A Second Chance to Save My Daughter

Chapter 003

Warren struggled through the splitting pain in his skull and forced his eyes open.

Once the black fog clouding his vision finally cleared, Warren could make out his surroundings. What he saw left him stunned. This was not the sterile white hospital room he expected, reeking of disinfectant and filled with beeping machines.

Instead, he found himself in a cramped, dilapidated room. The space was bare and drafty, wind seeping through cracks in the walls. Clearly, no one had maintained it in a very long time.

But what truly shocked Warren was the sight of his two-year-old daughter, Daisy.

He blinked once, twice, then again. Each time his eyes reopened, she was still there. The little girl staring fearfully at him was unmistakably his daughter at age two, just as he remembered her from years ago.

The poor child's eyes brimmed with golden tears that threatened to spill at any moment. Her expression was terrified as she watched her father clutch his temples and mutter frantically to himself.

"Am I dead? Why am I seeing my daughter at two years old? Daisy?"

Though frightened, the child managed to answer him.

"Daddy..."

Warren didn't have time to figure out whether he was alive or dead. All he knew was that the small child in front of him was his daughter.

Overcome with joy, he lunged forward and swept her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest.

"Daisy, my precious baby girl!"

Having lost her once and found her again, Warren couldn't control the surge of emotion. He kissed her thin little cheeks over and over, unable to stop himself.

"Ow, that hurts! Daddy, let go! Waaah!"

In his excitement, Warren had squeezed too hard. The pressure hurt the child, and she began to cry.

Already frightened by her father's bizarre behavior, Daisy could no longer hold back the tears welling in her eyes. She burst into loud, hiccupping sobs.

Hearing his daughter cry out in pain and seeing her tears, Warren panicked immediately. He loosened his grip at once and began clumsily wiping the tears from her face with trembling hands.

Just then, a crackling surge of static erupted inside Warren's head.

After the jarring burst of noise subsided, a flat, mechanical voice spoke in his mind.

"Greetings, host. I am System 001, the Second Chance Dad System, at your service."

"Congratulations on your return to the year 2000. You have received one initial starter pack. Would you like to view it now?"

Warren froze. What kind of system was this? Though he didn't fully understand, he couldn't ignore what the voice had just said.

The year 2000? That was the time when Daisy's first birthday was approaching and Molly was preparing to leave.

Had he really traveled back in time?

If so, did that mean Molly was still here?

System 001 detected Warren's brainwave activity and responded.

"Host, please do not panic. The current year is 2000. Your wife has not yet left. She plans to depart in two weeks."

"Two weeks from now is Daisy's first birthday."

Hearing this, Warren's muddled, sluggish thoughts suddenly sharpened into clarity.

"She hasn't left yet?"

"Thank God. She's still here!"

That was all that mattered. His wife, his daughter's mother, hadn't walked out yet. There was still time to change everything.

Seeing the yes and no buttons appear in his mind, Warren finally accepted that this wasn't a dream.

He had truly been reborn. He had successfully returned to the past, to a moment before everything fell apart. There was still a chance to make things right.

Warren's mind, rusted from years of drinking and gambling, began to recall fragments of memory. He had heard of systems before. He had heard of rebirth, too.

In his previous life, some of his coworkers on the construction site used to read web novels. Warren had skimmed a few himself, though he'd never believed any of it. He'd nearly forgotten all about it.

Now, remembering those stories, Warren felt a wild surge of elation. Without hesitation, he clicked yes and claimed the starter pack.

"Congratulations, host. You have received one pocket dimension, one Healing Spring, and one acre of enchanted garden. Please check your inventory."

Even though Warren hadn't read many novels like this, he understood instinctively that these were valuable gifts. Even if you'd never tasted pork, you'd at least seen a pig run, as the saying went.

His daughter was still in his arms, so it wasn't convenient to explore the items right away. Still, if it was called the Healing Spring, perhaps it could help his injured leg improve.

Then Warren thought of his wife, whose body was riddled with illness, the frail child in his arms, and his elderly mother, plagued by chronic pain.

With that in mind, he made a firm decision. If the spring worked, he would make sure his family drank from it too.

Just then, Molly hurried into the room, drawn by the sound of her daughter crying.

Daisy saw her mother and immediately reached out, begging to be held. Molly wiped her hands on her faded gray skirt and scooped the little girl into her arms.

"Molly, you're still here!"

Warren's numb, deadened heart began to pound wildly the instant he laid eyes on Molly. The frantic thumping made him feel dizzy.

Though the system had already told him Molly hadn't left, Warren hadn't dared to believe it until he saw her with his own eyes.

But now, the woman who had abandoned him and their child for more than a decade in his previous life stood right in front of him.

The striking resemblance between mother and daughter made Warren's tears flow uncontrollably.

"What are you doing, bullying the child? Isn't drinking and gambling enough for you anymore?"

"Do you have to abuse your daughter now to prop up your shattered ego?"

Molly's cold tone and contemptuous words left Warren momentarily stunned.

But he quickly snapped out of it. He had to explain. He had to make Molly change her mind as soon as possible, to show her that he had changed.

Otherwise, even though Warren had traveled through time, Molly would still leave him and their young child once her disappointment reached its breaking point.

"No, no, it's not like that. I just wanted to hug Daisy. I didn't control my strength properly."

"Daisy, tell your mom. Daddy was just too excited and accidentally hugged you too hard."

Despite Warren's explanation, Molly's expression remained unchanged. Her eyes reflected deep exhaustion and numbness.

She didn't believe him at all.

Hearing her father's plea, little Daisy did her best to defend him.

"M-Mommy, Daddy really didn't bully me."

"Daddy hugged me really tight just now, and when I cried, he even kissed me!"

"Daddy hasn't hugged me or kissed me in such a long time. I'm so happy today! Mommy, please don't be mad at Daddy. He didn't mean it."

Hearing his sweet daughter work so hard to explain on his behalf, Warren felt a sharp ache in his chest.

Even though he had never hugged her before, never kissed her, and had constantly neglected her, even though he had scared her to tears and hurt her just now, the moment he asked, this innocent, loving child immediately defended her father without reservation.

Not a single word of complaint. She never held grudges.

This was all the harm Warren had caused in his previous life.

According to the timeline the system had described, this was the exact moment when Molly had been trying to find a renowned specialist to treat Warren's injured leg.

But Warren had taken the last bit of money they had, money Molly's family had given them, and spent it all on drinking and gambling.

That thousand dollars was money Molly had begged her parents for, sobbing on her knees, so she could continue treatment for Warren's leg and buy some nutritious food for their child.

After that incident, Molly had been completely heartbroken. She never imagined the man who had once loved her so deeply and trusted her completely could become so unrecognizable.

In the year 2000, a thousand dollars was an enormous sum. It was equivalent to ten thousand dollars in 2020, maybe even more.

And Warren had gambled and drunk it all away. Not a single cent remained.