said softly, "Mommy, can we give Daddy one more chance? If he still doesn't remember by my birthday, then we'll leave.""Alright."But this was the last chance Anna and I would give him.The next morning, Anna and I went out to set up our stall as usual. I'd graduated from a prestigious university, but I'd been out of the workforce too long after having a child. No company wanted to hire me.Left with no other options, I could only take Anna to the park to sell things. I sold small items like toys and snacks while Anna sang and danced nearby to attract customers.Anna was sweet-natured and well-behaved. Many people were willing to patronize my little stall for her sake alone."Excuse me, how much are these popsicles?""Three dollars for one, five dollars for two."I looked up and discovered the customer was actually Lucy."I'll take two then. Hurry up, though. Don't let my husband see."Like she was doing somethin

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