Chapter 2: The Night He Came Home Early
Chapter 2: The Night He Came Home Early
The front door opened without a sound.
Daniel quietly set his suitcase by the wall.
He had planned to surprise his family after finishing his overseas contract two days ahead of schedule.
He expected laughter.
He expected hugs.
Instead...
He heard a bucket hit the kitchen floor.
His twelve-year-old daughter, Sophie, was on her hands and knees scrubbing the tiles with a worn sponge.
She froze when she saw him.
"D-Dad?"
Daniel smiled at first.
"What are you doing awake?"
Sophie's eyes darted nervously toward the staircase.
"I'm almost done."
"Done with what?"
"The cleaning."
Daniel frowned.
"At nine o'clock?"
Before Sophie could answer, his wife, Linda, appeared in the hallway.
Her smile vanished the instant she saw him.
"Daniel... you're home early."
His gaze shifted back to Sophie.
"Why is our daughter cleaning the entire house?"
Linda folded her arms.
"She needs responsibility."
Daniel noticed Sophie's hands.
Red.
Raw.
Covered with tiny cracks from harsh cleaning chemicals.
His smile disappeared.
"And where's Emma?"
Linda hesitated.
"In her room."
Emma was Linda's sixteen-year-old daughter from a previous marriage.
She was upstairs laughing with friends on a video call.
While Sophie quietly scrubbed the floors below.
Daniel finally understood.
This wasn't responsibility.
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It was favoritism.
And his daughter had been carrying it alone for years.
