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Dad still lived at home with me, even though everyone around him advised him to move.
Our house was even called a “cursed house.”
Dad didn’t pay attention. He only lived in those surveillance videos and the photos Mom
took.
Before, Mom often watched these. Now it was him.
Before, Mom sat in the living room all night. Now it was him.
After breakfast, he would say, “Anya, where’s my tie?”
No one responded to him.
He stared blankly at his and Mom’s bedroom, then walked in himself, found his tie, and
took me to preschool.
But after only a little while in class, Grandma Eleanor had the driver pick me up, saying
Dad had been in a serious car accident on his way to work.
When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors were trying to save him.
Grandma Eleanor told the doctor, “Just tell him, if he dies, his daughter will truly be an orphan with no parents.”
“And ask him, how will a three–year–old child and an old woman with a broken leg
survive?”
Dad was finally saved.
I stood beside him, and he held me tightly in his arms, just like Mom used to.
He said, “Don’t be afraid, Daddy won’t leave you.”
Grandma Eleanor sighed in relief, but she was secretly crying too.
Later, Celeste came, but Grandma Eleanor wouldn’t let her see Dad.
Celeste found our house and smiled at me. “Lily, let me be your mom.”
The nanny Dad hired, Nanny Maria, shielded me behind her and loudly asked Celeste, “Who are you? What do you want? I’m telling you, kidnapping children is punishable by
law!”
Ms. Davis heard the commotion and came over to stop her. “Get out! What are you doing harassing a child here?”
Celeste said, “I just feel sorry for her. I came to see her. Julian and I will eventually marry,
and then I’ll be raising this child.”
Ms. Davis pushed her out. “Sorry? I think you’re shameless. Don’t think we don’t know
you came here multiple times to upset Anya. She was driven to her death by you!”
Celeste smiled. “I’m not capable of that.”
Ms. Davis was furious and wanted to hit her, but in the end, she held back.
Ms. Davis also started to laugh. “Of course, you’re not capable. Otherwise, Anya’s been
gone for almost a year, and you still haven’t managed to get Julian to marry you!”
“Less than half a year after you left Julian, Anya was already pregnant with his child!”
“Compared to that, Anya was truly capable.”
Celeste froze for a moment, then started fighting with Ms. Davis. Nanny Maria also joined
Celeste froze for a moment, then started fighting with Ms. Davis. Nanny Maria also joined In to help Ms. Davis. Finally, security guards came and separated them.
When Dad returned, he coldly told Celeste, “Don’t come here again. I don’t want to see
you.”
Celeste cried and asked him, “Can’t we go back to how things were?”
Dad said, “No. That time at the hospital, you hung up Anya’s call to me and deleted her messages when I wasn’t there. How can you still expect anything else?”
“You once saved me, and you also harmed me. From now on, we’re even.”
Celeste left crying and never appeared before me again.
