A Second Chance to Save My Daughter

Chapter 002

Sophie White had never stopped loving Frank Lane because of his injured leg.

Nor had she abandoned him after the accident cost him his job and left him permanently disabled.

She had repeatedly told him that none of it mattered.

They were husband and wife. She would stay beside him, and together, they would survive the hardship.

But the car accident had shattered more than Frank’s body.

It had destroyed his pride as well.

He became bitter and withdrawn. Instead of trying to rebuild his life, he spent every day drinking and gambling. Before long, he had squandered every dollar of compensation he had received after the accident.

Whenever he looked at his crippled leg or heard the thinly veiled mockery of those around him, shame and resentment consumed him.

He grew insecure and suspicious.

He could not believe Sophie genuinely wanted to remain with him. Nor could he accept that she truly did not care about his disability.

The more faithfully she stood beside him, the more convinced he became that her kindness was merely pity.

So he grew colder toward his wife.

He drank more heavily and gambled more recklessly, as though he were determined to destroy whatever remained of their family before Sophie had the chance to leave him.

One night, after Frank returned home drunk, Sophie became pregnant with their daughter, Lily Lane.

But by then, alcohol and gambling had already numbed Frank to everything around him.

He showed no joy at the news.

He continued living exactly as he pleased.

Sophie risked her life to give birth to their daughter, yet even the arrival of that tiny child failed to bring Frank back to his senses.

Because Sophie had been unable to rest or eat properly throughout her pregnancy, Lily was born frail and severely underweight.

Sophie herself became painfully thin. Her face was pale, and her body remained weak and sickly for months after the birth.

Frank noticed none of it.

Or perhaps he noticed but chose not to care.

He remained lost in alcohol and gambling, leaving Sophie alone to care for herself, their home, and their newborn child.

Day after day, whatever affection had once existed between them gradually crumbled.

Frank not only refused to change but became even worse. Every morning, he disappeared with several local troublemakers to drink and play cards. He often returned late at night, if he returned at all.

Though Sophie was married, she lived as though she had already been widowed.

Every bill, every household chore, every illness, and every problem involving their daughter fell upon her shoulders alone.

Meanwhile, Frank wasted his days outside, drinking and laughing with his so-called friends.

On Lily’s third birthday, Sophie stayed beside her beloved daughter from morning until late at night.

She waited for Frank.

She kept glancing toward the door, hoping that, for once, he would remember.

But he never came home.

Sophie celebrated their daughter’s birthday alone, tears streaming down her face as Lily stared at the empty seat meant for her father.

The next morning, Sophie wiped away her tears and left without saying goodbye.

She never returned.

When Frank finally stumbled home in a drunken haze, the only person waiting for him was his daughter.

Three-year-old Lily’s face was red from crying.

The beautiful yet sickly pale woman who had once waited for him no matter how late he came home was gone.

As Lily cried for her mother, Frank finally understood what he had done.

He had lost the wife who had loved him despite everything.

Worse, his actions had caused his daughter to lose her mother as well.

For the first time, Frank truly regretted the man he had become.

He forced himself to sober up and dragged his injured leg from town to town, desperately searching for Sophie.

He visited every nearby city and followed every rumor he heard.

But no matter where he went, he could not find Sophie White.

Years passed.

Lily grew older, and her once-childish features began to resemble both of her parents.

Every time Frank returned home and saw his daughter’s face, he saw traces of himself and Sophie staring back at him.

Each glimpse tore open the wound in his heart.

He missed Sophie desperately.

Some part of him continued to believe that she might return one day.

Yet another part of him hated her.

He hated that she had left without a word.

He hated that she had abandoned both him and their child.

Deep inside, however, Frank knew the truth.

The destruction of their family was his fault.

It was caused by his neglect, his cowardice, and the cruelty with which he had treated the woman who loved him.

But Frank was too weak to admit it.

Just as he had once deliberately ignored Sophie’s love, he now deceived himself into believing that she had been the heartless one.

Unable to face the memories inside their home, he left Lily with relatives and traveled far away to work at construction sites.

He used exhausting labor and alcohol to numb the pain.

In his fading memories, Frank seemed to see Lily as a little girl again.

She was curled obediently in his arms, looking up at him with wide, timid eyes.

“Daddy,” she whispered.

...

The bridge finally appeared ahead of him.

Frank’s heart pounded violently as panic spread through his chest.

