Heather remained motionless.


    “Heather, baby?” Her father gently caressed her cheek, nting a kiss on her head before lifting her. Despite herck of resistance, Heather remained silent. Observing her joy upon her father’s arrival, I detected it in the way she looked at him while they descended the stairs. Tears welled up in her eyes, and I felt a deep sympathy for our child, who was deeply affected by our situation.


    Letting out a sigh, I tried to shake off the bitterness that surrounded me.


    Ivan and I exchanged nces. A faint smile adorned his lips. I simply looked at him, concealing the bitterness within. I refused to reveal any vulnerability.


    “Are you still upset with Daddy?” he gently inquired, his fingers tracing the contours of our daughter’s cheek. Heather pouted, her nose and cheeks still red from crying.


    Ivan exined, ” I didn’t visit that woman because Daddy was working overtime. I won’t meet her again, as I don’t want to break my promise or hurt Heather’s heart. Daddy also doesn’t want to hurt Mommy again; he loves you and your mommy. ”


    Heather’s delicate lips trembled, holding back words. In silence, tears gathered beneath her eyes, slowly amassing until they gracefully cascaded down.


    ” Daddy loves you and Mommy dearly. I desperately want you back in my life. Please don’t be mad at Daddy. I promise not to make Mommy or Heather cry again.”


    Heather responded, “I saw it on the news. Your girlfriend was in the hospital.”


    Ivan let out a groan. It was clear our daughter was displeased with the words spoken and was mulling it over. Well, it’s his fault, and should be the one to rify things to our child.


    “She’s not my girlfriend, baby. Well, she used to…” He looked at me as if seeking help in exining and making our child understand. I snorted.


    “Your mommy is the one I love. She’s the one I married.”


    Oh,e on!C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    He brushed away our daughter’s tears.


    Our baby daughter stayed upset even after he exined what happened because she had been eagerly waiting for her father to return until that night. Having seen the news, I assumed that his presence there was the reason he hadn’t returned that night.


    But I’m d that he came all the way here to exin. To prove that he kept his promise-that this time he is true to his words.


    Ivan whispered in our child’s ear. Heather was also quietly listening.


    “I love you, baby.”


    She pouted her lips. I believe she’s okay now. Seeing Heather happy brings joy to me as well. Who wouldn’t want their child to be happy? Even if that joy might be my downfall because Ivan’s presence serves as a reminder of the pains I am determined never to endure again.


    Yes, I am not ready to ept him yet. I’ve moved on, I’ve forgotten, but the pain I endured with him nted fear in my heart.


    What if… he hurts me again? What if…


    “Mommy, Daddy is here!”


    I snapped back to reality when Heather took hold of my hands, gently shaking them to get my attention.


    Yes, sweetheart. I saw. Your daddy is indeed here.


    I smiled and embraced her. She briefly looked at me and returned the smile.


    “Are you okay?” Ivan inquired by my side. I nodded slightly.


    “Don’t you believe what I said?”


    I maintained my silence. I trust him, but lingering doubts persist. Perhaps I haven’t fully healed yet, which is why I can’t wholeheartedly embrace him.


    After all, we only recently reconnected. It’s been just a few days since he confessed his love for me. He dered I am the one he loves, choosing me without actively seeking me. His love existed even before the ident, though he didn’t overtly express it, valuing his first love more at the time.


    It’s only been a few days. Ugh! I want to avoid over-analyzing. My thoughts are bing entangled once more.


    ***


    Ivan was checked in on one of the vis on the ind. He noted that his belongings, as well as the items he had bought for both me and Heather, were there. He expressed his dissatisfaction because we had left even the jewelry he had given me at the rented apartment.


    He gazed at me, anticipating my words, yet my lips stayed closed. He feigned a smile and then reached out to touch my hand.


    “I know it’s hard, but you are willing to give it a try, right?” There’s hesitation and concern in his eyes.


    I still can’t speak. I know my silence frustrates him, but I can’t force myself to say yes. He nodded and sighed.


    ***


    It was already 10 in the evening, and we were still in the living room. Heather was wide awake, seated on her father’sp, engrossed in ying with her favorite doll.


    “It’s ten now. Heather needs to rest,” I said. However, the challenge is how to detach her from her father at this moment.


    “Would you sleep in our room, Daddy?” Ivan stifled augh while shooting me a nce.


    “Daddy will stay in the vi, baby,” I interjected. Her father can’t sleep in our room. Heather frowns. “Why?”


    “Because he checked in there,” I exined.


    “But why, mommy? Why did Daddy check in there? The bed upstairs is big enough.”


    Here’s what I anticipated as I looked meaningfully at Ivan. I want him to exin and convince his daughter that he needs to go back to the vi.


    “Umm…” Ivan scratched his head. It’s clear he doesn’t like what I wanted. He wanted to sleep next to us.


    “Daddy’s things are in the vi?” he whispered to his daughter.


    “Let’s get them. Let’s ask Uncle Dagul to get them,” Heather suggested, referring to the resort staff.


    “Mommy…”


    “Uncle Dagul was busy,” I reasoned.


    Heather took a moment to ponder. She even shifted her position to face me.


    “Mommy, let’s sleep in Daddy’s vi instead.”


    This is exactly what I’ve been talking about. Exining things to her that might lead to an argument would be difficult, which is why I remained silent.


    “Okay, if you want to go there…”


    Ivan smiled.


