Blurb：
Eight years after a drunken night changed everything, a mother faces Grayson Ulrich’s cold rejection while raising their daughter Alicia Ulrich alone. Trapped in a marriage built on duty, she endures Grayson’s obsession with Sandra Wright—the ex-fiancée who abandoned him for wealth and freedom. When Sandra returns on their eighth anniversary, Grayson’s drunken tears reveal his undying love, forcing a heartbreaking decision. Can Alicia’s fragile hope survive the truth about her father’s gift? A tale of unrequited love, shattered dreams, and a child’s innocent quest for acceptance.
Content：
Eight years ago, a night of drunken recklessness left me carrying Grayson Ulrich’s child.
But from that moment on, he began to hate both me and our daughter.
He never allowed her to call him Dad. He wouldn’t let me step into his study, either.
Because inside that study, every inch of space was filled with traces of another womanSandra Wright, the ex-fiance who had once left him for freedom and happiness, who had gone abroad to marry a rich man.
She was the one Grayson could never forget. The one he still loved.
On our eighth anniversary, Sandra returned.
That night, Grayson got drunk for the first time in years. He held our daughter in his arms and wept until his eyes were red.
My daughter looked at me, bewildered. “Mom, why is Uncle crying?”
I held back my tears and told her softly, “Because he is very happy. The person he loves has finally come back.”
Then I said, “So, Mommy’s taking you awayso we won’t disturb him and the woman he loves, okay?”
Chapter 1
I helped the drunken Grayson Ulrich to his room, then turned back to soothe our crying daughter.
Alicia’s little face, red from tears, burrowed into my arms as she asked reluctantly, “Mom, do we really have to leave?”
She lifted her head, hope flickering in her eyes.
“Today, Uncle was so gentle. He didn’t scold me, didn’t push me away. He even gave me a warm hug Mom, does that mean maybe he likes me a little?”
My heart lurched, a sudden, sharp pain.
On our wedding day, Grayson had looked at me with that cold, unyielding gaze and said, “Marrying you is my reluctant duty. Don’t expect any attention from me. You, and the child in your womb, are not what I wanted.”
After our daughter, Alicia Ulrich, was born, he didn’t so much as glance at her. He spent every day locked away in his study. He never let her call him Dad.
When she was just learning to speak at one, she had thrown her tiny arms around him and said, “Daddy.”
He had thrown her onto the sofa, scowled, and left the house.
She had screamed in terror, and I spent the entire night coaxing her to sleep.
For six months after that, she refused to speak a single word.
At five, she had drawn a picture titled My Dad and entered it in a children’s art contestand won first place.
At Grayson’s birthday party, she had handed him her drawing and the trophy with trembling little hands.
His gaze lingered on the wobbly, childlike letters spelling “Dad”. Then, with cold indifference, he had turned and walked away. He left her alone, facing the stares and whispers of the guests.
Other children laughed at her openly.
“You don’t even have a dad. This drawing is fake. You tricked our teacher. That trophy isn’t really yours!”
A five-year-old couldn’t withstand such ridicule. By the end of the night, she was bedridden with a high fever for an entire week.
After that, she had learned to call him “Uncle.”
The little girl who had once searched his face for a father’s love was gone, buried beneath disappointment after disappointment.
I blinked back tears, holding her close.
“Alicia, your uncle is happy because the person he loves is finally back. We have to make room for themwe can’t get in his way.”
Her smile slowly faded, the light in her eyes dimming.
Then, as if she had just realized something, she anxiously showed me the little scarf around her neck.
“Mom, Uncle gave me a gift today. If he didn’t like me, why would he give me a gift?”
She pressed her cheek to the scarf, treasuring it. This was the first gift her father had ever given her.
Was this proof that she was loved by him too?
I stared at the scarf, a store-issued giveaway clearly meant to accompany some other purchase, and words caught in my throat.
How could I tell her the truth? That it wasn’t for her at allthat her father had bought a handbag for someone else, and this was just a minor gift from the store?
