Chapter 229
Like many parents, Charles often said yes to keeping his child happy or striking a deal with her without giving it much thought. It didn’t seem like a big deal, and even though he wasn’t all that fond of Charlie, she was still his daughter. So, he would just agree to the little things she asked for. But because they seemed minor to him, he’d either forget about them or choose work over them without a second thought. If something urgent came up, he would leave Aiden to let Evelyn know.
Up until today, he always thought breaking promises to Charlie wasn’t a big deal. After all, she was just a kid. The promises he broke seemed so trivial to him. But now…
He suddenly got it. What he saw as small or unimportant might’ve actually meant the world to his child. His broken promises had left her feeling disappointed and sad.
“I was busy…” Charles’ excuse sounded pretty weak, reflecting his shaky confidence. Hearing this,
Evelyn’s eyes grew even colder, and her tone matched, “Yeah, you were busy.”
“Before Sandy came back, you were swamped with work. After Sandy returned, you were busy hanging out with Sandy, never sparing a moment for Charlie.”
“Not only did you not have time for her on regular days, but you also couldn’t even make time for her birthday each year. Yet, despite all that, Charlie never blamed you.”
“She used to ask me if you wouldn’t spend time with her because she wasn’t good or obedient enough and stopped liking her.”
“I didn’t want her to feel bad, so I always made excuses for you, saying you were just busy and needed to earn money for the family.”
“Charlie took it seriously. One night, she brought me her piggy bank and asked me to give it to you. She wanted to help out.”
“She even said, ‘Mom, tell Dad I don’t need toys or new clothes. I can even eat less.”
“She thought if she spent less, your load would be lighter, and you wouldn’t have to work so hard and have time for her.”
“But what she didn’t know was that her dad was actually pretty well-off and didn’t need the small amount of money she saved. He just didn’t make time for her.”
“Charles, because you overlooked her, she’d become even more well-behaved and understanding than other kids.’
“Since starting preschool, her teachers always praised her for being so good and sensible.”
“Whenever the teacher handed out snacks. It didn’t matter what it was because she wouldn’t eat them right away like the other kids. She would tuck them into her backpack. She didn’t touch it even if it was her favorite candy.”
“She brought it home, shared half with me, and saved the rest. She would say, ‘When Dad gets home, I’ll give it to him. Dad works hard to earn money, and I want to save the good stuff for him.”
“See, she was always thinking about you. You might not have noticed her, but she always had thoughts of you.”
As Evelyn recalled Charlie’s sweet and lovable nature, her eyes welled with tears, and they threatened to spill over.
Charlie’s heartfelt love for Charles felt like it went unnoticed. It pained Evelyn to see how much Charlie was being neglected.
“She waited for five years and finally got you to promise to spend her birthday with her.”