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Alle Kapitel von From Daddy to Uncle: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 9

9 Kapitel

Chapter 1

Sofia said it into the microphone. Everyone heard. The other parents turned to look at Leonardo. Some of them whispered.Leonardo froze. I froze.For twenty eight days, ever since I realized Leonardo's heart was no longer in this family, every time Leonardo abandoned us for Valentina, I had made Sofia call Leonardo "Uncle Leonardo." It was my way of reminding myself and Sofia not to cry over a man who was not worth it.But Sofia was only seven. That was the age when a girl needed her father most.Every time I asked Sofia to say it, Sofia would hesitate for a long time before whispering a quiet "Uncle Leonardo."But today, Sofia said it on her own. Smooth and natural, as if she had rehearsed it a hundred times in her head.Sofia sat down at the piano. Sofia played. Her little fingers found the right keys. She only messed up once, but she kept going. When she finished, the whole room clapped.Sofia stood up, bowed, and looked at me. Sofia did not look at Leonardo.The judges gave out the

Chapter 2

I did not send Sofia's winning photo to Leonardo. I knew he would not care.I took Sofia straight home and started packing.While I was booking plane tickets back to my hometown, Valentina sent me a video. It was from a children's talent show. Lily was doing a magic trick on stage. She pulled a stuffed rabbit out of a hat, but the trick went wrong and the rabbit fell apart. Lily did not win any prize. But after the show, Valentina, Leonardo, and Lily were all laughing together, holding ice cream cones. They looked like a happy little family.At the end of the video, Valentina wrote, "Losing is not so bad when you have family."Before, I would have fired back immediately. But now, watching Sofia quietly organizing her dolls, I only felt one thing. What was the point?I closed the chat and booked two tickets to Los Angeles for the day after tomorrow.The moment I hit confirm, Leonardo walked through the door. Leonardo was carrying a bouquet of white lilies.Both Sofia and I stared.Leona

Chapter 3

At midnight, exhausted from packing, I collapsed onto the bed.My phone buzzed. A message from Leonardo. He also sent several photos. Valentina and Lily were posing with Sofia's doll. Lily was hugging it like a new best friend."Lily loves the doll. Valentina made me text you to say thank you."Midnight. My husband was with another woman, and she was using Leonardo to thank me.I laughed dryly. I was not even angry anymore. What was the point?I typed back. "You are welcome. But I did not give it to Valentina. And by the way, that doll was Sofia's favorite birthday gift. Sofia treated that doll like a sister. She was waiting for you to play tea party with her and the doll. Bring it back."Then I turned off my phone and went to sleep.I did not care what Leonardo's face looked like when Leonardo read that message.The next morning, Leonardo came home early. Eight o'clock, which was rare for Leonardo.Leonardo walked in, took off his jacket, and stopped cold when he saw the suitcases lin

Chapter 4

An hour earlier.Valentina cried prettily, her fingers clutching Leonardo's sleeve. "Leonardo, what do I do? Lily has a fever of one hundred four degrees. She is burning up. I am so scared."Lily lay on the hospital bed with a cold cloth on her forehead, whimpering softly. Her cheeks were flushed.Leonardo's face was pale. Leonardo held Lily's hand and called me. The moment I picked up, Leonardo rushed out. "Nina, tell Sofia I am sorry. Lily has a very high fever. I have to stay with her at the hospital. I do not know if I can make it by three. If you do not see me, just go home. Tell Sofia I am sorry."Then Leonardo hung up. Like every other time.Leonardo left the explaining to me and the disappointment to Sofia. Leonardo assumed we would wait. Leonardo assumed a simple sorry would put the light back in Sofia's eyes.The doctor examined Lily quickly. "Just a common viral fever. Nothing serious. Give her plenty of fluids and rest. She should be fine by tomorrow."The doctor handed Leo

