Chapter 4

Neria.

Lila's little fingers tightened around my sleeves, clutching my hand like it might slip away if she didn’t hold on hard enough.

“Mommy …” Tears rimmed the edges of her eyes as she called, “Is Daddy leaving, again?”

Again..that was the highlight, and my eyes burnt at how carefully she said it.

I forced a smile, one that didn’t reach my eyes as I reassured, “No, baby. He’s just...”

“But…” She cut in, glancing past me, her eyes darting between the man standing a few steps away, and Chloe.

“Then why does she call him Daddy, too?” Lila asked, her voice shaking with fear, and something that painfully resembled accusation, abandonment.

For a suffocating second, everything went still, and all I could hear was the hurt in my daughter’s voice as she asked that question.

My gaze snapped to the side, landing on Camille, who stood a few metres from where Lila and I stood.

She was practically inched on Dominic, their shoulders nearly touching, and to her side, she tightly held Chloe's hand.

I hadn't noticed it before, and now that I did, bitterness lodged in my gut.. They looked like a family of three. They painted a perfect picture, so harmonious it stung to watch.

Lila and I looked like the outsiders...If I wasn't in so much anger, at the injustice, at the disrespect, I would have laughed at how ridiculous it was..

“Daddy, are we still going this afternoon?....I get scared around hospitals." Little Chloe's voice was sad and innocent as she expressed....She had just called him Daddy, again. It sounded like a calculated blow, meant to drive my daughter to the edge.

As if she had just noticed the backtrack, Camille stiffened..

Then, almost too quickly, she crouched down, her voice tight. “Sweetheart, no… don’t call him that.” She smoothed Chloe's hair, forcing a laugh that sounded stiff. “Call him Uncle, okay? Just Uncle.”

The word hung in the air.

Uncle.

Uncle would have been fine if it wasn't so forced. If Camille's voice didn't break so pitifully as she said it. She looked like the universe wronged her and her daughter.

Across from us, Dominic frowned, his brows pulling together as if he wanted to say something, anything, but before he could, I grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

“Do you have no sense of boundaries, Dominic?” My voice almost broke as I asked.

His face darkened. “What are you talking about?”

There he was, feigning clueless.

“You’re acting close with your lover in front of our child,” I shot back, my voice trembling with everything he wouldn't notice, the hurt, the anger, the humiliation.

"Do you think Lila won’t notice? Or do you just enjoy hurting her?” By then, my eyes were burning with tears as I asked.

His jaw clenched. “She’s not my lover.”

The denial came fast. Too quickly, like a person who was guilty..

I let out a short and humourlesss laugh. “Really? Then what is she, Dominic?”

He didn’t answer. That was the answer that I needed. Besides, why did it still matter?

I reached into my handbag, my fingers brushing against the folded document I knew too well. I had read and re-read it for hours, after all.

“You remember what you signed, right?” I said quietly, my voice dropping. “The divorce agreement.”

His eyes flickered.

“The papers are just signed. The divorce is not final, until the one month cooling. If you can’t commit, ” I paused, clenching my fingers at the side, “Don’t expect me to keep my side of the promise either.”

The threat came too smoothly than I expected. And shortly after, tension stretched.

At his side, Dominic clenched and unclenched his fingers, clearly, pissed. I had just threatened him, after all.

Then he gave me that look. The disappointment, the loathing, heavens, that was like a knife, buried deep into the confines of my heart.

Once again, I was painted as the villain in his heart.

' You are doing this for Lila, Neria.' I mumbled under my breath, and that, and the thought of seeing her smiling, ground me.

I would point a gun at Dominic and force him to stay if I had to..

He didnt say anything. He just peeled his eyes from me and stormed off, heading towards Camille and her daughter.

I followed shortly after, descreetly wiping my tears as I returned to Lila’s side.

“Hey,” he was crouched to Chloe's level as he whispered, his tone too soft, a softness that he'd never shown our daughter before. That stung, but what stung more was how Lila's body stiffened, next to mine.

"Be a good girl and go to your appointment with your Mommy," He said, gently pinching Chloe's cheeks, I looked away.

"I won't be able to join you...But, I will make it up to you, later." He turned to Camille as he whispered, so delicately.

Camille's face fell, and Dominic clenched his fingers, I guess it broke him to fail her, them..

“I see,” she said, her voice carefully neutral. “Then… we won’t disturb you.”

She took her daughter’s hand, offering him a small, tight smile that didn’t quite hide the disappointment in her eyes.

“Come on, Chloe ”

Chloe hesitated, looking back once, but Camille gently tugged her along.

Silence settled in their place. Dominic was angry, and his gaze stayed on their backs until they disappeared.

A beat later, Lila broke into a grin, her earlier worry already forgotten. “Mommy! Daddy is staying!”

I swallowed, forcing a nod. “Yes… he is.”

And he did.

Slowly, days stretched. And Dominic became a constant in our lives.

He would come earlier, sit through meals, read bedtime stories, and help her choose dresses. God, it almost felt real.

Those days were the happiest, and Lila’s little giggles became the highlight. Camille's call were a frequent at first, then they started getting few, after going unanswered for a while.

That should have meant nothing, right? But it filled my heart with hope, that maybe.... It was impossible not to hope for more when everything felt so right, touched hearts so deeply..

Then the weekend came. Our 'family' of three was set for camping.

We left early, the city fading behind us as the beautiful greenery ushered us in.. It was beautiful, streams, mountains, all serene, just like the past week had been. Dominic had picked the location, even.

When we arrived, Lila ran ahead, her little laughter echoing between the trees.

“Slow down!” I called out, wearing a helpless smile.

Dominic walked beside me, hands in his pockets, his presence steady, unfamiliar in how… natural it felt.

Too natural.

“Careful!" I shouted, my gaze snapping back to Lila..

Her foot had caught on a rock.

I lunged forward instinctively, reaching out, but my own footing slipped.

For a split second, everything tilted, and my heart shook as I tightly held her..

Then strong arms caught me, just in time.

My breath hitched as I collided against Dominic's chest, his hand firm around my waist, steadying me before I could fall.

The world seemed to pause. Our faces were close, his breath fanning my face. Then I saw a flicker of something in his eyes... as if he..

My heart started racing, at the thought...

“Mommy!”

Lila called, and the magic stopped.

We both blinked, snapping back to reality as Lila started laughing.

“Mommy is heavy!” she declared, giggling.

Dominic's expression changed instantly. The warmth vanished, replaced by something cold, distant.

He then let go, so fast, as if it burned him to hold me. His gaze hardened as it settled on my face. “You always find a way, don’t you?”

The accusations, and it hurt more than it should have. I opened my mouth, " Dominic I.."

His phone buzzed.

He glanced at it, jaw tightening, then turned away without another word.

He walked off, answering the call as he went, his voice low and unreadable.

“Mommy?" Lila called, confusion clouding her eyes as she asked, “Where is Daddy going?”

I forced a smile, brushing dirt from her clothes just to give myself a second.

“He just… has something to take care of,” I said softly. “He’ll be back.”

I wasn't so sure either.