A Second Chance to Save My Daughter

Chapter 006

Frank Lane ran his fingers over the soft yarn inside the bag, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

Sophie White was too frail to do much physical work, so she usually took on knitting jobs to help cover the household expenses.

She was good with her hands, and the sweaters she made were warm without being thick or bulky.

Yet their family had been so poor that their own daughter, Lily, didn't even own a decent warm sweater.

A dull ache spread through Frank's chest. The thought only made him hate the useless, defeated man he had once been even more.

Frank bought two pounds of pork and carried it home.

Just before reaching the house, he took the yarn, rice, flour, and cooking oil he had bought out of his Pocket Dimension.

"I'm home!"

Frank pushed open the door with a smile.

Sophie was sitting in the yard with Lily, enjoying the sunshine. When she saw Frank coming back with his arms full of groceries, a complicated look crossed her face.

Part of her worried that he might have done something shady to get the money.

But another part of her was simply stunned by how much he had changed.

Only two days ago, he had taken the last of their money and blown it on himself. How had he suddenly become someone who knew how to earn money and take care of his family?

Was this really the same Frank Lane she had known all these years?

Frank didn't stop to play with Lily. He quickly put down the rice, flour, oil, and other groceries, then handed the bundles of yarn to Sophie.

Sophie froze when she felt the soft, warm yarn in her arms.

"Sophie."

Frank gently rubbed Lily's head and said, "I went to the market looking for work today and made some money. Why don't you knit Lily a sweater?"

Seeing the expression on Sophie's face, he quickly added, "Don't worry. I earned every dollar honestly. I didn't do anything illegal."

Only then did Sophie visibly relax.

"Mommy, Mommy! This yarn is so warm!"

Lily's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Daddy, is it really for me?"

Frank smiled. "Of course it is. In a few days, Lily will have a brand-new sweater."

"Stay out here with Mommy and enjoy the sunshine. Daddy's going to make lunch."

With that, Frank picked up the groceries and headed into the kitchen.

Sophie remained where she was, staring after him in a daze.

The Frank she saw now was standing at the kitchen counter, chopping two pounds of lean pork into filling before mixing in two finely chopped stalks of celery.

This man...

Had he really turned over a new leaf?

"Daddy!"

The moment Lily saw the fresh pork, she swallowed hard and hurried into the kitchen.

"Lily?"

Hearing his daughter's voice, Frank's heart jumped. He immediately put down the knife.

"What are you doing in here? Didn't I tell you to stay outside with Mommy?"

Lily shook her head, her eyes shining as she stared at the bowl.

"Daddy, are we making Chinese dumplings?"

"When John's family next door makes them, they mix vegetables and meat together too!"

Frank laughed.

"That's right. Daddy's making Chinese dumplings with lots of meat for Lily."

At that moment, an unreadable emotion flickered through Sophie's eyes as she walked into the kitchen.

"I'll make the dough."

She picked up a bowl of flour, said nothing else, and walked back out.

Frank watched her leave and sighed quietly.

It was going to take time to win back Sophie's heart.

Right now, all he wanted was to give Sophie and Lily the happy life they deserved.

Lily refused to leave the kitchen and stayed by the counter, watching everything Frank did.

Frank and Sophie worked quickly. Within half an hour, all the dumplings had been wrapped.

They covered some on a tray and placed them outside to freeze, while the rest went straight into a pot of boiling water.

By then, Lily had already carried the vinegar and chili oil to the dining table.

When the steaming dumplings were finally served, however, Lily hesitated.

"Daddy... I'll only eat a few. We can save the rest for dinner."

Those innocent words struck Frank like a knife.

His eyes immediately burned.

They were only dumplings.

Yet Lily was reluctant to eat too many because she was afraid there wouldn't be enough left for later.

That alone told him how hard her life had been all these years.

Frank forced down the pain in his chest and gently stroked her hair.

"See that tray outside the kitchen? There are plenty more. Eat as much as you want. We'll still have some tonight."

Sophie's eyes stung as well.

She picked up a plump white dumpling, dipped it into the sauce, and took a bite.

The wrapper was thin, and the filling was packed with juicy pork and the fresh taste of celery.

For a moment, Sophie couldn't even remember the last time she had eaten Chinese dumplings.

Two years ago?

Maybe three?

When she and Frank first married, he had never truly wanted the marriage.

No matter how much hope Sophie had once carried into their relationship, years of disappointment and hardship had slowly worn it away.

She had watched Frank become more bitter and useless with each passing year until, eventually, she had stopped expecting anything from him.

Just when she had finally made up her mind to leave, however, Frank suddenly changed.

He treated Lily with care.

He went out and worked to support the family.

He had even started thinking about Sophie.

For her, these small things meant far more than Frank realized.

Her eyes grew hot.

After a moment, Sophie gave him a faint smile.

"I'm going over to Auntie Lana's this afternoon to do some work. You can stay home with Lily while she takes her nap."

Frank nodded, but for several seconds, he could only stare at her.

In the past, he had barely ever looked at Sophie properly.

Now, seeing her smile at him, he was stunned.

Across both his previous life and this one, this was the first time he could remember Sophie smiling at him like that.

Frank reached into his pocket and took out a small bundle wrapped in a handkerchief.

"This is what I made today. I spent some of it on groceries and kept a little for myself. The rest is yours."

He placed the bundle into Sophie's hand.

Sophie froze.

Her eyes immediately turned red.

Of course she was moved.

But after years of having her heart frozen over, how could everything melt away in a single day?

Sophie tightened her fingers around the money.

Maybe...

She could wait a little longer.

Maybe she could see whether this change was real.

"There's another two hundred dollars in there," Frank said. "Keep it. From now on, whatever I earn, I'll give to you."

Sophie's heart trembled.

Shock and bitterness mixed inside her.

In the past, Frank had only taken money from the family to waste outside.

When had he ever brought money home?

She carefully put the two hundred dollars away as though it were something precious, then quietly continued eating.

Frank had brought home plenty of meat, and they had made enough dumplings to last for two days, so Sophie didn't try to ration the meal.

With this money, along with the rice, flour, and cooking oil Frank had bought, they wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about food for a while.

Watching Lily eat happily, Frank felt warmth spread through his chest.

In his previous life, when he worked construction, he often heard the other workers complain that their children were sick of eating dumplings and refused to touch them.

Back then, Frank had thought those children were simply spoiled.

Only now did he realize that his own Lily had barely ever tasted something other children were already tired of eating.

Frank gently held Lily's thin wrist.

"I'm going out to work again tomorrow. If I make enough money, I'll buy you some powdered milk. You're way too skinny."

But when it came to being thin, Sophie was even worse.

At around five-foot-seven, she barely weighed over eighty pounds. She looked painfully undernourished.

The thought made Frank's chest tighten again.

Without another word, he hurried back to the kitchen, filled two bowls with hot Noodle Soup, and placed them in front of Sophie and Lily.