Starting Over with My Daughter

My name is Caleb Scott, and I have lived with my wife Melody Young and daughter Nola Scott for ten years.

In those ten years, Melody has ruled the household. Nola and I have long been accustomed to her domineering ways, but what happened that evening still felt like a thorn piercing my heart.

I had just placed the two new pairs of socks at the very bottom of the wardrobethey were for Nola Scott, since her old socks had holes worn through the toeswhen Melody Young suddenly pushed open the bedroom door with a bang.

"Who told you to buy things without reporting it first?" Her voice was like an ice pick in the dead of winter, piercing straight through me until my scalp tingled; the socks clenched in my hand nearly slipped to the floor.

I paused, then carefully folded the socks and put them in the drawer, turning back to say as gently as I could, "It's just a few bucks, and they're for Nola. Her old socks were ruined, and I thought there was no need to bother you, so I went ahead and bought them myself."

"No need?" Melody Young sneered, her laugh full of derision. She turned to look at Nola Scott, who was hiding behind the doorframe with only half her head visible. Her voice suddenly rose sharply, "Your daughter knows too, right? You two are teaming up to hide things from me?"

Nola shrank back in fright and quickly ran behind me, her small hand clutching tightly at the edge of my shirt. Her voice trembled with tears, "Mom, I didn't mean to... When Dad bought the socks, I was just watching nearby. I wasn't trying to hide it from you."

"Shut up!" Melody Young snapped sharply, pointing toward the basement, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Both of you, go to the basement now and reflect for three days."

You're not allowed to come out or eat without my permission.

I frowned, trying to protest, "Melody, this is too much. Nola is still so young, and the basement is so cold..."

"What? Are you still going to plead for her?" Melody Young glared at me, the chill in her eyes forcing me to swallow the rest of my words. "Either you go right now, or neither of you will eat this month."

There was no other choice; I could only take Nola Scott's hand and walk toward the basement.

The basement was cold and damp, with a musty smell lingering in the air. Only a small window in the corner let in a faint light, barely enough to chase away the chill.

Nola Scott leaned closer to me, her little hands icy cold. She clung to my arm and whispered through tears, "Dad, I'm so scared. It's so cold here, and I'm still hungry."

I touched her flushed cheeks, chilled from the cold. My heart twisted with a dull ache. I could only pull her into my arms and warm her with my own body heat. "Don't be afraid. Dad is here with you. Once these three days are over, we'll go out and eat something delicious."

During those three days, Melody Young never came downstairs to see us. Only on the second day at noon did she have the nanny slip half a bottle of cold water through the door crackwithout even a piece of bread.

Nola Scott's lips had turned pale from hunger, and she barely had the strength to speak. I could only divide that half bottle of water so she could drink more while I endured the hunger myself.

On the morning of the third day, the basement door was finally opened. Melody Young stood at the doorway, holding her phone, speaking in a gentle tone I had never heard from her beforecompletely unlike how she usually spoke to us: 'Dylan, I've transferred your son's overseas study funds. Please check. If it's not enough, let me know. Don't let the child suffer any injustice.'

I stood there stunned. Dylan is Melody Young's first love, Dylan Shaw. They had been in contact all along, but I never expected that Melody would have sent so much money to the other man's sonenough for our whole family to live on for more than half a year.

After hanging up, Melody saw Nola and me, and the warmth in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by the coldness she always showed before. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and cook. I'm hungry."

I looked at her face, which changed in an instant, and suddenly felt utterly estranged, as if the ten years of marriage between us had all been a lie.

During dinner, Melody Young's phone rang again. She answered it, and her voice immediately grew tense: "What? He crashed the luxury car? Is it serious? How much damage? Five hundred thousand? It's okay, don't worry. I'll handle it. I'm heading over right now."

After hanging up, she grabbed her bag from the sofa and was about to leave.

I couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going? Nola hasn't finished eating yet."

"Dylan Shaw's son got into trouble. I'm going to check on him." She said without looking back, her steps steady, and soon the sound of the door closing faded away.

I looked at the almost untouched food on the table, then glanced at Nola, who kept her head down with dull eyes. Suddenly, a thought came to me I have to take Nola away from here, away from Melody Young, and never come back.

During those three days locked in the basement, we had only a few sips of cold water and ate nothing.

Nola's face turned pale, and she walked unsteadily; even a slight quickening of pace made her sway. I had to keep supporting her constantly.

On the fourth day at noon, I was holding Nola by the window, letting her bask in the sun to warm up, when suddenly I heard a car engine start outside.