Chapter 5

Leonardo sped away from the hospital, heading for Adventure Park.The streets were clogged. Bumper to bumper. Leonardo gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles went white. He checked his phone. 2:41. Nineteen minutes until three o'clock.He called me. Nothing. He called again. Voicemail. A third time. Blocked.Leonardo thought I was ignoring him. He typed with one hand while driving."Nina, Lily just has a fever. Nothing serious. I'm on my way.""Please don't leave. I'll be there.""I swear I didn't bail this time."No response.He tried Sofia's smartwatch. Dead.His heart hammered. Sweat rolled down his temples. He thought about what I had said the night before. "We're going far." At the time, he thought I meant a vacation. Now he realized my voice had been too calm. Too final.Leonardo stomped the gas. The light ahead was red. He looked at the clock. 2:44. He ran it anyway.A delivery truck swerved to avoid him. The driver laid on the horn. Tires screeched. Leonardo's car fishtailed. H

Chapter 6

When Valentina realized her tears were getting her nowhere, she stopped crying. She wiped her face and laughed coldly."Fine. I did it on purpose. But what else was I supposed to do? I'm a widow. Salvatore is dead. I married him for power, not love. He was the Mafia boss, and being his wife meant protection, money, respect. But he never really let me have any of it. He kept me on a short leash. When he got killed in that gang war, I had nothing left. No status. No money. Just a kid who looked like him."She crossed her arms. "So I found you. Younger. Dumber. Easier to control. Someone who would give me back everything I lost."Leonardo looked at Valentina as if seeing her for the first time. "So everything was a lie? The widow weeping at his grave? The sad stories about raising Lily alone?"Valentina smiled bitterly. "A lie? Leonardo, you were the one who was stupid. I said I was having a hard time, and you came running to play hero. I said Lily didn't have a father, and you jumped in

Chapter 7

Leonardo drove all night to the airport. The earliest flight to Los Angeles was sold out. Leonardo sat in the terminal until dawn, calling me dozens of times, sending hundreds of messages."Nina, I know I was wrong.""Where are you? Let me see you.""Is Sofia okay?""I did not mean to hurt you both.""Please, pick up."I did not read any of them.When the plane landed in Los Angeles, Sofia was asleep. Sofia's little head rested on my shoulder, dried tear tracks on her lashes. I carried Sofia off the plane and took a taxi to my mother's old house. It was a small place in a quiet suburb. Nothing fancy. Two bedrooms, a porch with a rocking chair. The paint was peeling, but it was ours. My mother had left it to me years ago.Los Angeles night air was damp. The taxi crossed a lit highway. Sofia woke once, mumbling, "Mom, are we going to live here now?"I stroked Sofia's hair. "Yes, for now. Grandma's old house."Sofia nodded and curled deeper into me. "The new home does not have Uncle Leona

Chapter 8

The next morning, Leonardo was gone.On the porch, he had left a letter. "Nina, I'm begging you. Don't throw away what we had. I'll wait forever. Please."I read it and dropped it in the trash.Sofia sat on the bed eating toast. She glanced up. "Mom, what happened? What did Leonardo write?"I smiled. "Nothing. Just an advertisement flyer."Sofia smiled too. It was the first real smile since we left Leonardo.Over the next year, many things happened.First, Valentina's crimes caught up with her. A nurse at the hospital had recorded Valentina forcing Lily to drink seafood chowder. The video was handed to the police. Valentina was charged with child abuse. She tried to lie, said it was an accident. But the hospital security footage, the nurse's testimony, Lily's own words, and Valentina's chat logs with Leonardo—all of it was evidence.Every time Valentina had used "Lily misses her daddy" or "Lily fell" or "Lily has a fever" to pull Leonardo away from us, there was a timestamp.Leonardo h

Chapter 9

As for Leonardo, he really did not give up.At first, he sent things every day. Dolls, limited edition Minion figures, a bike, expensive learning tablets, piano lessons, summer camp vouchers. I did not want to accept them, but Sofia said very seriously, "Mom, this is what Leonardo owes me. He owed me before."I paused. Then I agreed. We took the gifts, but Sofia never called Leonardo "Daddy." Every time Leonardo visited, Sofia would nod politely and say, "Hello, Uncle Leonardo."Leonardo's face would pale each time, but he never dared correct Sofia. Not anymore.Before, it was me and Sofia chasing Leonardo. Asking when he would come home. Asking if he could spend time with Sofia. Asking if he even loved us. Now it was the other way around. He chased us. But we did not look back.On holidays, we traveled. We saw snow in Hokkaido, surfed in Malibu, toured castles in Europe. Leonardo somehow got our itinerary and followed at a distance. At the airport, he sat a few gates away. At the hote

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