Rufus had been expecting a son. Shinra needed an heir, and just as he’d been primed for the role, he intended to pass that off to his son. However, what awaited him at the end of your pregnancy was not the ideal heir, but an heiress instead. His firstborn was a girl.

Rufus eyes his daughter, the splitting image of him, just with platinum hair in pigtails and a flouncy pink dress, as she toddles around the room. Around noon, you’d visited his office with her. She’s only just started to walk but wants to walk everywhere, including all the way to his office, which makes his chest ache in guilt.

“Sit down before you fall,” he says to her, knowing she won’t listen. It’s difficult for him to admit that having you and his daughter in his life made all things better, and that he regretted being so resistant to her at first.