I quickly moved to the small window to look out and saw Melody Young and Dylan Shaw's family all getting into a black sedan. Dylan's son, Henry Shaw, sat in the front passenger seat, holding a game console and smiling happily, as if they were headed somewhere to celebrate.

Nola Scott came over, following my gaze outside, and quietly asked, "Dad, where are they going? Are they going to eat something good?"

I gritted my teeth, feeling both angry and hurt, and gently touched her head. "I don't know."

Nola, Daddy will take you out to find some food, okay?

We can't go hungry anymore.

The basement door had an old padlock. When I was tidying up earlier, I knew there was a rusty iron rod in the corner.

I found the iron rod and, with great effort, managed to pry the lock open.

When I opened the door, I deliberately listened outside to make sure no one was there, then quietly slipped out holding Nola's hand.

We followed Melody Young's car and, after more than half an hour, arrived at a fancy hotel.

Luxury cars were parked outside the hotel, and the doormen wore neat uniforms, making the place look very impressive.

I hesitated for a moment, holding Nola's hand, then went inside I just couldn't bear to see Nola go hungry any longer.

As I entered the restaurant, I immediately saw Melody Young and the others. They were seated by the window, the table piled with dishes: steak, cake, and all kinds of pastries whose names I didn't even know, but that all looked delicious.

I took Nola's hand and walked over, my voice pleading, "Melody, can you give Nola something to eat? She's been hungry for days and is about to faint."

Melody frowned when she saw us, her eyes full of disdain. "Who told you to come here? Leave quickly. Don't embarrass yourselves. This is no place for you."

Dylan's son, Henry, suddenly stood up, grabbed a piece of untouched cake from the table, and threw it at Nola, cursing, "Poor trash, don't come here to cause trouble! If you dirty this place, can you afford to pay for it?"

The cake landed squarely on Nola Scott's face; cream dripped down her cheek, and some even got into her eyes.

Nola suddenly burst into tears, rubbing her eyes with her small hands, her voice filled with pain: "Dad, it hurts... my eyes really hurt..."

I quickly took out a tissue and carefully wiped the cream from Nola's face, afraid of hurting her.

Seeing my daughter so distressed, I felt both angry and anxious. I turned to Melody Young and shouted, "Melody, look at what you've done! This is your daughter. Are you just going to stand by while someone bullies her?"

Melody Young impatiently waved her hand and shouted to the nearby security guard, "Security, there's trouble hereget them out!"

Two security guards quickly came over, each grabbing one of my arms and dragging me out.

I tried to struggle, but they were too strongI couldn't move at all.

Nola clung tightly to my clothes, her crying growing louder: "Dad, don't take my dad away! I want Dad!"

Just as we stepped out of the hotel entrance, Nola suddenly went limp, resting her head on my shoulder and fainting.

My heart raced as I urgently called, "Nola? Nola? Wake up!" But Nola didn't respond at all; her little face was as pale as paper.

Holding the unconscious Nola in my arms, I felt both anxious and angry, a fire burning in my chest.

I gently placed Nola on a nearby chair and checked for her breath at her nosethankfully, she was still breathing.

I stood up and turned, rushing into the hotelI couldn't just let this go. Melody Young couldn't treat us this way.

Melody and the others were still leisurely eating, and Henry Shaw was even laughing about the cake-throwing earlier, as if nothing had happened.

I walked over to the dining table and could no longer hold back; I flipped the table over in one swift motion.

Plates and bowls crashed to the floor with a sharp clatter, food spilling everywhere.

Melody Young was startled, then stood up and pointed at me, yelling, "Caleb Scott, are you crazy? Do you know how much this meal cost? Can you afford to pay for it?"

"Am I crazy?" I looked at her, my eyes bloodshot, my voice trembling with anger. "You stood by and watched Henry Shaw bully Nola and even drove us out. Nola fainted. Are you heartless? She's your daughter too!"

Dylan Shaw only stood up at this point, feigning concern as he tried to smooth things over: "Caleb Scott, let's talk this through calmly. Don't get worked up. It's all a misunderstanding, just kids messing around."

"None of your business!" I glared at him, the anger in my eyes making him take a step back. Then I turned to Melody Young and said, word by word, "Melody, we're done."

Melody was momentarily stunned, then sneered, "Done? You think you can leave me? I'm the one earning the money in this family. Without me, you won't even have a meal to eat. How do you expect to raise Nola?"