    “You and Daddy can sleep there.” I returned the smile.


    “How about you?” Ivan’s smile faded, and disappointment was clearly visible on his face.


    “Why just us?” Heather inquired. They both asked simultaneously.


    “I’ll stay here… I still have a lot of work to do.”


    Ivan frowned, and Heather mirrored his expression. Wow! He already has an ally.


    “It’ste; make a decision,” Rachelle interjected as she took another sip of coffee.


    “Let’s sleep there, Mommy.”


    “Just bring your work there, Mommy.”


    What else could I do?


    “Fine. Let’s go, so you can sleep right away.”


    I carried two-weekend bags while Ivan carried his child. We headed to his vi.


    “Did you like the ce we’re staying, Daddy?”


    “Uh-huh…”


    “The ind is beautiful, isn’t it, Daddy?”


    “Yes, baby. It’s really beautiful, and it became even more beautiful because of your mommy.”


    I expressed my exasperation with a roll of my eyes.


    Due to theteness of the hour, Heather promptly fell asleep upon our arrival at the vi.


    Seated at the table, I typed while Ivan held his phone. ncing at him, he adjusted his sitting position and momentarily set aside his phone when he noticed my gaze. He approached me, surprising me by cing his phone beside myptop.


    “Why?” I wondered, looking at him.


    “You are free to check my phone.”


    “Why bother? I’m not interested, and I don’t want to do it either.”


    “I want to rebuild your trust.”


    I’m sure he has already deleted messages and other things on his phone, so I don’t need to delve into it further. I return my gaze to theptop.


    “Go to sleep,” I say calmly. “Lie down next to your daughter.”


    “Okay. Don’t stay up toote. I’ll leave a space for you on the other side of the bed. Goodnight, love…”


    I gently nibbled on my lower lip, momentarily captivated by his words. Warmth gathered in the corners of my eyes. Maintaining my seated position, I remained still for a few moments. Only when I was certain he had drifted into sleep did I shift my gaze toward the bed.


    He cradled his child, and Heather’s feet dangled over his legs. A smile yed on my lips. I yearned for things to always be like this, shielding my child from any suffering he might cause.


    I found it challenging to focus on my task, and sleep continued to evade me. My attention wandered to his phone, which was lying nearby. I instinctively pressed it, my eyes widening in disbelief as my picture from my college days appeared on the screen.


    Why did he choose this image as his lock screen? And there’s a password! He provided it, but it turned out to be locked. I pressed it, contemting numericalbinations for his password.


    I attempted his birthday, but it didn’t unlock. His anniversary with Maureen was the next attempt, yet it wasn’t the password either. I then tried the woman’s birthday. Heather’s birthday? Still no luck. Hesitant to enter my own birthday, thinking it might not be his password, I was proven right.


    Ugh! Whatever. He made it challenging. He’s just causing me a headache.


    On my final attempt, I entered our wedding anniversary. To my surprise, I gasped. That was his password! My hands trembled as I gripped his phone. The wallpaper disyed a picture of Heather.


    I navigated to his gallery, filled with images and videos of Heather, captured back when we were in Man. There were also pictures of me, seemingly taken from my old social media ount from college, which I can no longer ess.


    I visited his social media ount, and I was met with a barrage of messages from women attempting to connect with him. The conversation with Maureen hasn’t been erased, but I opted not to open it to shield myself from potential pain.


    Nevertheless, my curiosity got the better of me, and I delved into the text messages. Among them were numerous texts from women, some identifying themselves as the daughters of businessmen and politicians.


    Surprisingly! I couldn’t fault them, especially considering the liberated nature of some affluent individuals around him. Ivan remains unresponsive to their messages, even those dating back three to four years, which he hasn’t deleted.


    I also checked Maureen’s text messages. There was no response from him to the woman. As I scrolled to the end, I found that he had replied to her only once, and that was four years ago. He mentioned being busy during that time. It’s possible he acquired this phone four years ago.


    I set his phone aside. Should I also check his emails? My eyes were already sore. I didn’t want to painstakingly read through Maureen’s melodramatic messages, reminiscent of a soap opera.


    A bitter smile yed on my lips as I observed him peacefully sleeping. Iy down on the side and drifted off to sleep.


    ***


    I had a peaceful night’s sleep, and when I woke up, it was already nine o’clock. If not for the disturbance caused by two people fooling around beside me, I might not have been stirred from my slumber.


    “Mommy, it’s already nine!”


    “Good morning…”


    “Morning,” Ivan greeted with a smile. It appeared as though they had just awakened as well.


    “I’ve already ordered our breakfast.”


    I stretched and rose from the bed.


    “Mommy, I told Daddy that we should take a stroll on the ind!”


    Heather surprised me. On the ind? To Mira’s ce?


    “No, that’s not possible, dear!”


    They were both taken aback by my shout. I, too, was surprised by my own voice.


    “We’ll go thereter,” I corrected in a softer voice.


    “Why? Daddy also wants to go there,” Heather stated.


    Ivan raised an eyebrow, seemingly doubting me.


    “Do you have a suitor on that ind?”


    “What?” And I’m the one being doubted. “Of course not!”


    “Why don’t you want us to go there?”


    “There’s no reason! Let’s just go there some other time.”


    I took my phone from the side and searched for Mira’s number. Ivan looked at me suspiciously, and I gave him a defiant look in return.