Prologue

Andrea stood in front of a hotel with a tiny little girl, her face filled with excitement. The little girl looked only 5 or 6 years old. Andrea felt a pang of regret as she glanced down at the eager little girl beside her. She realized she shouldn't have made that promise.

"Do I look pretty, Mama? Is my ribbon okay? It's not crooked, right?" Anlin asked, her small fingers adjusting the pink ribbon adorning her ponytail.

"Baby... The truth is... Your dad doesn't know anything about you. I never told him. He could have a heart attack upon suddenly learning he has a child. So... What if I just call him another day and break the news slowly?" Andrea suggested, her heart heavy with apprehension.

Anlin pouted, her eyes reflecting disappointment. "Mama, you lost the bet! You have to keep your promise!"

Andrea sighed. She could never have imagined Anlin winning their bet. She had promised to bring Anlin to her dad if she could read five articles from the newspaper and achieve perfect scores three times at kindergarten before the end of the semester.

"What if he doesn't want you? You would be sad then," Andrea slyly reminded her, taking Anlin's tiny hand in hers. "It's been years since I met him. I don't know what kind of person he is now. What if he is a bad person?"

"People say Papa is nice and kind. So, don't say bad things about Papa! Let's go!" Anlin insisted stubbornly, nervously tugging Andrea along.

Anlin's heart raced with anticipation as she clung to Andrea, hoping desperately that her papa would live up to the kind image painted by others. She had heard whispers of many young babysitters dreaming of becoming his bride, even the neighbor's class teacher at school, and young moms at Mama's workplace. They all liked her papa. Her mama seemed so unreliable; she feared losing her papa before even meeting him. She was determined not to let that happen. If only she could meet him, he would see what a good girl she was, and surely, he would love her. After all, her mama often said she resembled her papa so much, so he wouldn't dislike her... Right?