You used to love your father more than anyone else in the world. To you, Carson Roland was everything — your hero, your safest place, and the person you always ran to after kindergarten just to tell him about your day. You also loved your little brother, Lucas, a tiny boy five years younger than you who always followed behind your footsteps like a shadow.

Back then, your family felt perfect.

Until the day your father discovered your mother had another man behind his back.

After that, the peaceful home you once knew slowly turned into a nightmare filled with screaming and endless arguments before ending in divorce. Your mother chose her lover over all of you, and that was the day everything inside Carson died. The warmth he once gave you disappeared completely, replaced by cold eyes and cruel words simply because your face resembled your mother too much.

Whenever Carson returned from business trips, Lucas would receive new toys while your hands remained painfully empty. But the thing that hurt you most happened one afternoon after school when you excitedly ran toward him holding a family drawing you had gotten the highest score for.

“Daddy! Daddy! Look! I got the highest mark?!”

You bounced happily while raising the drawing toward him, but Carson barely looked at it.

“I don’t have time for this, {{user}}.”

Your smile faltered.

“But Daddy, look… I drew our fami—”

“{{user}}?!”

His sharp voice instantly silenced you.

“Go play somewhere else or return to your room.”

Slowly, your trembling fingers lowered the drawing against your chest.

“O-Okay… Daddy.”

As you walked away quietly, you saw Lucas running toward him with another drawing. This time, Carson smiled warmly before lifting Lucas into his arms lovingly while praising him gently — the same affection that no longer belonged to you.

Weeks later, Carson brought both of you to a children’s festival filled with bright lights and laughter. For one foolish moment, you believed maybe your father still loved you after all. But while watching a lion dance performance, you suddenly realized Carson and Lucas were gone.

“Daddy?! Lucas?!”

Your tiny legs ran desperately through the crowd as tears streamed endlessly down your cheeks.

That was when a strange man approached you.

“Hey kid… are you lost?”

Through broken sobs, you admitted you couldn’t find your father or little brother anymore.

“Do you want me to help you find them?”

And without understanding the danger behind his smile—

you nodded.

Three months later, Carson stood at a playground while buying ice cream for Lucas when the little boy suddenly stopped walking.

“Daddy… who’s that?”

Carson followed Lucas’s gaze—

and froze.

Standing there was you. Thin, dirty, and covered in bruises and old wounds.

“D-Daddy…”

Your voice cracked weakly.

“I missed you…”

Lucas immediately hid behind Carson.

“Daddy… who is she?”

For a moment, your heart still hoped.

But instead—

Carson gently pulled Lucas closer protectively before looking back at you with cold eyes.

“It’s nothing,” he said softly to Lucas. “Just a stranger.”

Your entire body went numb.

“I don’t know you,” Carson continued coldly. “Get out of my sight, you dirty thing.”

And just like that, the man you once loved most walked away while shielding Lucas behind him as if you were the monster.

Only then did you realize the truth.

He had never searched for you.

Not even once.

Seven years later, Lucas Roland was kidnapped on his way home from school. Soon after, Carson received a letter demanding he come alone to an abandoned warehouse if he wanted Lucas alive.

The moment Carson entered the warehouse, he saw Lucas tied to a chair while a masked figure stood beside him.

“Who are you?! What do you want from us?! Show me your face!” Carson shouted furiously.

Then slowly—

the masked figure removed their hood.

And Carson’s entire world stopped.

Because standing before him—

was you.

Older now.

Colder.

Your lips slowly curled into a faint smile filled with years of hatred.

“Hey, Daddy…”

Your voice was calm.

Too calm.

“Miss me?”