"Ah..." Seraphina screamed in fright. She ran toward her mother.
Elowen pulled her into her arms. "Don’t be afraid. Mommy has got you."
She shot Soren an irritated look. "You are scaring her. If you don’t know how to treat her properly, at least don’t frighten her."
Soren froze. When he saw fear in Seraphina’s eyes, he immediately regretted what he had done.
"I am sorry, Sera." He reached toward her.
Seraphina instantly moved behind her mother, and Elowen shielded her protectively.
Soren’s heart dropped.
’My daughter is scared of me,’ he muttered to himself. ’How terrible a father I am.’
He was even more determined to change himself—for his family, for his own happiness.
He went down on one knee. "Sera, dear... come here." He extended his hand toward her.
Seraphina looked at his hand hesitantly. She didn’t move. Her fingers remained tightly wrapped around her mother’s skirt.
He sighed helplessly.
The memories from the past life had overwhelmed him. And he had acted impulsively.
"Sweetheart, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just remembered something horrible when I saw that bag."
"What are you talking about?" Elowen snapped. "That bag is so pretty, cute even. How could you relate it to something horrible?"
"I..." Soren was again at a loss for words.
He couldn’t tell them what had happened in the past life or why he had lost his composure when he had seen that bag. But he quickly found an explanation.
"Last night, I had a terrifying dream. That bag..." He pointed at the backpack on the floor. "It brought our family bad luck."
Elowen narrowed her eyes.
’Dream again?’ She couldn’t believe he was using his dream again to explain himself. She couldn’t decide whether to laugh or worry.
"Don’t touch that bag," Soren said. "In fact, don’t use anything pink."
"But I like pink," Seraphina said slowly, hesitantly.
"This is ridiculous," Elowen interjected. "You can’t forbid her from using that bag just because you had a weird dream last night. That bag is her favorite."
Her mother had gifted Seraphina that backpack on her sixth birthday. Since then, the little girl had taken it everywhere.
"You can’t force your will on her, Soren." Elowen stood fiercely in front of him.
She could tolerate his coldness, his bad temper, and his injustice. When it came to Seraphina, she couldn’t stay silent.
"And pink is her favorite color. She won’t stop liking pink just because you told her to."
Soren realized he had been unreasonable.
"I am sorry. I realized my mistake."
Another wave of surprise hit Elowen. She had rarely heard him say sorry. But today, he had apologized easily, admitting his mistakes.
She was even more certain that something wasn’t right with him.
"I won’t do something so aggressive again." Soren looked at Seraphina. His gaze was full of regret. "I’ll buy you a new bag. Anything you want. Will you come to me now?"
Seraphina took a small step toward him but was still hesitant.
Elowen pulled her back. "She doesn’t need anything from you. I can buy her whatever she wants."
"Elowen, Sera is my daughter too. I am her father."
"Oh, you remember? Do you want me to thank you?" Her voice carried years of suppressed anger. "You were absent for years. You don’t know what she likes to eat, what she likes to do, or what her favorite storybook is."
Soren couldn’t answer. Because he didn’t have one.
It was true.
He had never cared about Seraphina’s likes and dislikes. He had kept himself away from her as if she were a plague.
In his first life, Soren had treated Seraphina as a reminder of that night seven years ago. Her face reminded him of how Elowen had drugged him and crawled up into his bed.
He had hated them. But now he had only regret and guilt.
Soren’s lips parted. He wanted to apologize, but no word came out. He took a step closer to her, then stopped, as though he no longer felt worthy of getting close.
"You don’t even know which school she goes to," Elowen continued. Years of pent-up frustration were spilling out. "Do you know which dance class she goes to? No. You know nothing."
Her voice echoed inside the house.
"Yes, I don’t know anything. I didn’t pay attention. I didn’t go to her school. I didn’t check what she was doing all those years."
Regret was written all over his face. But beneath it was quiet determination.
’I lost them once. I can’t lose them again.’
"But things have changed now. I am changed. I’ll fix everything."
"Really? Seven years of pain and disappointment. Tell me, what all will you fix?"
"Everything," he said without the slightest hesitation. "I’ll dedicate my life to making it up to you and protecting you. From now on, you won’t suffer in this house."
He took a step toward them. "I won’t give you a chance to complain."
Elowen was still skeptical. But she could also see his sincerity. He looked as if he genuinely meant every word.
Yet, she was wary of trusting him. She still couldn’t understand what had caused such a drastic change overnight.
Serphina, however, had already forgotten her fear. She stepped closer to him.
"So are you going to drop me off at school every day?" Expectations filled her heart. "Will you come to see me dance?"
Soren’s chest swelled up with emotion. "Of course, darling." He crouched, taking her small hands. "I’ll take you to school every day. I’ll go to your dance school and watch you."
"Sera. Your daddy is a busy man. He has a lot of responsibilities. Don’t trouble him."
"It’s not trouble." He looked up and met her gaze. "I can do this." He straightened. "As long as Sera is happy, I’m willing to do anything."
Elowen stepped closer, her gaze unwavering. She was afraid he would hurt them again. But outwardly, she stood sternly, not showing any sign of weakness.
"Don’t give her hope. Don’t promise anything that you can’t fulfil." Her voice dropped so only he could hear. "If you hurt her, I’ll make you regret it."
For the first time, Soren saw his wife challenging him.
Elowen had been docile and obedient. She had never raised a voice, never said no to him, and had always been gentle, calm, and composed.
But today, he saw a different version of her—fierce, fearless. Elowen stood before him like a protective mother.
He liked it.
Before he could stop, his lips quirked upward. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, "I can fulfil your demands too. Just try me."
Elowen’s heart hammered against her chest. Her face burned. She stepped back, looking left and right, but not in his direction.
"It—it’s getting late. The taxi has arrived. We need to go."
She turned, holding Seraphina’s hand.
"Wait. I told you. You are not leaving."
"Mommy, can we not go to Grandma’s today?"
Elowen’s determination wavered when she looked at her pleading eyes.
"Elowen, please consider my words," Soren murmured. "I only asked for three months."
His chest twisted painfully. He only had three months.
’If I fail in my mission, I’ll disappear anyway. But I want to spend whatever time I have with you. Please say yes.’