Chapter 9 – Daniel's Regret
Chapter 9 – Daniel's Regret
The fourth morning after the gala arrived with steady rain.
Gray clouds blanketed the city.
The skyline that Daniel Hayes had once admired from his office windows had disappeared behind sheets of water.
He stood alone in his penthouse kitchen.
The silence had become unbearable.
For years, he had complained about the noise.
Lucy's laughter while she chased bubbles across the living room.
Her tiny feet racing down the hallway.
The endless questions she asked before breakfast.
"Daddy, why is the moon awake?"
"Daddy, do fish get thirsty?"
"Daddy, can clouds fall down?"
He had always answered with the same words.
"Later, sweetheart."
"There isn't time."
"I'm busy."
Now...
There was nothing but time.
And no one left to ask.
He walked into the living room.
Lucy's crayons were still scattered beneath the coffee table.
One small pink slipper rested near the sofa.
He picked it up.
It fit entirely in the palm of his hand.
He closed his fingers around it.
A memory surfaced.
Three months earlier.
Lucy had run toward him wearing those slippers.
"Daddy!"
"I drew something!"
Without looking up from his laptop, he had answered,
"Not now."
She had stood there quietly for a few seconds.
Then whispered,
"Okay."
And walked away.
He had never asked to see the drawing.
Now he searched the apartment desperately.
Opening drawers.
Looking under books.
Checking shelves.
Finally...
He found it tucked inside a magazine.
A picture of a little house beneath a blue sky.
Three smiling stick figures.
One tiny dog they had never owned.
Across the top, written in crooked letters:
"Daddy Come Home Early."
Daniel sank onto the sofa.
His vision blurred.
She hadn't wanted expensive gifts.
She hadn't wanted another toy.
She had wanted one evening.
One dinner.
One bedtime story.
He had been too busy to notice.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
He almost ignored it.
Instead, he answered.
"Mr. Hayes?"
"Yes."
"This is Dr. Rebecca Lawson from Whitmore Memorial Hospital."
Daniel stood immediately.
"Is Lucy alright?"
There was a brief pause.
"She's recovering well."
Relief washed over him.
"I was calling because you requested updates through your attorney."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry, but due to the temporary custody order, we need Ms. Whitmore's permission before discussing Lucy's medical information."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"I understand."
"I'm sorry."
The line disconnected.
For the first time in his life...
He needed permission to learn how his own daughter was feeling.
Across town...
Lucy sat in the hospital's children's playroom.
She had traded the hospital bed for a tiny table covered with puzzles.
Her missing tooth made every smile look even more adorable.
Charles sat opposite her, trying—and failing—to fit puzzle pieces together.
Lucy giggled.
"Grandpa."
"Hmm?"
"The elephant doesn't go in the sky."
Charles looked down at his puzzle.
"I suspected I was making mistakes."
"You make lots."
"I do."
"But you're funny."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Nora watched from nearby.
She had never seen her father so patient.
Every interrupted phone call was ignored.
Every business matter postponed.
Whenever Lucy wanted another story...
He read it.
Whenever she wanted another puzzle...
He played.
Whenever she grew tired...
He simply sat beside her.
Present.
Completely present.
Margaret Collins entered quietly.
"Nora?"
She stepped into the hallway.
"Good news?"
Margaret nodded.
"The judge has scheduled the custody hearing for next week."
"And Daniel?"
"He has requested supervised visitation."
Nora looked down.
She had expected it.
"What did you say?"
"I told the court we'd leave the decision to Lucy's therapist after an initial assessment."
Nora sighed softly.
"I don't want to keep her father away forever."
Margaret looked at her carefully.
"I know."
"But protecting Lucy comes first."
Nora nodded.
"It always will."
Back at the penthouse...
Daniel couldn't stay inside another minute.
He drove without thinking.
Past the office.
Past the restaurants where he had entertained clients.
Past the luxury boutiques where he had once bought expensive jewelry for Celeste.
Eventually...
He found himself outside Lucy's preschool.
Classes had already ended.
The playground was empty.
Rain tapped softly against the swings.
He remembered promising to pick her up one Friday.
She had waited with her teacher for nearly an hour.
When he finally arrived...
He had blamed traffic.
