"This is Daddy!" she would say repeatedly, pointing to my image. "Daddy loves
you very
much!"
As Lily grew, Olivia continued to fill the void left by my absence. She never spoke
ill of me,
never let Lily see her disappointment or anger at my neglect.
I watched Olivia''s tears of joy as Lily spoke her first word: "Mama." Any mother would have
been content with that achievement, but Olivia was determined that Lily would know her
father too.
She continued showing Lily my picture, teaching her to say "Daddy!" with tireless patience
until Lily finally learned the word.
"Daddy loves Lily very much," Olivia would exin gently, "but Daddy is very busy, so he hasn''t
Lily, a nk te eager to please, would echo her mother''s words: "Daddy loves Lily! Lily loves
Daddy!"
My throat tightened as I watched Olivia buying gifts, clothes, and toys for Lily in my name.
She would present them to our daughter, telling her they were from me.
Lily''s delighted responses, hugging the gifts and sweetly saying, "Love Daddy!" pierced my
heart like a silver de.
I hadn''t fulfilled even the most basic responsibilities as a father, yet Olivia had tirelessly
maintained my image in Lily''s eyes. Because of her daily reinforcement, Lily held a positive
image of me despite my absence.
A particr memory surfaced-one I had almost forgotten. Lily, having just learned to walk,
had waited for me at the Stone Residence Entrance one evening when I returned unexpectedly.
Her face had beamed as I arrived, her tiny legs carrying her toward me as fast as they could.
She had hugged my leg, looking up at me with bright eyes that mirrored her mother''s.
"Daddy, hug," she had said softly, her arms raised in expectation.
That moment had softened something in me. From then on, I had started noticing Lily,
acknowledging her presence when I visited Imperial Gardens.
I had always thought that moment was coincidental-that Lily happened to be there when I arrived. But the surveince revealed the truth: she had waited at the door every day, filled
< Chapter 87. Painful Revtio
with anticipation, hoping I would return.
+8 Points)
This realization brought a wave of tenderness over me. I remembered beginning to return to Imperial Gardens not just for Olivia, but to spend time with Lily as well.
This continued until Victoria returned with Emma. Their hardships abroad had fueled my
resentment toward Olivia, rekindling old feelings and grievances.
However, no longer indifferent to Lily, I had wanted her to get along with Emma. I envisioned them as ymates, perhaps even friends, creating a harmonious blended family.
But their first meeting had ended in disaster. I watched the footage of that day with growing
dread, knowing what wasing.
The camera captured Lily and Emma by the Moonlit Reflection Pool. One moment they were
standing together; the next, Emma was in the water, screaming.
In my anger, I had punished Lily without question, making her stand in a corner while I attended to the distressed Emma. Emma, shaken by the incident, would only sleep in my arms, clinging to me forfort.
I didn''t even notice when Olivia took Lily home. Onlyter did Victoria inform me that they had
left.
What I hadn''t known-what the surveince now revealed-was that Lily had developed a high fever that night. For three days and nights, she burned with illness while Olivia cared for her
tirelessly.
I watched Olivia''s exhausted form bent over Lily''s bed, applying coolpresses, administering medicine, whispering reassurances. Not once did she call me for help.
When Lily finally broke the fever, she cried in Olivia''s arms. "Mommy, I didn''t push Sister Emma. Sister Emma pushed me, and she fell into the pool herself."
Lily insisted repeatedly that she wasn''t responsible. Olivia reassured her, stroking her hair. "I
believe you, sweetheart. I know you wouldn''t do that."
But Lily continued to cry, heartbroken. "Why doesn''t Daddy believe me?"
This question-"Why doesn''t Daddy believe me?"-struck me deeply, echoing in my mind like
an usation.