He searched the bridge from one end to the other, but he could not see Lily anywhere.

Hadn’t she said she would wait for him here?

Where was she?

“Isn’t that Frank Lane? Why is he here?”

“I heard the police say the girl who jumped is his daughter.”

“My God. What kind of father lets his child come to this? With a father like him, the poor girl probably thought she was better off dead.”

“Her mother was driven away, and her father never took care of her. That girl’s life has been miserable.”

“I heard she was a brilliant student. One of the best at Westbridge High School.”

“Such a shame. A good kid ruined by a useless father.”

“My son said she was bullied constantly at school.”

“Of course she was. Children without parents around are always easy targets.”

“She waited on that bridge for a long time, but her father never came. She finally jumped a few minutes ago.”

“The rescue team is searching the river now, but it’s been several minutes already. I’m afraid there’s little hope.”

Frank barely registered the insults.

He had heard similar words thousands of times before.

But the moment he heard that Lily had already jumped, his eyes turned bloodshot.

He lunged at the man who had spoken and seized him by the collar.

“Impossible!” Frank roared. “That’s impossible! My daughter promised she would wait for me!”

He looked toward the bridge and screamed until his voice cracked.

“I’m here! Daddy’s here!”

“Lily, where are you?”

“Daddy knows he was wrong! I came to take you home!”

The man shoved at Frank’s arms.

“You lunatic! Your daughter already jumped into the river! Why are you grabbing me?”

“Ten minutes passed a long time ago. She waited for you, but you didn’t come. She jumped several minutes ago!”

“Instead of screaming at me, go see whether the rescue team has found her!”

Frank released him.

Dragging his crippled leg, he stumbled toward the riverbank.

His mind refused to accept what he had heard.

His sweet, obedient daughter could not have jumped.

She could not be gone.

Overcome by despair, Frank raised his fists and began striking his injured leg again and again.

It was this useless leg’s fault.

If he had been able to run faster, he would have arrived in time.

He would not have broken his promise.

His daughter would still be standing on that bridge, waiting for him.

His Lily...

Sophie had already left him.

Was his only daughter now going to leave him as well?

Tears soaked Frank’s weathered face.

Suddenly, excited shouts erupted from the crowd.

“They found her!”

“They pulled her out!”

Frank’s head snapped up.

The moment he heard that Lily had been recovered, he threw himself toward the rescue workers.

“Lily!”

“Lily, wake up!”

“Look at me! Daddy’s here! Daddy came for you!”

Before he could reach her, a member of the rescue team grabbed him and held him back.

“Where’s the medic?”

“We need a doctor now!”

The paramedics who had been waiting nearby immediately rushed forward.

They began emergency treatment, but after several attempts, the lead paramedic slowly lowered his hands.

His expression was grave.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing more we can do.”

“The child has no vital signs.”

He looked toward the crowd before turning to Frank.

“Her family should prepare themselves and make the necessary arrangements.”

The river was fast and filled with muddy water. Recovering her body at all had been fortunate.

Frank stared at his daughter.

Lily lay motionless, her eyes closed and her face deathly pale.

She looked as though she were merely asleep.

Frank kept expecting her eyelashes to flutter.

He kept expecting her to open her eyes, smile at him, and sweetly call him Daddy one more time.

When the paramedic’s words finally registered, Frank’s vision went black.

His breathing became rapid and shallow.

A crushing pain erupted inside his chest.

He clutched at his heart and tried to crawl toward Lily, but the agony intensified with every movement.

The voices around him became distorted.

The bridge, the crowd, and his daughter’s pale face gradually faded from view.

His consciousness sank into darkness.

Before he lost awareness completely, he heard frantic shouts growing more distant.

“Doctor! Someone else has collapsed!”

“It looks like a massive heart attack!”

One of Frank’s coworkers recognized him and cried out in shock.

“That’s Frank! He—”

But Frank could no longer hear the rest.

His consciousness fell into a bottomless darkness where there was no sound, no light, and no pain.

Amid the piercing sirens of police cars and ambulances, Frank Lane closed his eyes forever.

As death claimed him, only one thought remained in his mind.

Regret.

He regretted every drink he had taken.

Every dollar he had gambled away.

Every cruel word he had spoken to Sophie.

Every time Lily had needed him and he had chosen not to be there.

If everything could begin again...

This time, I would—