The truth?
He had forgotten.
He sat in his car for a long time.
Watching the empty playground.
Imagining Lucy laughing there.
Calling for him.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
That evening...
Daniel drove somewhere else.
A small neighborhood park.
Lucy loved it.
She had begged him to push her on the swings.
He had always answered,
"Next weekend."
There had always been another meeting.
Another investor.
Another excuse.
He walked through the rain.
The playground stood deserted.
One swing moved gently in the wind.
He reached out and stopped it.
The chain was cold in his hand.
He whispered,
"I'm sorry."
The wind carried the words away.
No one heard them.
Not Lucy.
Not Nora.
Only him.
Meanwhile...
Lucy was finally discharged from the hospital.
The nurses lined the hallway to say goodbye.
Each hugged her gently.
One handed her a bag filled with stickers.
Another gave her a stuffed teddy bear wearing a tiny doctor's coat.
Lucy beamed.
"Thank you!"
Charles carried her backpack.
Nora held her hand.
As they reached the hospital entrance, Lucy stopped.
She looked back.
"I'll miss everyone."
One nurse smiled.
"We'll miss you too."
"But next time..."
She winked.
"...come visit without losing any teeth."
Lucy laughed.
"I'll try."
Charles smiled.
"I'll make sure of it."
Instead of returning to Nora's old house...
The limousine pulled through the gates of Whitmore Estate.
Lucy stared out the window.
"Is this Grandpa's home?"
Charles nodded.
"For now..."
"It's yours too."
The estate stretched across acres of gardens.
Fountains sparkled beneath the afternoon sun.
Tall oak trees lined the driveway.
Lucy gasped.
"It's like a castle!"
Charles chuckled.
"I suppose it is."
She looked at him seriously.
"Do princesses live here?"
He smiled warmly.
"Only one."
She looked around curiously.
"Where?"
Charles gently tapped the tip of her nose.
"Right here."
Lucy burst into laughter.
As the front doors opened, dozens of household staff stood waiting.
Not in stiff formal lines.
But with warm smiles.
The elderly housekeeper stepped forward.
"You must be Miss Lucy."
Lucy hid behind Nora.
Charles leaned down.
"This is Mrs. Evelyn."
"She's been with our family longer than I've been a businessman."
Mrs. Evelyn smiled kindly.
"I baked chocolate cookies."
Lucy peeked out.
"You did?"
"I heard someone likes chocolate."
Lucy looked at Nora.
"Can I?"
Nora laughed softly.
"I think one cookie is allowed."
Mrs. Evelyn whispered dramatically,
"I may have baked twenty-four."
Lucy gasped.
"That's a lot!"
Charles leaned closer.
"I think she's trying to spoil you."
Mrs. Evelyn grinned.
"Absolutely."
The warmth in the entrance hall eased something inside Nora's heart.
For years...
She had believed coming home would feel awkward.
Instead...
It felt safe.
That night...
After Lucy had fallen asleep in her new bedroom, Daniel stood outside the gates of Whitmore Estate.
He had driven there without calling.
Without thinking.
The security guards recognized him immediately.
"I'm here to see my daughter."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hayes."
"The court order doesn't permit unscheduled visits."
"I just want five minutes."
"I'm afraid we can't allow that."
Daniel looked beyond the iron gates.
The lights in the mansion glowed warmly.
Somewhere inside...
Lucy was sleeping.
Probably dreaming.
Maybe smiling.
Maybe not.
He placed one hand against the cold iron gate.
"I miss her."
Neither guard replied.
There was nothing to say.
After several minutes...
Daniel quietly returned to his car.
He didn't start the engine.
Instead...
He looked up toward the second floor.
One window remained softly illuminated.
He wondered if it was Lucy's room.
He whispered into the darkness,
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
"You were right."
"I didn't choose you."
His voice broke.
"But if I could choose again..."
A tear slid down his cheek.
"...I'd choose you every single time."
The lights inside the estate remained warm.
Peaceful.
Unaware of the man sitting alone beyond the gates.
And for Daniel Hayes...
The greatest punishment was no longer losing his company.
It was realizing that the one person whose forgiveness mattered most...
May you like
Could no longer hear him.
End of Chapter 9
