[ His lips twist wryly, though his expression softens considerably. ]

How do you describe the most important person in your life? She's...everything a father could hope for. She kind, clever...she's always had a head for telling amazing stories. She'd always insist on having these tea parties with the stuffed animals I made for her...

[ That smile fades. Something rises in the back of his throat, hard as a rock, but he swallows to force it back down again. ]

And she'd never complained. She understood the way we had to live, back then. If we couldn't afford a toy she really wanted or a new dress, she'd always...give me this smile. Like she was trying to be brave and grown-up about it. She'd say she didn't really need it anyway.

[ He knows he can't live in what-ifs forever, but there's so much he wishes he could have done for her. So much he wishes he could give her now, but he's seen her with her new family. He knows she wants for nothing.

All I need is you, Papa.

Nothing.

She doesn't even know he's gone. ]