Go inside and prepare for your date

You enter your house, walking into the kitchen to find Karina sitting at the table with her mother, Nadia. They are discussing colleges, with Karina talking about someplace in New Hampshire you have never heard of. Nadia is nodding along, her straight auburn hair flexing around her shoulders.

"Karina, Nadia," you begin, "I brought you both some gifts."

You hand the white roses to Karina, whose face blushes at the gift, and the red roses to Nadia, who simply thanks you and carries them to the sink. You grin as you see both girls holding the roses in front of you - Karina in a threadbare tank top and shorts, Nadia in a flowing blouse and pants, both the visage of beauty. The sight of them in front of you nearly brings a tear to your eye, before Nadia turns away.

"Come, Karina, I will show you how to preserve them," she says in her thick accent, and shows Karina how to cut the stems and place them in a water planter for longevity.

"There, now you can keep them just a little bit longer," Nadia said, a thin and foreign smile growing on her face. She turns back to you, her smile drifting away, and continues. "Thank you, Lev, for the gift. They are very beautiful."

"Just as both of you are, dear. I'm sorry I do not bring flowers more often for you," and you meant it. Nadia may have drifted away from you, but you had not done much to pull her back in. Perhaps the app is a way to change that. You still do not understand how much it truly impacts your life, but you know it is at least doing something.

Your phone buzzes in your pocket, the light of your screen shining through your slacks.

"Thank you, daddy," Karina says, wrapping you in a firm hug. "I love them. You're the first boy to bring me flowers before a date, you know." You hug her back, happy to be so close to your daughter, despite the confusion clouding your mind as the cushion of her breasts presses into you. Your mind drifts, reveling in the sensation, enjoying the scent of her lavender conditioner in your nose, until she pulls away.

"I am taking Karina on a date, to spend some time with her," you explain, seeing Nadia's arched eyebrow. "I see her so little now, and I want to change that. For both of you."

Nadia scoffs but says nothing more.

"Where are we going tonight?" Karina asks. Her blush is faded now, replaced by an excited grin.

"DeLaggio's, a few blocks over. I have us a reservation for eight, so you better get ready." It was already six - only two hours to prepare and make your way over there, and you know Karina will take a while in the shower - which you need to use too.

Karina runs upstairs with an excited giggle, leaving you and Nadia alone in the kitchen. The mature woman stands silently for some time, leaving you alone to admire her form in the evening light drifting through the kitchen window. Despite her unflattering clothes, you cannot help but be reminded of her beauty. Her delicate cheeks. Her supple lips. You sigh. The more you notice, the more you miss.

"You did not have to get me flowers too, you know," Nadia says, her eyes focusing on the red roses now sitting beside the sink in a clear vase, half full of water.

"Nadia, my dear, but you are my wife." You consider your words, knowing you need to tread carefully, lest she hates you even more. "You deserve flowers and anything else I can provide for you. I... I know I have been working a lot, for too long. I know it must have made you lonely. And I am sorry for that. But I still love you, just as I did in that studio apartment so many years ago in Saint Petersburg. I want to get back to that point, where we can be the way we were. I'll do whatever it takes. You need only tell me." Your heart beats in your chest. It had been a decade since you last said something so passionate to her, and even back then, she liked you more.

Your heart sinks as she stands and begins to walk past you, but she stops and places a smooth hand on your chest.

"Thank you for the flowers, Lev."

Then she is gone, and you are left alone in the kitchen. The warm light that earlier drew out the girl's beauty now seems oppressive, as if exposing your failures for the world to see. Sighing, you follow her upstairs to get ready for your date, but not before stopping to check the vibration of your phone.

Affection Multiplier Achievement: You're not very good at this, are you? You have somehow managed to both have someone close to you with a negative affection score and have the power of God in your pocket, but still manage to reduce their affection score by a further 10 points within a short time period. To prevent you from continuing to be so stupid, you are rewarded with the inability to reduce any scores below zero. Any existing scores below zero will remain there, but they will not go further into the negative. Seriously, do better. Oink.

Simplified UI automatically enabled. Notes for relationships will no longer be present by default. Last names will no longer be shown by default, except where needed. Inline statistics will be shown by default. Click the (+) icon on a relationship orb to see notes or other information.

Nadia - Affection: -35. Love: -28. Lust: 0 (-15)

Karina - Affection: 18 (+4). Love: 44 (+4). Lust: 6 (+1)

What the heck? Who's score decreased so suddenly? You look at the relationship updates and sigh as you realize who it was - Nadia, of course. Her score remained unchanged after your gift, meaning that she is likely the person who had their score drop. But why? Even flowers mean nothing to her. And her lust is reduced back to zero. Despite your efforts, your wife still hates you. You lean against the wall, eyes closed, thinking until you hear a stamping overhead. Another problem for another day. You have a daughter to focus on this evening.

Seeing Karina's scores continue to grow brings a small smile to your face - despite your internal confusion about her lust, you love your daughter and are glad to be growing closer to her. You only hope that it doesn't become too much - too weird. Either way, you want to give her a wonderful evening that brings you closer together, as she deserves. You have so many years to make up for, and so little time to do it.

You head upstairs and pass by Karina's room, and then the shower. The sound of running water drifts through the door. Karina must be getting ready for the evening. You continue into your room to find Nadia laying in bed, watching TV and playing on her phone. You try to talk to her, but you only receive a few grunts in response. Another problem for another day - the mantra resounds again in your mind. You undress, put away your dirty clothes, and lay in silence beside Nadia while you wait for Karina to finish in the shower.

The door to the shower opens, and you walk into the hallway just to see Karina's towel-wrapped form disappear into her bedroom, the wet cloth barely concealing her curves, the door closing behind her. You take her place in the shower, quickly getting clean after your day in the office. Thoughts of Karina drift across your mind as the hot water beats down on you - to that morning when she found you in the bathroom. To her form, bending over in front of the refrigerator. To tonight, her long legs glistening with water drops, not yet dried. You sigh. The thoughts disturb you, but you cannot stop them, and you're not sure you want to. Your cock twitches in agreement, starting to rise again in response to the mental pictures flickering through your brain. Time to stop. You turn the water off, dry off, and then get dressed. Fresh new clothes for dinner. Gray slacks, a light blue chambray shirt, and the nicest pair of leather loafers you own. You look at yourself in the mirror, impressed by the handsome man that stares back. You set your watch on your wrist and tighten it, checking the time. Seven-thirty. Just on time to pick up your date. A grin draws on your face at the silly thought.

Nonetheless, you walk down the hallway to your daughter's room and plant a faint knock on the door.