My Daughter Doesn't Call Him "Dad" Anymore

Chapter 2

There was still one thing holding me back.

Erika.

I knew how badly she wanted a father. But to her, Simon had always been a ghost—a man too busy playing house with someone else's child to notice his own.

As I stood there, trapped in my thoughts, Erika wrapped her tiny arms around my waist.

Looking down at her puffy, tear-streaked eyes broke my heart.

"Mommy... am I a bad girl? Is that why Daddy loves Lydia, but not me?"

I couldn't hold it together anymore.

"Oh, sweetie, no. Never," I choked out, pulling her close. "You're my whole world. My little miracle.

"This is on Simon. He's sick in the head and doesn't know how to treat people. None of this is your fault."

Erika buried her face in my shoulder, her voice muffled. "I don't want to call him Daddy anymore. If he's going to be like this, I don't want him at all."

Hearing that was the final straw. My decision was made.

The next evening, Simon actually showed up for family dinner—a rare sight.

He walked in holding my hand and carrying Erika, pretending everything was perfectly fine.

Until Erika looked him straight in the eye.

"Uncle Simon, can you put me down? I want to hold Mommy's hand."

Simon froze, visibly thrown off.

Erika was stubborn. Whenever Simon used to forbid her from calling him 'Dad', she'd rather not call him anything.

This was the first time she'd ever called him "Uncle."

Simon tried to play it off with a soft smile. "Hey, it's just us here, baby. Don't call Daddy that. You're hurting my feelings."

Erika completely ignored him.

Defeated, Simon set her down.

"Tell you what, pumpkin—how about Daddy spend all day playing with you tomorrow?"

Erika didn't answer, but I saw the sudden spark in her eyes. I knew her better than anyone. At the end of the day, she was still a kid starved for her father's love.

Simon turned to me with that smooth, sweet smile of his.

"What do you think, Lily?"

Knowing he never acted this nice without a motive, I asked the nanny to take Erika outside.

The moment they were out of earshot, I cut straight to the chase. "What do you actually want, Simon?"

He flinched, playing the wounded husband.

Classic. My gut was right.

He hesitated for a second before clearing his throat.

"Lily... remember that next-gen tech proposal you wrote before you stepped back for the family?

"Eunice is being really gracious about everything. She doesn't want to hold Erika's behavior against you. But I still feel like we owe her.

"You know how desperate she is to prove she's more than just a pretty face. She wants something of her own.

"So... I was thinking we would clean up your proposal and let her take the credit for it."

Blood rushed to my ears. "That project is my life's work! You're literally asking me to let her steal from me!"

It wasn't just a draft. It was an upgrade to my existing patents—something I'd poured my soul into for years behind closed doors.

Simon scowled, instantly flipping the script. "Why can't you show a little compassion? Do you have any idea how hard Eunice has it?

"You have everything, Lily. What does she have?

"I'm not going to argue with you. Just think about it. And stop using our daughter to play your petty games. She needs her father."

He glanced out the window toward Erika.

I squeezed my eyes shut, taking a shaky breath to swallow the rage.

I remembered the look on Erika's face when he promised her tomorrow. She was so happy.

I dug my nails into my palms. "Fine. Give it to her."

The second he walked out the door, I pulled out my voice recorder and let out a cold laugh.

Let her put her name on it.

The research logs, the raw data, the timestamps—I had every single proof tucked safely away.

I pulled up my phone and dialed my lawyer.

"Forget the settlement," I said, my voice ice-cold. "Draft a legal demand letter. We're taking them to court."