She picked up the small piece of cake left on the side, then walked over to Nola Scott. Her tone suddenly softened a little, with a hint of coaxing: "Nola, I'm sorry. Mommy shouldn't have let you feel wronged. Would you like a piece of cake? It's really delicious."

At that moment, Nola woke up. Seeing the cake in Melody Young's hand, she shrank back and hid behind me, whispering, "I don't want it. Go away. I don't like you."

The smile on Melody Young's face froze instantly, and her expression turned harsh.

I walked over, picked up Nola, looked at Melody, and said firmly, "Melody, I want a divorce."

No matter how difficult things get in the future, I will take good care of Nola. You don't need to worry about her.

"Divorce?" Melody's face turned pale. She pointed at me and said, "Caleb Scott, don't regret this! If you divorce me, I won't give you a single cent. You and Nola can go starve!"

"I won't regret it." I held Nola and left the hotel without looking back.

As I stepped out of the hotel doors, I felt as if the heavy stone that had been pressing on my heart for so long had finally fallen away no matter how hard the future, I would never let Nola suffer again.

By the time we got home, Melody Young had already returned ahead of us.

She threw my clothes and shoes, Nola Scott's, and some daily necessities into the nanny's room. The items were scattered across the floor, some dirtied from being stepped on.

"From today on, you'll live here." Leaning against the doorframe, she said coldly, "All the money in this house belongs to me. Don't expect to spend a single cent more; take care of your own meals, and don't bother me."

The nanny's room was small and dark. The window had only a single small pane, facing the corner and barely letting in any light. The room smelled damp.

I tidied up the scattered things and set up a simple little bed for Nola Scott, but even then, the room still felt very cold.

Nola had only been staying in the nanny's room for a few days when she caught a cold and developed a high fever.

That night, her fever was especially intense; her small face was flushed bright red, and she kept muttering nonsense, calling out "Dad" at one moment, then "Hungry" the next.

I touched her burning forehead, deeply worried, and hurried to the living room to find Melody Young. "Melody, Nola has a fever, it's very high. We need to take her to the hospitalif we wait any longer, something bad could happen!"

Melody Young sat on the sofa watching TV, holding some snacks in her hand. Without lifting her head, she said, "It's just a fever, nothing serious. Drinking more water will fix it. Why go to the hospital? What a waste of money."

"But her fever is nearly forty degrees. If we wait any longer, it could damage her brain!" I couldn't help raising my voice, the anxiety and anger swelling inside me. How could someone be such a cold-hearted mother?

"Brain damage is nothing to do with me." Melody Young stayed indifferent, even switching the channel without so much as a glance my way.

Looking at her coldness, my heart sank completelyI could no longer rely on her.

I turned and ran back to the nanny's room, picked up Nola Scott, and rushed out of the house.

It was already dark outside. I hailed a taxi and headed straight to the nearest hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor examined Nola Scott and said she had acute pneumonia caused by malnutrition and exposure to the cold, and needed to be admitted immediately for treatment.

But I hardly had any money on mejust a few hundred I'd secretly saved, not even enough for the hospital deposit.

I stood in the hospital corridor, holding Nola Scott, pacing anxiously, tears nearly streaming down my face.

Just then, a familiar voice spoke: "Caleb Scott? What are you doing here? What's wrong with Nola?"

I turned around and saw Nola Scott's teacher, Molly Collins.

Molly Collins was wearing a simple coat and carrying a briefcase, looking like she had just finished work.

"Teacher Collins, what brings you here?" I quickly wiped the corner of my eye, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I heard from some other parents that you brought Nola to the hospital, so I came over right away to check on you." Molly approached Nola's side, touched her forehead, and furrowed her brow. "Why is her fever so high? What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said I need to be hospitalized, but... I didn't bring enough money." I lowered my head, my voice a little hoarse.

Molly immediately took her wallet out of her bag and handed me a stack of bills: "Caleb Scott, take this money for now. I'll cover the medical expenses first. Don't worrygetting the child treated is the priority."

I looked at the money Molly handed me, then at her gentle eyes, feeling both grateful and ashamed. "Teacher Collins, thank you. I will definitely pay you back. I'll write you an IOU."

"No need to be polite. Why write an IOU?" Molly Collins smiled and pressed the money into my hand. "It's not easy taking care of the child alone. If you have any difficulties, tell me. Don't carry it all by yourself."

I'll go with you first to register Nola at the hospital.

Watching Molly Collins as she busied herself, I suddenly felt a glimmer of hopethere are still people in this world willing to help us.

I silently resolved that once Nola recovers, I will take her away from here for good, start a new life, and never return to this place that breaks our hearts.