The year Brandon Pierce went bankrupt, he secretly bought two extra plane tickets. He took his business partner’s wife and daughter out of the country with him. Before turning off his phone, he made one last call to me. "Mia's husband died because of me. I can't just abandon them. "Give me ten years. Wait for me to come back and marry you." Five years later, Brandon returned, having rebuilt his empire, covered in glory. Meanwhile, to save a two-dollar bus fare, I walked for an hour with our daughter on my back. I only saw him helping the woman everyone called his wife into a car. My daughter, face flushed from the sun, asked me with hope in her eyes: "Mommy, aren't we going to say hi to Daddy?" I turned around and started walking back. "Mommy made a mistake. That man isn't your daddy." 1 I walked back the way we came, my body stiff, my daughter heavy on my back. My mind was filled with the image of Brandon protecting Mia and her daughter, looking so happy. It wasn't until I heard a small gulp from my back that I realized. After walking for over an hour, she must be thirsty. I found a nearby convenience store, bought a bottle of water, and sat down to rest on the curb outside an ice cream shop. A sleek, understated black luxury car pulled up. Through the lowered window, a little girl's whining voice drifted out. "Daddy, I want ice cream! Will you come buy it with me? Please?" The man in the car was working, but hearing her, he chuckled indulgently. He tossed his laptop aside without hesitation and got out of the car with his wife and daughter. I looked up and locked eyes with Brandon. He stopped. His body froze, and he didn't take another step. Our reunion after five years wasn't the joyful occasion we had once imagined. Right now, he had a beloved wife and daughter by his side. Naturally, he didn't want to see me. Mia, standing next to him, noticed. She let go of his arm. She walked up to me. "Hannah? Is that really you? It's been years... why do you look so... old?" Mia looked me over and secretly sighed in relief. Then, her eyes filled with undisguised smugness. I looked down as her pale, soft hands reached out. They grasped my rough, yellowed, sandpaper-like hands. For five years, she had been pampered by Brandon, looking ten years younger than her age. Clearly, she hadn't suffered a day in her life. Unlike me. To pay off the debts Brandon left behind, I worked day and night. My body and soul had aged prematurely. I pulled my hand back, picked up the half-empty water bottle my daughter had been drinking from, and ignored her. Brandon stared at me for a long time. Seeing I was about to leave, he stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. His eyes were dark. He was so close I could hear his teeth grinding. "Hannah, where are you taking my daughter? "Even if you leave, my daughter stays." But before I could speak, the spoiled little girl beside him pushed me angrily. "Daddy only has one daughter! Get lost, you annoying people!" Seeing me being bullied, Lily lunged forward. That little girl had been too protected by Brandon. Unlike Lily, who had been bullied by other kids since she was small. She didn't know how to fight. In a few minutes, her face was scratched up. Mia cried and hugged her daughter, looking up at Brandon with teary eyes. Before I could react, his slap landed on my Lily's face. 2 Lily held back her tears. She didn't cry. Instead, she looked up and forced a smile at me. "Mommy, don't cry. It doesn't hurt." Tears streamed down my face. My heart shattered into a million pieces. The more she smiled, the more I hated myself. Hated my incompetence. Hated that my Lily had a father like Brandon. Brandon's hand froze in mid-air. His lips moved, looking a bit lost. "I... didn't mean to." Mia's daughter's sobbing seemed to encourage him. "You've spoiled Lily rotten. Hitting her sister like that? Who knows what trouble she'll cause in the future." But how could Brandon know? If my Lily wasn't tough, she would get beaten up. She didn't have a father around, and I was always working. She felt sorry for me. When she got bullied, she never told me. She just endured it. I touched Lily's swollen face, head bowed in silence. The next second, I raised my hand and slapped Brandon hard, ten times in a row. Caught off guard, he stumbled. He glared at me coldly. But he let me keep hitting him. "Brandon, Lily is my daughter. You haven't raised her for a single second in all these years. What right do you have to hit her? "They are your wife and daughter. Go discipline them. Don't mistake us for your family." Mia cried in distress, biting her lip as if she were the victim. "Hannah, I know you resent Brandon for not taking you with us back then. But he was already struggling to support us. How could he have the energy to care for you too? "You were with him for so long. Don't you have any empathy for him?" Fighting back tears, she took out a tissue and gently wiped the blood from the corner of Brandon's mouth. But Brandon, face dark, swatted her hand away. He picked up Lily and got into the car. I chased after him, but he shoved me into the car too. Before the car started, Mia stood outside, looking fragile, and cried out. Passersby stopped to watch. "Brandon, are you abandoning us?" "Daddy, I'm your Joy! Don't leave Joy and Mommy!" After getting in, Mia sat next to me with her daughter. The little girl in her arms glared