"Dad, is the work stress getting to you lately? Why don't you take a vacation? I can accompany you."
"I still need to follow up on the case. Once it's solved, I'll take some time off. I haven't had a chance to spend time with you due to the ongoing investigations. I hope you're not mad at me."
If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn't have known that my father had such a gentle and caring tone.
"Why would I be mad? You're the best dad in the world. How could I ever be angry with you?"
I floated numbly by their side, watching their deep father-daughter bond.
All that remained in my heart was a bitter smile.
In a trance, it felt as if I had returned to the first time I met Yoko.
She was the girl my father encountered while investigating a case involving human trafficking. She was seven years old at that time and had been sold by criminals to a poor countryside in the mountains.
Without any identity or knowledge of her biological parents, my father took pity on her and brought her home, naming her Yoko Ford.
"Ann, from now on you have a little sister. I won't allow you to bully her, do you hear me?"
At that time, my father already disliked me, so he found another child he could love and care for.
Yoko was very intelligent, and she understood our relationship.
On her first day at our home, during dinner, she piled a lot of meat onto my plate.
"Ann, you should eat more meat. I'm satisfied with these vegetables."
But there was clearly a lot of meat left on the plate.
It was an unintentional remark that struck a chord.
My father felt heartbroken and praised Yoko for being so considerate.
"She must have gone through a lot to be so mature."
Shortly after, my father picked up a chicken leg from the plate and put it in Yoko's plate.
"Since Yoko just joined our family, you should be more accommodating to her. She is so well-behaved. If I ever catch you bullying her, I won't forgive you!"
Afterwards, my father poured more and more of his love into Yoko.
Meanwhile, on the day I reached adulthood, I left home because of the words he had said.
He constantly reminded me that he had a legal obligation to support me, but once I turned eighteen, it was time for me to fend for myself. He no longer had any responsibility to provide for me.
He always saw me as an annoyance, a thorn in his side.