Chapter 9 Feel Her Pain

Louis' breath hitched, his eyebrows knitted. A strange feeling rose in his chest. But after clenching his fist, he got his mind back on track.

"You don't have to worry, Ace. Sky and her daughter had nothing to do with it. You trust me, right? There's no way I could sleep with just any girl. The scandal was a setup. Someone was trying to ruin my reputation. It was all a trick."

Grace didn't answer. Louis could imagine her pretty eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. He added, "Summer won't be here long. Sky will pick her up soon."

"So her name is Summer? You guys have been close, huh? Do you consider her your own child? Have you forgotten what she did to us?"

Louis sighed heavily. "Ace, I know you must be upset that Summer ruined the proposal. So am I. But we can't blame her. She's just a child who misses her father."

"You're right. It's not her to blame, but her mother. She didn't do a good job of looking after her child."

Louis fell silent for a moment. He had to be careful in choosing the right response. He didn't want Grace's anger to escalate.

"When Sky comes, I will reprimand her," he stated carefully.

Unfortunately, Grace's anger burst out. "Just reprimanding her is not enough, Louis! You have to emphasize that she must control her daughter well. Don't let the child ruin someone else's proposal again. Besides, she is the one who should be responsible for providing a father for her daughter, not anyone else, let alone you! She hasn't contacted you for years, right? She shouldn't have suddenly appeared and burdened you with her own problems."

Louis' chest felt tight. Grace had never nagged him before. He felt guilty for letting her down.

"Okay, I'll do it as you wish. Now, can you calm down? Once Summer has gone, things will go back to normal. I'll arrange a more beautiful proposal for you."

"Don't just talk, Louis. Prove it. I hope there won't be a second disappointment."

Louis nodded even though his lover wasn't looking. "Yeah, I'll tighten the security. There won't be any more intruders later."

After the call ended, Louis looked up and let out a long sigh. He never knew talking to Grace could be so tiring.

"It's all because of that irresponsible guy. If only he had been willing to accompany Sky, Summer wouldn't have come to me."

After putting away his phone, Louis moved Summer to the guest room. Her small body felt light. When Louis put her on the bed, she immediately curled up like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

"Why would a man abandon his child? Could it be that he didn't know he had Summer?" Louis thought, as he rubbed her chubby cheek.

Feeling itchy, Summer scratched her face. Louis could only smile at her behavior.

"Look how small this hand is," Louis compared their palms. Then, he slipped his index finger into Summer's grasp.

"Be patient, Little Human. I am sure that one day, you will meet your father again. You and your mother will not be lonely. You will also be a happy family."

Louis stroked the back of Summer's hand. After kissing it once, he got up from bed. That's when Summer called him softly, "Daddy ...."

Louis froze. His breath hitched, his eyes widened.

Summer's voice was heartbreaking. Her eyes were still closed, but her brows furrowed, her lips pouted. Her hand gripped Louis' finger as if not allowing him to move away.

After one blink, Louis sat back on the edge of the bed. As his eyes were fixed on Summer's round face, he was caught in thought.

There was a strange feeling that he didn't understand. A feeling that made his chest feel tight. A feeling that made him wonder about when an empty space existed in his heart.

"Do I feel sorry for Summer? Her fate is much worse than mine. Emily and I met our father when we were four years old, but Summer hasn't."

With furrowed brows, Louis studied the small hand that was reluctant to let him go. There was a strange vibration that came from the touch, a vibration that he had never felt before, and he didn't know what it meant.

"Do I empathize with her? That's why I feel this feeling?"

Louis held his chest, feeling his heartbeat. Finding no answer, he lay down on his side. He let the little girl hold his finger. While supporting his head with one hand, he watched how the wrinkle on her face faded.

"Yes, you should forget your worries, Little Human. Don't let longing haunt you. When the time is right, your father will definitely come."

Louis stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. After a moment, his eyes closed. His lips unconsciously whispered, "Sweet dreams, Summer. You deserve to be happy too."

***

Louis flinched when he opened his eyes. His mouth was agape, his hand raised to hold his chest.

Seeing his response, the little girl, who was kneeling beside him, laughed out loud.

"Why were you startled, Sir? Did you think I was a ghost? There's no ghost as cute as me," Summer cupped her cheeks and tilted her head. Her rapid blinking made Louis feel intimidated.

"Who wouldn't be surprised if someone stared so closely right after waking up? You're lucky I didn't reflexively punch you. Otherwise, you would have been thrown out of bed."

Pinching her neck with her shoulders, Summer chuckled.

"Sorry, Uncle. I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to observe your face. I didn't expect you to suddenly wake up. You were still snoring earlier. By the way, is it okay if I call you Uncle? I think we're close now."

Louis' eyes narrowed. "Why do you conclude that?"

"Because you've started to care about me. The proof is, you took me to this room. My sleep became more restful because of you," Summer answered with a sweet smile. Louis couldn't deny that he loved to see her eyes sparkle with hope.