at Lily, whispering complaints: "Mommy, she stepped on my dress and got it dirty. It was a birthday gift from Daddy." Mia scolded her gently, and she whined, calling for her daddy in the front seat. Brandon, sitting in the passenger seat, frowned but spoke gently. "When we get home, Daddy will buy you a hundred pretty dresses just like that one, okay?" The little girl cheered up instantly. Mia smiled charmingly at the man. "Brandon, don't spoil her too much. This little thing is becoming lawless." I turned and saw the envy in Lily's eyes. I whispered: "Do you like dresses? Mommy will buy you one too." Lily put her small hand in mine. It was warm. She shook her head sensibly. "Mommy, Lily doesn't like them. Grandma Wang's hand-me-downs are just fine." Brandon turned his dark face toward us, anger evident in his voice. "Hannah, you let our daughter wear someone else's old clothes? What kind of mother are you?" His words were full of blame. 3 I looked up at Brandon's self-righteous accusation. I just wanted to laugh. Years ago, he sold our wedding house and secretly took his partner's wife and daughter away. Just before boarding, he called me for less than thirty seconds. He said: "Mia's husband died because of me. I can't abandon them. "I swore to take care of them for life, no matter where we go. Hannah, you have to support me." He didn't give me a chance to speak. In the last second, he casually made a promise. "Give me ten years. Wait for me to come back and marry you." After that day, he left no contact information. He just left his seven-months-pregnant fiancée behind. He let the debt collectors find me. Heavily pregnant, I faced them alone when they came knocking at midnight, smashing things and threatening me. For five years, just staying alive with my daughter was hard enough. Seeing me zone out, Brandon's face grew colder. Lily protected me. Even though she was trembling, she glared at him with wide eyes. "Don't yell at my mommy! You're a bad man! Don't bully Mommy!" Brandon looked at Lily's increasingly swollen face, guilt flashing in his eyes. His voice softened. "Lily, I'm Daddy. Daddy is back." Lily pouted and pointed at Mia and her daughter. "You're not my daddy. My daddy only has me and Mommy. You already have them. "Mommy said Daddy loves me very much. But you hit me. You're not my daddy." I pulled my tear-streaked daughter into my arms and heard her sobbing. Silly Lily. For five years, she slept with Brandon's photo under her pillow. How could she not recognize him? It was just that the father she had longed for already had another beloved daughter by his side. She was too disappointed, too heartbroken. The man froze for a moment. His eyes red, he wanted to explain, but opened his mouth and found nothing to say. Seeing Brandon's pained expression, I only felt nausea. I couldn't help but dry heave. He looked over, and I said calmly: "From now on, Lily is my daughter alone. She has nothing to do with you. "Please stop the car and let us out." 4 Brandon didn't speak, nor did he stop the car. The car drove straight into a beautiful, expensive-looking villa complex. Mia took her daughter and got out first. The girl skipped around the yard. Clearly, she was familiar with this place. "Mommy, my pool, my swing! They're just like the pictures you showed me!" Mia smiled, glancing at me before speaking. "Your daddy had this designed specially for you. I didn't do anything. Thank your daddy." "Brandon, look how happy our daughter is. Staying up late to prepare this surprise was worth it." Brandon stood awkwardly, his gaze falling on me and Lily. He felt a tearing pain in his chest. He told Mia to take the girl inside first, then walked over to the car. I glanced at him coldly. "Mr. Pierce, I've seen your happy family life. I won't bother you again. Can you let us go back?" Brandon seemed hurt. He asked me in disbelief: "Hannah, what did you just call me? Do you hate me that much? "I really had no choice back then. If there was any other way, how could I have left you and our daughter behind?" But his "no choice" meant taking Mia and her daughter, cherishing and protecting them. I held on for so long, waiting for him. And what I got was him having a wife and daughter. Now, I was truly tired. "Just assume I still hate you. Don't disturb us anymore." I got out of the car with Lily. Brandon's driver wouldn't be kind enough to drive us back. The man grabbed my wrist again. This time, his grip was strong. As if he wanted to crush my bones. "Hannah, my guilt has limits. I know I wronged you, but I won't let you do whatever you want in front of me. "Go back? Where are you going back to? This is your home too. I prepared rooms for you and Lily long ago." In that moment, I just felt it was utterly absurd. Asking me to live under the same roof as the woman he called his wife. How could Brandon even think of that? He tried to drag me into the house. I couldn't break free. Just then, Mia ran out of the house anxiously, her gaze landing on my wrist. Her expression paused. In an instant, she put on a fragile look. "Brandon! Joy just fell down the stairs! Come quick!" Brandon's pupils shrank. He let go without hesitation. He flung his arm back, not noticing me behind him. I almost fell. Mia, walking behind him, smirked at me triumphantly. I ignored her, took Lily's hand, and walked home.
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