Chapter 504

Charles paused for a moment before turning away. Sandy’s eyes were puffy from all the crying, and she looked at Charles with a face that could melt anyone’s heart-except his. Instead of the softness she longed for, she faced a wall of ice, his eyes piercingly cold and full of warning.
“For the last time, stop calling me Dad, do you hear?”
Sandy had only seen Charles give that look to Ms. Evelyn and Charlie. Never in a million years did she think she’d be on the receiving end of it. Her small frame shook like a leaf caught in a storm. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She wanted to call out to him, to be the little girl who could wrap him around her finger. But under that frosty glare, words failed her.
She could only stand there, helpless, as Charles turned and walked away. His footsteps echoed down the stairs and faded into the distance, leaving her trembling even more. Was he really casting her aside, just like that? The thought hit her like a ton of bricks, and she shook her head furiously, like a child’s toy drum.
No! Her dad couldn’t leave her! She couldn’t lose him!
“Dad!” she cried, springing out of bed, not bothering with shoes or clothes, and dashed out of the room. By the time she reached the door, Charles was already through the gate, getting into his car. The engine roared to life, ready to whisk him away.
Sandy was a smart kid. Smart enough to pull off an act with Dahlia that fooled Charles for years. But deep down, she knew-this time, her dad was genuinely angry. If she didn’t melt his heart today, she’d lose him for good.
In that moment, Sandy realized something crucial. Even if Charles couldn’t give her a life of luxury, couldn’t fulfill her every whim, as long as he was her dad, she was okay with that.
“Dad!” she called again, sprinting out into the biting cold of the winter night. Her thin pajamas offered no protection against the chill, and she shivered hard. But there was no turning back.
“Dad, don’t leave Sandy,” she
pleaded, her voice carrying over the frosty air. She had lived a pampered life, always under Charles’s protective wing. But now, her tender feet slapped against the harsh ground, quickly becoming raw and bloody. She left a trail of red footprints, but she kept running.
Since they were still in the neighborhood, Charles wasn’t driving fast. She chased
the car desperately, her cries echoing through the night. “Dad, I know I messed
up. Please forgive me, just this once. I’m begging you, Dad!”
“Dad, look back, just give me one more chance!”
Her cries shattered the silence of the
night, each word a dagger to Charles’s heart. She sounded so heartbroken, so abandoned. From
the moment Sandy started
following, Charles was aware of her. He saw her in the rearview mirror, barefoot and in her pajamas, running after his car and begging.
His eyes darkened, filled with a storm of emotions. And then, just like that, Sandy stumbled, her momentum sending her sprawling to the ground. She hit hard, her chin scraping the pavement, blood filling her mouth. But even then, she lifted her head, desperation in her voice as she cried out, “Dad!”
She couldn’t get up, but she didn’t stop. Crawling on the cold ground, still calling out for him. Charles watched it all in the rearview mirror, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as if he could crush it.