Delayed Regrets: He Regretted Only After Her Death-Chapter 88: Daisy, Daddy Is Sorry

Tiana Linden didn’t want Aiden Grant to know that she was still alive.

Hector Chaucer knew this very well.

Right now, Aiden Grant stood in front of his car door, full of doubt, waiting for his reply.

Just like yesterday, Aiden Grant wasn’t doing well.

Under the setting sun, his eyes were shot through with blood-red veins.

The bluish stubble on his jaw made his tall and imposing figure look even more haggard and tortured.

Getting no answer, he repeated his question:

"Hector Chaucer, you just said you were taking Daisy to see Tiana Linden—where are you going?"

Earlier, when Hector was talking to Daisy about going to see Tiana Linden, both of them had such bright, joyful smiles.

Especially Daisy.

Yesterday when he saw her, her tiny figure looked shattered and broken.

Today, her eyes held a smile, a sparkle.

Could Tiana Linden really still be alive?

Suddenly, his breath caught in his throat.

Aiden Grant’s chest heaved with excitement.

His temples throbbed.

The milk in his hand, barely sipped, suddenly crashed to the ground.

Thick milk poured out, staining his black leather shoes until they were drenched in milky white.

The hem of his pants was soaked through.

But Aiden Grant didn’t notice at all.

All he knew was Hector was about to take Daisy to see Tiana Linden.

Was it to see Tiana Linden alive?

If not, then why had Daisy’s eyes sparkled with such bright light just now?

"Hector Chaucer, answer me—Tiana Linden, is she still alive?"

Hector responded with silence to Aiden Grant’s impatient urging and questioning.

The Daisy in his arms was also silent.

The look of dislike and hatred from Daisy’s large eyes landed directly on Aiden Grant.

Daisy absolutely hated seeing this man in front of her.

Whenever she saw him, the sunlight lost its brightness.

Her mood soured.

He was an utter disappointment, completely unlikable.

Seeing Hector refuse to answer, Aiden Grant grabbed Daisy’s little hand and asked softly but urgently:

"Daisy, tell Daddy—is Mommy still alive?"

As the words came out, Aiden Grant’s tears finally overflowed, tumbling down his face.

He knew full well it was impossible.

And yet, he still longed for a miracle.

"Daisy, please say something."

A broken sob wrenched from his throat.

The tiny hand quickly and coldly shook him off.

Daisy didn’t want to answer him at all.

At that moment, Hector Chaucer, still holding Daisy, spoke calmly:

"We’re heading to the cemetery to visit Tiana Linden."

"You should know, Tiana Linden doesn’t want to see you. She has no interest in those eustomas you sent."

Hector was perfectly composed.

Not the slightest hint of panic.

Having said that, he simply carried Daisy into the car.

Aiden Grant stood at the car door, utterly lost.

The setting sun stretched his tall frame across the ground.

Even his shadow was filled with sorrow.

Tiana Linden couldn’t possibly still be alive.

He was the one who had performed CPR on Tiana Linden.

He’d watched her go from hypothermia to cardiac arrest, with his own eyes.

Just as Hector was about to close the door, Aiden Grant blocked it with his hand.

"Daisy, Daddy brought a photo of Mommy. Can you wait for me a moment?"

"Daddy wants to show you the photo."

Daisy didn’t respond to Aiden Grant.

Hector Chaucer asked gently beside them, "Daisy, would you like to have Mommy’s photo back?"

Daisy nodded.

Only then did Hector look at Aiden Grant, "Two minutes."

Meaning, Aiden Grant only had two minutes.

Aiden Grant’s heart was stabbing with pain.

Now, to see his own biological daughter, he needed Hector Chaucer’s permission.

Yet he raced against time to his own Red Flag limousine and brought back a box.

Inside the box were many photos of him and Tiana Linden.

He’d returned a lot of things to Tiana Linden, but couldn’t bear to part with these photos.

Most of them he’d secretly saved for himself.

Now, Daisy stood by the car, waiting.

When he returned, Aiden Grant knelt on one knee, bringing the box to Daisy’s side.

He pulled out one album and opened it in front of Daisy.

"Daisy, look—these are pictures of Daddy and Mommy when we were little."

"See? Don’t you look a lot like Mommy did as a child?"

"Daddy and Mommy have known each other since we were very, very young."

Daisy said nothing.

She followed Aiden Grant’s hands as he turned the pages, looking through the album, page by page.

It was true: she looked exactly like her mother when she was little.

Aiden Grant continued, "Daddy and Mommy grew up together, childhood sweethearts—with really deep feelings."

His finger brushed over Tiana Linden’s childhood photo, and a bittersweet smile flickered in his eyes.

"Since that time, Mommy always said when she grew up, she wanted to marry Daddy."

Daisy had long lost her patience.

She’d let Aiden Grant finish talking just moments ago, purely out of courtesy.

Now, she snatched the album away from him.

And with it, the whole box.

Then, the pain and hatred in Daisy’s eyes deepened even more.

"But when Mommy was dying and I ran through the rain to beg you for a box of medicine, you refused to help."

Her words were choked with sobs.

The man before her was her birth father.

At barely five, Daisy already understood the meaning of kinship.

A real daddy should be the one who loves her most in the world, who protects her best.

But he had made her and her mother suffer every possible pain.

And in the end, let Mommy die.

She would never forgive this man, not for a lifetime.

She couldn’t change who she was related to by blood.

It was precisely this blood tie that made her little heart ache beyond reason.

Her eyes, clear as crystal, welled up with painful tears.

She couldn’t let go.

She was filled with hate.

Seeing Daisy so distraught, Hector Chaucer hurriedly lifted her up into his arms.

"Daisy, I’m sorry, Daddy..."

