LOGINDuring our first month in the new home, Dad redesigned the room full of dresses.He brought in two dress mannequins, one big, one small.The larger mannequin wore Mom's lavender dress, while the smaller one wore a matching gown made for me.The two dresses stood side by side in the middle of the room, looking like a mother and daughter holding hands."I'm still going to make new dresses every month," he said softly."For you, and for your mom."And he kept his promise.On the first weekend of every month, he spent the entire day in his studio.Sometimes I wandered in to find him drawing sketches or measuring fabric on the table.Once, he held up a piece of light blue silk and asked me, "What do you think of this one?""It's pretty."He lifted the silk against the sunlight streaming through the window."Your mom loved blue, but lavender suited her best."I didn't ask how he knew.I knew he remembered everything about her.---My new school was wonderful, and my classmate
The days drifted by, one after another.Dad was always busy, but he made sure to set aside time for me every single day.He learned how to braid my hair, even though his attempts were turning out a little lopsided.He attended parent-teacher meetings, sitting among a crowd of mothers and taking careful notes.On weekends, he brought me to amusement parks and rode the carousel with me, even though it made him turn pale.When I caught a fever once, he stayed awake the entire night watching over me.When I woke up, I found him fast asleep beside my bed, holding a damp towel in his hand.---Late one night, I got up to drink some water and heard his voice coming from the study."Have you located him?""I want to make sure he never sees the light of day again."I pushed the door open and stepped inside.The moment Dad saw me, he shut his laptop screen."Why aren't you asleep yet, sweetheart?""Who were you talking about?"He paused for a second. "The man who hurt your mother.
Three days later, Dad took me to the cemetery.He walked very slowly, keeping his hand wrapped tightly around mine the entire way.His hand was big and warm.He stopped in front of Mom's headstone.In her photo, Mom smiled softly, her eyes crinkling at the corners.Dad stood there, staring for a long time. He reached out and gently brushed his fingertips over her face in the picture."Evelyn. I'm here."A light breeze swept through the row of headstones, swirling a few fallen leaves around our feet."I'm sorry it took me so long.""I'm so sorry... I spent six years hating you for the wrong reasons."He didn't make a sound, but tears fell drop by drop onto the stone slab below."Why were you so foolish? Why didn't you tell me?""I would have risked everything to protect you and your mother... How could you carry all of that alone?"He fell to his knees."I searched for you for so long. For the first two years, I nearly lost my mind looking for you.""Then I lied to myself
I stood up and put myself in front of Dad, even though I barely reached his waist."My mom didn't make up a story!""You're the bad person! You keep saying mean things about Mom! You don't even know her! You don't know how wonderful she was!"Chloe's face flushed red, then drained of color. "Ethan, I'm only saying this for your own good.""This kid showed up out of nowhere, and this letter is even more suspicious.""If Evelyn really suffered that much, why didn't she contact you even once in six years? Why wait until she died to..."Tears welled up in my eyes again."Because of Grandma!""Bad people took Grandma away! Mom was scared! Grandma begged her not to reach out to Dad, and Mom promised!"Those were the things Mom had shared with me.I didn't fully understand words like kidnapping or threats.All I knew was that Mom did it to protect Grandma, and to protect Dad.Chloe opened her mouth to argue further, but Dad cut her off sharply."Chloe. Our companies' partnership
[Ethan, when you read this letter, I am likely no longer in this world.[I'm so sorry for telling you the truth this way.][Six years ago, when I left you, all those cruel words I said and the money I demanded were never what I wanted.][Back then, after you bankrupted Mark Vance's business, he hated you to the bone. He wanted you to feel the agony of losing everything.][He knew it was impossible to touch you directly, so he targeted me instead.][You always had bodyguards keeping an eye on me, so he couldn't find a chance.][Then, he kidnapped my mother.][She was just coming over to drop off some soup when they grabbed her right outside my apartment.][Mark threatened that if I didn't follow his instructions, he would make sure my mother never returned, and you would be next.][They had her tied up. She couldn't stop crying when she saw me.][Mark shoved the phone into my hands and forced me to call you.][He said I had to break your heart completely. I had to make you be
On my third day at Dad's house, Chloe came over again."Ethan, I had this cake specially ordered from France. Try a piece and see if you like it."Dad sat on the sofa flipping through documents without looking up. "Just leave it there."Chloe acted like nothing was wrong and placed the box on the coffee table.She opened the box to reveal a white cake adorned with delicate chocolate flowers. It looked fancy and delicious.I couldn't take my eyes off it.It was so pretty.When Mom was alive, we only ever stared at cakes like this through supermarket glass display cases.Chloe noticed my gaze. "Would you like some, Lily?"I looked at her, then at the cake, and nodded softly."Here you go, sweetheart."I took a tiny scoop with a small spoon and put it into my mouth.It was so sweet and soft."Is it good?"I nodded, closed my eyes, and pressed my palms together.When I opened my eyes, Chloe was smiling. "What did you wish for, Lily?""I wish Mom could taste this cake. Mom n







