When Daniel reached the hospital, the sun was already rising.
He pushed open the door to Anna’s room. Anna was sleeping on the hospital bed.
He quietly approached her and sat down beside the bed, gazing at his daughter sound asleep. He was suddenly reminded of her mother.
"Anna, you look just like your mother.”
Daniel reached out to caress her beautiful cheeks.
Unexpectedly, Anna felt his touch and was instantly awoken.
"Who is it!"
Anna yelled. Her eyes shot open.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Daniel sitting beside her bed. She hastily shifted her gaze away and started feeling her surroundings with her hands.
"Who's here!”
"Anna. Anna, it's Dad..." Daniel’s heart ached as he grabbed Anna's hand.
"Dad?" Anna felt a dull pain in her chest.
She had been staying at the hospital for days, yet that was the first time her father had visited her. She suddenly felt as if the word 'Dad' had become so
unfamiliar to her.
"How are you feeling, Anna? Any better?"
Anna lowered her gaze, pressed her lips together, and shook her head.
"Is the sun up yet? Are the lights on? Why can’t I see anything still?" Anna whimpered as she curled herself up into a ball of agony.
Daniel gently wrapped his arms around her and sighed. "Don't be scared. You'll get better. I’m sure of i t."
In the room next door, Liam was awoken by the noise i n Anna's room. He quickly rolled off his bed and pressed himself against the wall to peep into Anna’s room through the hole.
When Liam saw that the visitor in Anna's room was Daniel, he could finally swallow the heart in his throat.
Anna leaned into Daniel's embrace, weeping helplessly into his arms. "Dad... Dad, I can’t see... I can't see...
"How do I deal with this? My eyes... they’re gone. Waa"
Liam scoffed internally. That woman's acting skills were on another level. If he had not known about Micheal's help in staging her vision loss, perhaps he would have believed in her blindness too.
Daniel held on tight to Anna. His eyes were gradually turning red.
Those few years, Anna had always been distant toward him. He could not remember the last time they hugged like this.
As he held Anna in his arms, he felt as if the long-lost familial love in his heart was slowly being rekindled.
"Don’t worry, Anna. I will make sure your eyes recover."
Anna raised her head and gazed at Daniel with tear-filled eyes. "Really? You won’t disregard me? You'll help me recover my vision?"
When Daniel gazed at her teary eyes, he was reminded of the child she was-every time she cried, she would always latch onto him, screaming to be picked up.
Daniel sighed again. "Anna, are you criticizing me? Your mother left us early. All these years, I've been busy with the company. I’ll admit that I’ve neglected you, but please don’t blame me for it. At the end of the day, you're still my daughter. I love you very much."
Anna’s moist lashes fluttered. Choked up with tears, she replied, "What are you saying, Dad? How could I blame you? Everything you do is for the sake of this family, for the sake of the company, and my sake as well.
"You’ve really worked hard for us these few years.”
"Alright, good!” Daniel nodded. He felt a little comfort hearing that Anna did not blame him.
In truth, Anna could never understand how his father could marry again only two years after her mother's death. She felt as if Nicole had taken her mother's spot in the family. At the same time, Daniel could not endure the distant attitude his daughter was showing her, so the father and daughter drifted further and further apart.
As they said, having a stepmother was like having a stepfather too.
Thanks to Nicole constantly fueling the fire between them, the familial bond between Daniel and Anna naturally grew weaker and weaker.
Anna stayed in Daniel's embrace. She muttered softly, "Dad, I've thought long and hard about it. I’ve lost my vision and I have no idea when can I recover. And the company is doing well under your management. So, perhaps we should put aside the idea of me taking over the company for now."
Daniel was staggered. "Anna, what are you saying?”
"Dad, I'm in no condition to take over the company right now. As for Grandpa, I'll call him and tell him about it myself.”
An anxious expression appeared on Daniel’s face." Anna, how are you planning to tell your grandpa?
Your eyes... Grandpa will definitely be worried if you tell him about it. He’s quite old now, so...”
Anna could clearly see the distress on his face. Perhaps Daniel did not hide the fear in his eyes because he thought she could not see.
Previously, Anna had always thought that her father respected her grandfather very much, but at that moment, he seemed as though he was afraid of her grandfather.
Anna was perplexed. Her grandfather had been overseas for so many years and never returned home. She wondered what could make her father fear him so much.
"Dad, I know that. Of course, I won’t let Grandpa worry. He is, indeed, old, and he’s not in the best of health." Anna subtly lowered her eyelids to hide the confusion in her eyes behind her long and curly lashes.
"Then..." Daniel dragged out the word for a long time, staring at Anna. Finally, he asked, "How will you tell your grandpa about your eyes?"
Anna grabbed tightly onto her blanket and pondered upon it. "Because of my eyedrops..."
Before Anna could finish, Daniel interrupted, "Anna, are you sure this is caused by your eyedrops? And not because you were careless and dripped something else into your eyes?"
Anna felt her chest tighten. 'Dad, what do you mean by that?'
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