Seeing her hopeful expression, I couldn’t crush it. I held her tight, wiping my tears where she couldn’t see, and forced a smile.
“Alicia, you love to draw, right? How about coming with Mom to study art in Furlance? The resources there are much better.”
Her face twisted with conflict, and she whispered, “Bitaly is the best place to study art. I I don’t want to go to Furlance.”
My chest ached so sharply I could barely breathe. I bit my lip, choking back sobs.
“Alicia your uncle doesn’t want us to stay here. Let’s leave, okay?”
She pulled away from me, clutching the scarf tightly in her hands. After a long silence, she said,
“Can I give him one last chance? If he really doesn’t like me, then we’ll leave him forever.”
Before I could answer, her voice dropped, full of sorrow. “I’ve grown up and I’ve never called him ‘Dad’ out loud”
Tears ran down my face, unstoppable. Finally, I nodded. “All right.”
Chapter 2
I had promised to give Grayson one last chance. If he disappointed our daughter again, I would take her and leaveforever.
But in truth, I had long been ready to go. I had seen the fire in his eyes for Sandra and felt the cold indifference he reserved for me. Eight years was more than enough to erase every illusion I’d ever harbored about him.
While I was preparing Alicia’s passport and printing school documents, her homeroom teacher approached me.
“Mrs. Ulrich, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
The teacher handed me an application form.
“Master Danni, the renowned artist, is looking for an apprentice at our school. I think Alicia has incredible talent and a real chance to be noticed by him. Do you want to help her seize this opportunity?”
My heart leapt. Alicia had told me that Master Danni was her favorite artist. If she could study under him, her future would be limitless.
I made a silent decision to put aside all plans to go abroad. If Alicia could become Danni’s student, I would stay in Bitaly for her.
“Thank you. I’d love to help her with this. Do you think she stands a good chance?” I asked as I filled out the form, my voice laced with hope and anxiety.
“Don’t worry,” the teacher said. “Alicia’s talent is exceptional. There’s really no one at her level in the school.”
When I told Alicia the news, she practically bounced with excitement.
“Mom! I never dreamed I could study under Master Danni! Is this real? Am I dreaming?”
I smiled, though I tried to sound practical.
“You’ll still have to ace the competition. Don’t get too excited yet.”
But Alicia was brimming with confidence.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Nobody knows Master Danni better than me. I’ll pass his test for sure.”
“What’s all the excitement about?” Grayson asked when he came home from work, taking off his jacket.
Alicia tried to hide her smile, making herself appear calm. I felt a pang of bittersweetness but forced a smile as I said, “Alicia has a competition tomorrow. She says she’s confident she’ll get first place.”
Grayson nodded, not probing further. Instead, he looked at our daughter with unexpected seriousness.
“If you get first place, I’ll reward you with a skateboard.”
“Really?!” Alicia covered her mouth in excitement. She’d wanted a skateboard for so long, but he had always refused her requests.
This was the first time Grayson had voluntarily promised a reward to our daughter since her birth.
He hadn’t expected her reaction. He paused, softening, and ran his hand over her hair.
“I mean it. I’ll keep my promise.”
With that promise in hand, Alicia was practically buzzing on the way to the competition. She chattered nonstop about how strict Master Danni was and how excellent his students were.
Then she asked me, “Mom, if I become Master Danni’s apprentice will Uncle like me more?”
I froze, my chest tightening. I wanted, before we left, for her to feel the warmth of her father’s recognitioneven if only once.
When the competition ended, Alicia was overjoyed.
“Mom! I saw Master Danni! He even praised me! Do you think he’ll choose me?”
I shared in her excitement.
“No matter what, in my eyes, you’re already the best.”
But as we waited for the results, Alicia suddenly stared ahead in shock.
“Uncle?”
I looked up sharply. Not far off, Grayson was walking out of the competition hall with a little boy around Alicia’s age.
And by his side was Sandra Wright, the woman he had never stopped loving.
Her son had taken the same competition, on the same day, at the same age, needing the same support.
