let's talk tomorrow." Before my father could

everal times afterward

, it was customary not to

er's ashes, waiting f

one remained unreachable, and he didn'

ed my daughter's a

I received a message f

, with no acco

crouched down, feeding i

d chosen to save that day, even if

hey have known eac

otos fo

or the girl in a hospital room. Anoth

his patience shining

o was a line of text. "Lydia i

Lydia S

name sound

study and yanked

s I pulled it out, a pho

was holding a guita

the words Lydia S

had met throug

his tall and handsome appearance and

year before he

ied, I found this photo w

, and he said it was

ut she was once

upposed to get married. If Lydia hadn't fallen ill and gone abroad, you would

y was his first love and h

d that little girl so decisively

own daughter for the

started to call Ch

call, and eventually, my ca

nto the police stati

His colleague told me that he had been

ome. He must have go

y phone or at his workplac

Charles walked into the police station with

s as I watched them. They l

in, her father had been tenderly cari

her life, her father might have b

rn apart. For years, I had been understanding and devoted myse

hed forward and slapped Ch

immediately pulled Lydia and the little girl behind

our daughter was in the emergency room

crape. Did she really need to go to the