Time was fair.

"Elv, you are here,"

Harlow said. There was a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

"Dad, I’d like to talk with you. Why don’t we go downstairs?"

Elvira said quietly, holding back her tears. Her voice was so low it sounded as if she was afraid to spook him.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Harlow asked as he walked down the stairs with her.

He was sober now and looked much more energetic than when he was drunk. And his tone was softer.

Elvira was walking behind him. In her memory, her father was much taller than her, but now he was almost as tall as her.

She felt sad. Anyway, Harlow was a benign father now.

She had worried that when he knew that she had gotten married without telling him, he would be angry and throw her out of the house. She had always been afraid of the angry Harlow. Every time he was mad, she felt miserable and hated him for it. But he was her father, and there were times when he had loved her.

At times, Elvira was conflicted and painful. She didn’t know how to treat her father, the man she loved and hated.

It had been some time since the last time she saw him. He had changed a lot.

He was less aggressive, although no one knew who he used to be angry at and why.

Maybe when a person got older, he would gain more peace.

Looking at her older father,

Elvira thought of her mom. She wondered what she would say if she saw him like this.

Nigel nodded to Elvira when he saw her come downstairs.

"Dad, this is Nigel He, my husband,"

she introduced, slowly, make sure he could hear every word clearly.

"Your husband?

When did you get married?"

Harlow asked, observing the stranger.

"Dad, I’m married. This is Nigel He, my husband,"

she repeated patiently.

Harlow came to his senses. His eyes lit up. He looked Nigel in the eye. The two men stared at each other, trying to figure out what the other person was thinking.

The room was filled with awkward silence. Elvira quickly dragged them toward the sofa and sat down.

"You are married?

And you didn’t tell me?"

Harlow looked angry, and Elvira was worried that he might hit the roof all of a sudden. He was too bad-tempered.

"Well, it...was decided on a whim," she replied hesitantly, not knowing how to explain. She couldn't tell him the truth.

"I fell in love with Elvira at first sight. Then I rushed her to marry me,"

Nigel explained. "It was my fault. Please don’t blame her."

Hearing his words,

Elvira suddenly wasn’t so scared. For the first time, someone stood by her side and backed her up when she was helpless.

"Dad, this is why we have come. We want to tell you the news,"

said Elvira.

"Mom would be happy..." Her voice trailed off. She actually wanted to say that her mom would have been happy to see her father sober up.

However, she couldn’t see it now.

Accidents always came without a notice.

So one should cherish what he had and be nice to the people around them. It would be too late to make amends once they were lost.

Without a word, Harlow lowered his head thoughtfully.

Elvira didn’t speak either, because she didn’t know what to say.

As father and daughter, they felt so distant to each other.

They had little in common. Communication between them had been even more difficult in the past few years.

And there were earlier days that she couldn’t remember anymore.

Only hate had always been vivid in her head. One night, her father was drunk and insisted that she go outside to buy alcohol for him. It was such a cold night. She walked in the dead of night, biting wind blowing on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

In those dark times, she had no beautiful dresses. Her father didn’t hug her anymore. She lived in fear that his father would thunder any minute.

Elvira had never told her mom about this. Back then, Faye had been busy with work. When she came back home from work, she used to be so tired she fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.

Elvira was an understanding girl. She didn’t want to worry her mom and add to her burden, so no matter how much verbal abuse she had suffered from at home, she kept it to herself. She would rather cry in her bedroom then tell her mom about it.

Elvira used to have a close friend named Amber Du.

Elvira would tell her everything, including the things she had kept from her mom.

However, her dearest friend had betrayed her in the end.

"In a few days, Elvira and I will hold a party. It's also our wedding party. We hope you can come,"

Nigel said to Harlow.

Nigel didn’t care if Harlow and Colette would come. He felt he should let them know.

"Party?"

Harlow looked at Nigel in confusion.

"Yes, my grandfather demands it. I’ll send you the invitations,"

Nigel replied with a nod.

Elvira seemed unhappy in that home.

So Nigel decided to leave as soon as possible. He had known enough about this family. And he didn’t want Elvira to socialize much with them.

He held Elvira’s hand, ready to leave. Harlow suddenly asked, "Elv, are you happy?"

Elvira raised her head, wondering if she had misheard.

Her father was asking about her life. He was concerned for her.

Had something happened in the past and had changed him?

"I’m...happy."

She looked at her father in disbelief.

Harlow smiled silently.

He looked relieved. Elvira thought she must have seen it wrong.

"It's late. You should go home and rest."

With that, Harlow rose and walked them to the door.

Inside the car, Elvira gave a bitter smile.

Most of the time, he had been a jerk,

but once in a while, he would show his concern. She hated him, but his occasional tiny warmth was enough to melt the icy crust of her heart.

It was mental torture.