But my daughter had never had a father like that by her side.
Chapter 3
Before I could fully sink into my sorrow, Alicia’s teacher approached, her expression tight with discomfort.
“Mrs. Ulrich actually, Master Danni was very impressed with Alicia. But, for some reason, he ended up choosing another child.”
My chest dropped like a stone. I couldn’t help but ask, desperate, “If Master Danni liked Alicia, why would he choose someone else?”
The teacher kept glancing toward Sandra’s group, hesitating before speaking.
“The Ulrich Group plans to invest half a million in Master Danni’s gallery. Their only condition is that he accepts Bobby as his apprentice”
The Ulrich Group? Grayson’s company?
My heart tightened, as if a giant hand had gripped it, squeezing until I could barely breathe. This had been the opportunity Alicia had dreamed of for so long and Graysonhow could he
At that moment, Grayson looked up in our direction, his face puzzled.
“What are you doing here?”
He walked toward us, holding the little boy’s hand, eyes wide with genuine curiosity.
I opened my mouth, but no words came.
Sandra stepped forward, slipping her arm around his and glancing at me with guarded affection.
“Grayson, who are they?”
Grayson lowered his eyes, avoiding mine.
“Just a friend.”
His words shattered the last fragments of hope I’d clung to.
The little boy, oblivious, beamed up at him.
“Daddy, can I really become Master Danni’s student? But I wasn’t first in the competition”
Grayson bent down, wrapping the boy in his arms with a tenderness I had never seen directed at our daughter. “Doesn’t matter if you weren’t first. I’ve already arranged it. You’re going to be Master Danni’s apprentice.
Then he turned to Sandra and said, “You both just came back to Bitaly, and haven’t settled in yet. Letting Bobby study under Danni will make his path smoother in the future.”
Sandra blushed, hiding her face shyly. “You would make such a good dad. No wonder Bobby talks about you all the time, wanting you to be his father.”
I instinctively looked at Grayson, but he avoided my gaze. It was clear he hadn’t confessed the truth to Sandra.
Sandra lifted her head proudly as she looked at me, still holding onto Grayson’s arm.
“You’re here for the competition too? Where’s your daughter’s father?”
I instinctively tightened my grip on Alicia’s hand, about to speak, but she cut me off.
“My dad isn’t in the country. He’s very busy. I don’t want to bother him.”
Her words left both Grayson and me stunned.
I looked down in disbelief, seeing only my daughter’s stubborn, tear-streaked face. She didn’t look at me, only at Grayson, lifting her chin with a brave, understanding smile.
“Goodbye. My mom and I are leaving now.”
The tears I had been holding back finally spilled. I turned quickly, discreetly wiping them away.
Grayson grabbed my arm suddenly.
“Alicia she”
His face was full of shock, his pupils contracting as if he had seen something he couldn’t comprehend. I seized the moment to pull away, my voice calm but final.
“We’re leaving. Goodbye, Mr. Ulrich.”
That was our last goodbye.
That day, I took the passports I had prepared long ago, packed our bags, and booked tickets to Furlance. We didn’t speak of Grayson again. Alicia even pretended lightly, talking about emailing Master Danni once we arrived.
Before we left, I placed the divorce papers I had prepared on the table, then wheeled our suitcases toward the airport.
Just as we were about to board, my phone buzzed with a message from Grayson.
[How did the competition go? I got a skateboard ready for her. Tomorrow I’ll take the day off and take you both to a children’s restaurant to celebrate.]
My heart ached. When she was little, Alicia had begged to go to that restaurant with him, and he had always refused. Now, she no longer expected it.
Seeing me reading the message, Alicia didn’t ask anything. She simply followed me obediently, as if she had grown up overnight, no longer clinging to the hope of her father.
I stayed silent for a long moment before sending my final reply.
[No need. You can go with Sandra and Bobby. I wish you and your new family happiness.]
Almost immediately, my phone rang incessantly. I didn’t answer. I powered it off decisively, took Alicia’s hand, and boarded the plane.
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