18 Floors Above the Apocalypse

Daniel was back, his face as unreadable as a stone. The more emotionless he looked, the more anxious Lillian felt, but she forced a smile and stood up to greet him. "Welcome home, Dan." He glanced around the house with a nonchalant "Hmm."

Lillian stepped closer, reaching for his briefcase. "You barely come home. What would you like for dinner? I'll make something special."

Ignoring her question, Daniel shifted his gaze to Julia, whose face was bruised and swollen. "Julia, can you give us a moment? I need to talk to your mom."

Julia, nursing her wounds and mulling over a response, found herself tongue-tied under Daniel's stern gaze. His silent authority left her feeling utterly powerless, fear creeping into her very bones. She retreated to her room, closing the door with a sense of dread.

Daniel sat down and motioned for Lillian to do the same. "Sit."

Lillian took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure. "What's wrong with you? Why the long face after work?"

He remained silent, just staring at her.

It felt as if he was looking through her, seeing someone else a woman who was once lively and passionate, who defied societal norms and promised to marry him no matter what. Thirty years had drastically changed that image.

Lillian hated his scrutinizing gaze; it made her feel like the worst kind of villain.

But what could she do? She had always been the one to make amends during their heated arguments in the past. Back then, a teary-eyed tug on his sleeve would do the trick. Now, he was as unyielding as a rock.

"Why did you do that to her?" Daniel finally asked.

Even though she expected the confrontation, Lillian flinched. "Who?"

She quickly realized what he meant. "Are you talking about what happened at the mall today? That was a misunderstanding. The person has held a grudge against Julia for a long time..."

Daniel cut her off. "Stella is your daughter too. Why treat her like this?"

Lillian's face turned pale. "What are you talking about, Dan? Julia is my only daughter. The child I had with the Riley family was killed during a home invasion years ago. I've explained this to you. You might be too busy to remember."

Daniel opened his briefcase and tossed two documents in front of her.

Picking them up with shaky hands, Lillian's blood ran cold as she read the contents. They were paternity test reports. The other report was recent, taken the night Stella arrived, using a strand of her hair.

The tests showed a 99.999% probability that Stella was Daniel's daughter, while Julia had no blood relation to him at all.

Her hands trembled as she realized the truth. The Kindle Society could make submarines; of course, they could conduct a DNA test. It just wasn't public knowledge.

"Why have you never confronted me about this all these years?" she asked, locking eyes with him.

Why hadn't he? Daniel had thought about it but ultimately chose to accept it. He had been away on a secret mission for over a year, barely surviving. When he returned to Griffith, eager to talk about marriage with Lillian, he found out she was marrying another man. A lot had happened in Lillian's family during his absence, and his career hadn't allowed him to be there for her. He felt guilty and wanted to make amends.

But she had cried, saying he wasn't there when her family went bankrupt, when she was pregnant, when she miscarried, and now, as she was marrying another man, she hoped he wouldn't be there either.

That was when Daniel learned about the child they had lost.

The news hit him hard. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but after seeing hospital documents and witnessing Lillian's fiancé at a prenatal appointment, he realized that her choice was right. He couldn't offer her the happiness she deserved. So he stepped aside and wished her well.

However, he could never have imagined that, decades later, Lillian would call to say the child was alive-that she had secretly given birth and that the Riley family had raised the child after she confessed to them.

Daniel had never married, not for lack of suitable partners, but because his career didn't leave much room for family life. He didn't want to hold anyone else back from happiness.

Yet, whenever he saw lively, mischievous children, he'd think of the one he never got to meet. If only he hadn't taken that mission, maybe their child would have been born safely, and he would have had the chance to be a father.

He felt he owed Lillian for the waiting she endured.

But now he had a chance to offer some care and make amends, although he couldn't tell if it was truly for her or to ease his own conscience. He would dream of their unborn child, crying out for him-a spiritual shackle that no treatment could ease.

When Lillian reached out claiming their child was alive, his reason told him not to believe her, but considering the dreams that had haunted him for over twenty years, what if it was true?

He had hoped, but she lied. There was no blood tie. Time had changed everything, including Lillian.

He hadn't exposed her lie, considering it a way to repay past debts, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret about the child.

Never did he expect to meet Stella, who bore a striking resemblance to a young Lillian and also hailed from Griffith.

People do look alike, but rarely so much that it raises suspicion.

Daniel organized a rigorous sparring assessment and, right off the bat, he managed to snag a strand of Stella's hair.

"Why bring a child into the world if you never wanted one?" Daniel's over three decades of military discipline had molded him into a man of stoic composure. He asked calmly, his voice betraying a hint of icy accusation, "Why give birth only to leave the baby at an orphanage, rather than let me raise them?"