Chương 3
The name immediately brought back memories.
A man he had trusted.
A man who had been beside his family for years.
A man who disappeared shortly after Daniel's daughter was reported missing.
"Richard."
Claire nodded.
Daniel gripped the edge of the counter.
Richard had been more than a partner.
He had been like family.
"He knew where she was?"
"Yes."
Daniel looked toward his daughter.
The realization was painful.
Someone had stolen years from both of them.
Not because of an accident.
Not because of fate.
Because of a decision made by people who wanted control.
The little girl quietly approached him.
"Are you angry?"
Daniel looked down at her.
He immediately softened.
"No, sweetheart."
She studied his face.
"You're sad."
Daniel smiled faintly.
"Sometimes sadness looks like anger."
She thought about that.
Then she reached for his hand.
Daniel held hers.
A small gesture.
But it meant everything.
Claire watched the moment and realized something.
Daniel was no longer the man who had spent ten years chasing the past.
He was a father standing in front of his future.
That night, Daniel refused to let his daughter sleep in a strange room.
He sat beside her until she fell asleep.
The little girl held onto his old bracelet while resting beneath a soft blanket.
Daniel watched her breathing slowly become peaceful.
For the first time in years, he felt calm.
But his phone suddenly vibrated.
The sound broke the quiet room.
Daniel looked at the screen.
An unknown number had sent a message.
His heart stopped when he opened it.
The message contained only one sentence.
You should have left the past buried.
Daniel stared at the words.
The peace he had finally found was being threatened.
He looked back at his daughter sleeping peacefully.
Then he looked at the message again.
For ten years, someone had taken his family away from him.
He was not going to let anyone take her away again.
The next morning, Daniel would uncover every secret that had been hidden from him.
And this time, he would not be searching for his daughter.
He would be protecting her.
Which direction should the next segment focus on: Richard’s betrayal or the daughter’s adjustment to her new family?
The next morning, Daniel woke before the sun had fully risen.
He sat quietly in the chair beside his daughter's bed, watching the small figure sleeping peacefully beneath the blanket.
For the first time in ten years, he was afraid to close his eyes because he feared that when he opened them again, she would be gone.
The fear felt irrational, but it was stronger than logic.
He had already lost her once.
His heart refused to believe it could survive losing her again.
The little girl slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at him for a few seconds before remembering where she was.
Then a small smile appeared.
"You're still here."
Daniel smiled.
"Of course I am."
She sat up and held the bracelet in her hand.
"Did you stay here all night?"
Daniel nodded.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay."
The girl looked down.
"No one ever stayed when I woke up scared."
Daniel felt a painful heaviness in his chest.
He wanted to ask who had been there.
He wanted to know every moment she had spent without him.
But he knew some wounds needed patience.
"I'm here now," he said softly.
The girl nodded.
She believed him.
That simple trust meant more to Daniel than any business achievement he had ever earned.
Downstairs, Claire was waiting in the kitchen.
She looked exhausted.
She had not slept either.
Daniel entered with his daughter holding his hand.
Claire looked at them and immediately became emotional.
Seeing them together made the years of separation feel even more cruel.
Daniel guided his daughter to the table.
Then he looked at Claire.
"We need to find Richard."
Claire nodded.
"I knew you would say that."
Daniel noticed the fear in her expression.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Claire hesitated.
"There is something else."
Daniel waited.
"Before I disappeared with her, I tried to expose what Richard and your father were doing."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"And?"
"Richard found out."
Claire looked down.
"He told me if I went to you, he would make sure your daughter would never know who you were."
Daniel closed his eyes briefly.
The words were painful, but he forced himself to remain calm.
"What happened after that?"
Claire looked toward the little girl.
"I took her and ran."
Daniel was silent.
"I spent years moving from place to place because I thought they would find us."
"You should have come to me."
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"I tried."
Her voice became quieter.
"I wrote letters."
Daniel looked surprised.
"What?"
"I wrote dozens of them."
She shook her head.
"But someone intercepted them before they reached you."
Daniel felt a chill.
Someone had not just hidden his daughter.
Someone had controlled every path leading back to her.
His phone suddenly rang.
The sound interrupted the room.
Daniel looked at the screen.
It was his private investigator.
He answered immediately.
"Tell me you found something."
The investigator's voice came through.
"We found records connected to Richard Hale."
Daniel listened carefully.
"He transferred money through several companies after your daughter disappeared."
Daniel looked at Claire.
"Where did the money go?"
There was a pause.
"To a private adoption organization."
Daniel froze.
His hand tightened around the phone.
"What?"
"The organization was closed years ago."
The investigator continued.
"But there is one remaining record."
Daniel waited.
"Your daughter was listed under a different name."
The room went silent.
Daniel looked at the little girl.
She was drawing on a piece of paper at the table, unaware that adults were discussing the years stolen from her.
"What name?"
The investigator answered.
Daniel felt his heart break.
"Emma."
Daniel looked at his daughter.
May you like
Her real name had been erased from records.
Her connection to him had been hidden.
