Chapter 267 – Voluntarily Wearing the Hat
Officer Eddie had been missing for six months. In that short span of time, too many things had changed. But Eddie wasn't concerned with most of it—he cared only about one thing: his daughter.
And yet, the changes in Karen during those six months were so drastic that he could hardly recognize her.
In Eddie's memory, Karen was still just a high school girl, a bit rebellious and drifting off course.
But now? He had spent two days quietly following her, watching as she transformed into a sophisticated urban woman—light makeup, stylish outfits, a shoulder bag slung casually over her arm as she walked in and out of office buildings, smiling and greeting professionals in suits like she belonged among them. She looked like a seasoned young career woman.
There was no trace left of the awkward, uncertain girl from half a year ago.
At first, Eddie even questioned whether he had the wrong person. But when he saw Karen leave his old house, saying goodbye to Frank and Sheila, he was certain—that was indeed his daughter.
The transformation was so profound that it left Eddie stunned and speechless.
It made him reflect bitterly. When he had still been at home, the chaos of their household had nearly pushed Karen down a dark path.
But once he left? In just six months, she had completely turned her life around.
When Eddie first returned to Chicago, he had worried about what kind of mess Karen might have become. He feared she'd grown worse than before. Never did he imagine that she'd become someone even better than he had hoped—better than he ever could have dreamed.
"Thank you, Frank," Eddie said sincerely.
Yes, Frank had stolen his place in the household, and yes, he had taken over what used to be Eddie's family. It was complicated. Eddie's feelings toward Frank were deeply conflicted.
But the truth was undeniable: Frank had saved Eddie from the shapeshifter, and when Eddie left again, he had entrusted his family to Frank.
Now, coming back after half a year, he found that Frank had lived up to that trust. Karen had blossomed. Even Sheila had overcome her decades-long battle with agoraphobia and could now leave the house freely.
Eddie was astonished. Sheila's condition had persisted for over a decade, and no treatment had ever made a dent. If anything, things had been getting worse.
And yet now, she was out and about like a normal person. There was no trace of fear or anxiety on her face.
Karen was about to start college and was already interning at a major company.
The changes were so drastic that Eddie felt as though he'd stepped into an entirely different world.
And the driving force behind all this, Eddie believed, wasn't just his absence—it was Frank.
He owed Frank a debt of gratitude from the bottom of his heart.
"You don't need to thank me," Frank said humbly. "I didn't do much. Karen has always been a remarkable girl."
"So… what have you been doing all this time?" Frank asked curiously.
Eddie shared some of his experiences—hunting demons, encounters with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and more. He had uncovered secrets from another world that left Frank wide-eyed in amazement.
"You rarely get the chance to come back. Stay a few more days. You haven't even spoken to Karen face-to-face yet," Frank suggested.
Eddie shook his head. "I can't. I recently picked up a new case that's taking me to Wisconsin. I'm just passing through Chicago. I've already delayed too long—I'll be leaving tonight."
The two men chatted for a while longer and exchanged contact information.
Just then, Karen emerged from her office building.
"Frankie Dad~!" she called out cheerfully, waving excitedly.
"You came to pick me up?" she asked as she ran over and clung to his arm affectionately.
"I heard someone was following you—I was worried. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to catch him," Frank replied.
A short distance away, Eddie stood silently, watching their interaction. He pulled the brim of his baseball cap lower, rolled up the newspaper under his arm, and quietly turned to leave.
Frank glanced in Eddie's direction, but the man had already vanished from sight.
"Let's head home," Frank said.
After escorting Karen home, Frank returned to his own place—only to find someone completely unexpected waiting at his door.
"Jimmy? What are you doing here?" Frank asked with a scowl.
"Hey, Frank," Jimmy greeted, visibly nervous.
"I already told you—you're not welcome here. Stay away from Fiona," Frank said coldly.
"Wait, just listen to me! Remember what I told you about my wife, Estefania? Before we got married, she was already sleeping with one of her father's men. Her dad hated it, so he made us get married and brought us to the States."
"They never really broke it off. So I've decided to help him sneak into the U.S. Once he's here, Estefania will stay with him, and she'll finally leave me alone," Jimmy explained hurriedly.
Apparently, since their last conversation, Jimmy had been working on this plan.
And now he was going to bring his wife's lover over from Brazil just to get her off his back. He was, in effect, voluntarily giving himself a cuckold's hat to wear. Ruthless.
"But that doesn't change the fact that you're still married," Frank said, unimpressed.
"Come on, Frank, you know this marriage is fake. We don't love each other. The only person I've ever loved is Fiona," Jimmy insisted.
"This whole thing is just so Estefania can get U.S. citizenship. It won't take long—just three years. After that, once she has her green card, we'll divorce."
In the U.S., gaining citizenship isn't easy. There are tons of forms, requirements, and even exams.
But there's one shortcut: marry a U.S. citizen. After three years, you can apply for naturalization.
Of course, during that period, immigration officers may conduct surprise inspections, interview neighbors, relatives, coworkers—anything to verify whether the marriage is real or fake.
That's why Jimmy had occasionally rushed home after getting phone calls—to put on the show for immigration visits.
Compared to other immigration pathways, marriage is the fastest and most convenient.
Which is exactly why a whole underground industry has sprung up around it. Some people marry foreigners just to help them immigrate, pocketing hefty fees in return.
Others exploit the system—marrying starry-eyed immigrants dreaming of the American dream, mooching off them for two years, and then bailing just before the third year. The victims have nowhere to complain, left to suffer in silence.
After all, in the land of freedom and equality, "no discrimination" mostly means for citizens—and the system always sides with its own.
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