Chapter 3
At lunchtime, I was just putting the dishes on the table when the doorbell rang.
"It must be Dad," Lucy exclaimed, running excitedly to open the door.
Soon, I heard Charles's voice. He said, "Lucy, come to see Emily."
Lucy froze for a moment, clearly not expecting her dad to bring someone else home.
Still, Lucy called out, "Hi, Emily."
I looked up and saw a little girl standing at the door, beside Charles, as small and timid as a bunny.
It was Emily. She blinked at us and said, "Charles invited me over for lunch. Sophia, hope you don't mind?"
Charles answered, "It's just an extra place setting. She's fine with it."
Before I could say a word, Charles was already leading Emily into the living room.
He never even glanced my way.
I couldn't figure out if Charles was just acting like I didn't exist, same as always, or if he was still pissed about how I treated him yesterday.
Lucy bounced after them, clutching her sheet music, and parked herself by the sofa, eyes sparkling as she looked up at Charles.
She said, "Dad, I just learned a new piano piece called Clown. Can I play it for you?"
Charles ruffled her hair, smiling proudly. He said, "Sure."
Lucy happily set up her sheet music, and Emily bounced over. She said, "I used to play this piece, too. Lucy, how about we play it together for your dad?"
Lucy frowned, but before she could protest, Emily eagerly squeezed onto the piano bench, nudging Lucy aside.
But Emily fumbled her cup of hot water, and it shattered into pieces on the floor.
Hot water splashed out.
Lucy instinctively grabbed her hand, wincing in pain.
Charles quickly reached out and pulled Emily away, but his sleeve accidentally knocked a plushie off the piano.
Emily looked at Charles, tears welling up instantly. She muttered, "Charles, my hand hurts so much."
Seeing her hand turn red, Charles immediately grabbed her and dashed to the bathroom.
The sound of the cup smashing made me rush out of the kitchen.
Worried, I asked, "Lucy, are you okay?"
Lucy just stood there, staring at the bathroom, her eyes turning a little red. When I looked over, I instantly got what was happening. My heart clenched hard.
I looked Lucy over and saw a small red mark on the back of her hand.
"Your hand is all red. Come on, let's take care of that," I said softly.
"It's fine, Mom. It doesn't really hurt, it's just a tiny splash," Lucy insisted.
Lucy shot me a sweet, determined smile, then bent down to pick up the plushie Charles had knocked off the piano.
The plushie was soaked from the hot water, and Charles had accidentally stepped on it, leaving it soggy and filthy.
Suddenly, Lucy couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Her tears fell onto the plushie, one after another.
She sniffled, "This was my birthday present from Dad last year. He said it would be with me as I grew up, and that I should take good care of it. But now, it looks like Dad got it all dirty."
Because it was a gift from Charles, Lucy always treated it like her most precious friend. She took it with her whenever she practiced piano or went to bed. And now, her own dad had stomped on it like it didn't matter at all.