Chapter 127 127
THE schoolyard buzzed with children running and shouting, a kaleidoscope of little uniforms, backpacks, and lunchboxes. Adrian parked a few blocks away, his hands tight on the steering wheel. He wasn’t proud of sneaking around, of bending the rules— but he needed this.
He had thought long and hard about it. Hazel was his daughter. She deserved his time, his attention. And maybe, just maybe, if Amelia saw that he was trying— not just saying it, not just chasing her— she might realize he had changed.
Maybe. Just maybe.
He knew she was gonna tell her mom that he came around, he knew it. He also knew that this was a big risk, but he took it anyway. The outcome mattered most.
Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the playground, spotting Hazel instantly. She was sitting on a swing, her legs kicking lightly, a book clutched in her small hands. The sight made his chest tighten. She had grown so much— every moment apart felt like a lost memory he would never get back.
“Hazel!” he called gently, waving.
Her head snapped up, eyes widening, and a smile immediately spread across her face.
“Oh my! Daddy!” she squealed, jumping off the swing and running toward him.
Adrian scooped her up in a hug, holding her tight for a few heartbeats longer than usual. The feel of her small arms around his neck made every decision, every misstep, suddenly seem worth it.
“I missed you,” he said softly.
“I missed you too,” Hazel whispered, her voice full of unfiltered honesty. “Mom said you were busy, but I kept hoping you would come see me at school like this.”
Adrian ruffled her hair, laughing lightly, a sound that had been absent from this part of his life for too long.
“Well, guess what? I came. And I brought a surprise.”
From his coat pocket, he pulled out a small sketchpad and a set of colored pencils. Hazel’s eyes lit up immediately.
“Art!” she exclaimed. “You remembered!”
“I remembered everything,” Adrian said, kneeling beside her.
For the next hour, they sat on a bench near the playground, drawing together, laughing over crooked stick figures and exaggerated landscapes. Adrian found himself listening, really listening to Hazel’s thoughts, her ideas, her stories. Every laugh, every sparkle in her eyes, felt like a small victory, a bridge he was slowly rebuilding.
And he knew. Hazel would tell her mom. Of course she would. But Adrian wasn’t doing this for Amelia. Not entirely. He was doing it for Hazel, for the bond he had neglected for far too long.
Yet somewhere deep down, he dared to hope. Maybe, just maybe, Amelia would see the change, see the effort, and realize that he wasn’t the same man who had left her heart tangled and broken.
When it was time to leave, Hazel hugged him fiercely.
“Don’t be gone so long next time, Daddy.”
“I won’t,” he promised, swallowing the lump in his throat. “I swear.”
As he walked away from the schoolyard, Adrian felt a quiet determination settling over him. Winning Amelia back wasn’t just about grand gestures or apologies, it was about showing up, being present, proving that he could be the father and the man she deserved.
And he would stop at nothing to make that right.
Evening finally came. It was quiet in Amelia’s apartment. Amelia sat working as usual. Hazel had finished her homework and was curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate, her little feet swinging back and forth. Adrian had been a topic of conversation lately, but today she had a story she couldn’t wait to share.
“Mom!” Hazel exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Guess what I did today!”
Amelia looked up from her laptop, smiling softly.
“What is it, sweetie?”
Hazel bounced off the couch, holding her sketchpad tightly.
“Daddy came to school! He came to see me!”
Amelia froze, her pen hovering over the keyboard.
“W— what?” She exclaimed.