Chapter 181
Dahlia’s eyes brimmed with tears of joy when Charles told her the date was set for the 26th. Sitting on the sofa, Charles watched as her face lit up with happiness. This was the kind of reaction you’d expect when a long-held dream finally comes true.
He should have felt the same, right? After all, they both had waited so many years for this moment. They had spent years apart and could finally make it official. He was about to fulfill the promise he had made to Dahlia ages ago-to marry her and give Sandy, who had drifted from place to place with her mom, a real home. He promised to cherish and love her for a lifetime. So why was there no joy in his heart? “Daddy, when people ask me who my daddy is, can I now proudly say, ‘Charles Jenkins is my daddy?”” Sandy was thrilled. She leaped into Charles’ arms, hugging his neck tightly. Her excitement was bubbling over.
“Yeah,” Charles replied, though a wave of mixed emotions washed over him. He gently placed Sandy on his knee and asked, “Do kids at preschool really ask stuff like that?”
“Totally! They even brag about their dads picking them up!” Sandy said, her lips forming a playful pout. “Daddy, will you wait for me at the gate like the other dads?”
Charles did pick up Sandy whenever he could, but due to his status, he always stayed in the car. Dahlia would fetch Sandy, and they’d drive off together.
“Of course!” he murmured, though his mind was clearly elsewhere. Sandy’s words had stirred memories of Charlie. Because of a misunderstanding with Evelyn, he’d harbored a bias against her, leading him to suspect ulterior motives in everything. He had kept his distance, both emotionally and physically, and as a result, he neglected Charlie, the child born from that mistake. He even forbade Charlie from mentioning that she was his daughter. After Charlie started preschool, he never once picked her up. From the moment Charlie was born, he had ignored her completely. Did Charlie suffer the same way Sandy might have, with no dad to pick her up?
While Sandy continued to chatter, Charles couldn’t concentrate anymore. “I’ve got some important stuff to deal with; you and Sandy should get some rest,” he said, setting Sandy back on the sofa before swiftly heading out.
In the car, he immediately called Aiden. “Still no sign of Charlie?”
“No,” Aiden replied.
Charles had never stopped searching for Charlie. “Increase the manpower; find her as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Mr. Jenkins.” Aiden ended the call and widened the search. It baffled him how someone could simply disappear without a trace.
Frustrated by the absence of Charlie, Charles instinctively opened his phone’s photo gallery. He’s shocked to find that it was filled with pictures of Sandy, not a single one of Charlie. His heart felt heavy as if weighed down by a massive stone,
He drove to Evelyn’s place. She was
staying the night at the Jenkins staying the night
family estate with Rosa, so she wasn’t home. He still had a spare key to her place. As he entered and pushed open the bedroom door, his eyes landed on a photo of Charlie on the bedside table. He picked it up, gazing at Charlie’s beautiful, innocent face. Where on earth had Evelyn hidden Charlie?
Before he knew it, the day of the banquet had arrived. Evelyn pulled a white gown from her wardrobe and slipped into it, layering a white coat over it. She retrieved Charlie’s death certificate and Sandy’s paternity test report from a drawer, placing them in her bag. With a composed expression, she drove to the Jenkins family estate.