Aiden Grant reached out to wipe away Daisy’s tears.

Hector blocked him with his long arm.

His fingers, soft and gentle, stroked Daisy’s wet little cheek.

"Daisy, be good. Mr. Chaucer will give you a cuddle!"

Standing off to the side, Aiden Grant’s outstretched hand fell, powerless, to his side.

His ten fingers clenched so tightly that the veins stood out on the backs of his hands.

His own daughter—and now even the act of wiping her tears had become an impossible wish.

All his regret and guilt could only be turned into a powerless—

"Daisy, I’m sorry!"

Hector Chaucer couldn’t bear to see Daisy cry so heartbreakingly.

Daisy was carved from the exact same mold as Tiana Linden.

Whenever she cried, it was just like watching young Tiana Linden being bullied.

Aiden Grant’s presence made Hector’s eyes sharpen with a hint of ice and warning:

"Aiden Grant, the child sees you and gets this upset."

"Can’t you show a bit of self-awareness and stay away from Daisy?"

Aiden Grant couldn’t bear to see his daughter cry so terribly.

He wiped his tears, then said tactfully, "I’ll leave now, I’ll go..."

Self-awareness? When has he not had it?

His daughter disliked him. Hated him.

Probably, Daisy never wanted to see him, ever.

As he walked away, every step was a backward glance.

Though his heart ached to stay, he had no choice but to let himself disappear, tactfully, from his daughter’s sight.

He reached his car.

Sitting inside, he watched Hector lift Daisy into the car; watched Hector’s car leave the parking lot, drive onto the lane, and disappear into the endless traffic...

He watched until the car vanished.

He couldn’t see them anymore.

In the driver’s seat, Aiden Grant sobbed and cried his heart out.

"Daisy, Daddy’s sorry!"

Broken sobs caught in his throat.

Each one like a blade cutting through his larynx.

Such a lovable Daisy—but because of him, her whole world fell apart when she was so small.

Back then, he’d sworn: if Tiana Linden had his daughter, he would love her endlessly, cherish her endlessly.

Under the sunset, he lay slumped over the steering wheel.

The regret and agony in his heart had nowhere to go.

He pounded his fist against the wheel, again and again and again.

...

Clearwater Road.

Hector Chaucer drove in earnest.

He glanced into the rearview mirror; Daisy was still immersed in her pain.

Every time this child saw Aiden Grant, she’d be sullen for ages.

He asked softly, "Daisy, did you notice that Mr. Chaucer fitted you with a beautiful new child safety seat today? It’s the Princess Elsa seat you like."

Daisy replied politely, "Thank you, Mr. Chaucer."

Yet she was still unhappy.

Seeing that man always made her tiny chest tighten uncomfortably.

As he drove, Hector could fully understand how Daisy felt at that moment.

He, too, had been deeply hurt by family.

This kind of pain—at three, when he returned to The Chaucer Family—he experienced it so many, many times.

If Daisy had been a boy, he’d think early hardship was a good trial for her.

He definitely would’ve told Daisy to grit her teeth, hold on, transform, and grow.

But Daisy was a soft, adorable little girl.

She should’ve been cherished like a flower.

But Aiden Grant had tormented her until she was barely alive, had robbed her of her spark.

Aiden Grant, that bastard!

To coax out a smile from Daisy, Hector—normally so silent and reticent—suddenly told a bunch of jokes.

Finally, Daisy laughed through her tears.

Seeing her smile, the tension on Hector’s face softened with true comfort.

He glanced at Daisy through the rearview mirror as she smiled.

"Daisy, if anyone ever dares to bully you, you tell Mr. Chaucer first, alright?"

Daisy trusted Hector Chaucer completely.

She nodded firmly, then asked, "Mr. Chaucer, everyone blames you because of me, so why do you still care about me so much?"

In a child’s heart, everything was crystal clear.

She knew exactly who treated her well and who didn’t.

Daddy Leo and Mr. Chaucer had no blood ties to her.

But both of them were so good to her.

She craned her little head, peering up at Hector Chaucer in the driver’s seat, so upright and strong, as safe as a mountain.

Hector drove, thinking for a moment, "...Because Mr. Chaucer always wanted a daughter—a daughter as cute as you, Daisy."

Praised for her cuteness, Daisy beamed, "Mr. Chaucer, then you should hurry up and find a wife, have a cute baby!"

To that, Hector didn’t reply.

He drove, and from the rearview mirror, gazed softly at Daisy again.

That little face was exactly the same as Tiana Linden’s from childhood.

Memories overlapped.

So many things surfaced in his mind.

The early summer breeze floated in through the window, brisk and fresh.

All the gloom and suffocation of prison seemed to be swept clean at that moment.

...

Hospital, Oncology, Inpatient Ward.

Tiana Linden, seeing Daisy, still had so much to say, so much emotion to pour out.

Mother and daughter had just seen each other that morning.

Now, with Hector delivering Daisy to the ward, the two hugged and talked for ages.

Hector was left aside.

But he was quiet, and didn’t mind.

After Gordon Lowell delivered dinner, Hector quietly set out bowls and chopsticks nearby.

Then he pushed the little table up to the mother and daughter.

"Daisy, wash your hands and eat dinner with Mommy. You can chat while you eat."

Daisy nodded obediently.

Before going to wash up, she hugged her mother tightly again.

Her little face was showered with kisses from Tiana Linden, "Good girl, go wash your hands."

Once Daisy got off the bed and headed to the sink, Tiana Linden turned to Hector, "You just took over The Chaucer Family, you must be so busy. You don’t have to keep coming to the hospital to see me."

Instead of answering, Hector responded with a question, "Are you and Leo Sutton really going to keep up this sham of a marriage?"