Chapter 39
I had a daughter.
I had a daughter with Emily.
Going back to
kto my car
car wasn't easy. I had to force my legs to take me there. I was having a panic attack. I didn't get them a lot, but when the pressure got too nich. I usually experienced them.
I placed my hands on the steering wheel and focused on them just like Cara taught me. She told me that I needed to focus on something and counting from one to fifty slowly.
It took me a few minutes to calm down a little and the moment I did. I called Cara. She knew that I only called her when it was urgent, so it didn't take her a lot of time to answer. "C-Cara. I have a daughter." 1
1 stammered, hoping my voice was clear enough
"What? What do you mean she sounded shocked. I was shocked too.
"I have a daughter. I saw her today," I told her.
"With Emily?" she asked.
"What am I supposed to do. Cara! I saw her today with Emily and when I approached them, Emily didn't deny anything and she she n
named her
Roulie." I ran my fingers through my hair. I was much calmer now, but I still wasn't okay.
"What would you like to do, Julian? Do you want to have a relationship with your daughter!" she asked me.
yes! I want to
want to be a part a part
of her life. I want h
want her to know that she has a father," I quickly replied.
"Then talk to Emily. Tell her what you want. Did you feel like she doesn't want you to be in Rosie's life?"
""I. I don't think
so. I think she isn't going to stop in my way," I said. I wasn't in my best state when I was talking to Emily, but she didn't make me feel that she was opposed to the idea of my being in Rosie's life. I felt my phone vibrate in my hand and I saw a number on the screen, Whose "Okay, I want you to call her, ask to meet with her, and tell her all that you want," Cara told me.
"Alright. Thanks, Cara." I mumbled and took a deep breath,
After hanging up. I tried to think about everything. I had only seen her for less than an hour and it was already easy for me to remember her beautiful face. I opened my WhatsApp when I saw that I received a message from the same number that called me. "Hey Julian, this is Amelia. Are you okay! Please call me. So that was Emily's number? I quickly saved it and called her.
She answered quickly as if she were waiting for my call
"Hey, Amelia." I wanted to get used to her new name, but it wasn't easy. She was my Emily, the girl who captivated my heart.
"Hey Julian, I was wondering if you'd like to join Rosie and me for dinner tonight to properly talk." I was glad that she was easily willing to talk. I was glad that she wasn't making the situation harder than it already was
"Okay, Send me the location and I will be there by 6:30. Is that alright?" I wanted to talk. I wanted to see my daughter
I knew that Emily and I weren't on the best terms, but did she tell Rosie anything bad about me? Did Rosie know that she had a father?
Millions of questions roamed my head and I wasn't sure if I could wait until 6:30. I wanted to call Mum and tell her that I had a daughter, but I didn't want to tell her anything before I at least had a few answers. I knew nothing about my daughter except for her name. I didn't
I found myself going to a toy store after my call with Emily. I didn't know what Rosie liked, but I felt like I wanted to get her something. Knowing Emily, she was probably spoiling the hell out of her, but I wanted to
get her something too. Did she like dolls or cars? Perhaps legos? I ended up Billing the cart in front of me with different toys. Surely Emily wouldn't mind, right?
1 also went to a bakery and bought six cupcakes. I didn't know what she liked, so I ended up buying different flavors.
big
the location Emily sent me and I had to say, I was proud of her for what she managed to achieve. Her house was amazing, I wasn't that it suited her. She did it all by herself. I didn't like the fact that she lived that far away from me. A freaking forty-minute drive. At exactly 6:30, I rang the doorbell, I left the toys in the car but brought the cupcakes with me. I wanted to ask Emily first if it was okay with her to
ve her that amount of toys all at once..
Emily opened the door for me and I sucked in a breath. She was as breathtaking as ever. She had changed into some jeans and a pink blouse. Her pair was pulled up in a ponytail and she almost didn't have makeup on her face
"Come m" She offered ine a polite unile and stepped aside..
-
told me that she likes cupcakes, so I bought these, I told Emily, handing her the box I was holding.
"You surely plan on winning her heart tonight," she said, taking the cupcakes from me.
Emily guided me to the kitchen and for a moment, I felt like I was five years younger. I remembered how she would take me to the kitchen after a long day at work to serve me the food she made when she used to go home before me. I felt a pang in my chest and I tried to brush away the pain.
"I'm almost done, but I thought we could talk here before you properly meet her," Emily said and I nodded.
"Are you sure she's not going to listen to us?" I wondered.
Emily turned the tablet before her towards me and I saw my little girl watching Tangled. She was so into the movie, reminding me of Emily's loveCòntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
For it.
"It's her favorite," Emily told me.
Just like it's yours, I wanted to tell her.
"How old is she?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the tablet. She was holding a teddy bear in her arms as her eyes were glued to the screen. She looked adorable. "She's four," Emily replied, making her way to the stove.
"When is her birthday!"
*September fifth."
"Middle name?"
"Lela
I took a deep breath and asked her another questio
question, "When did you find out that you were pregnant?"
"A month and a half after our divorce, exactly one week after I moved away from California." Emily looked at me for a moment as she spoke, then turned off the stove
"Why didn't you why didn't you contact me after finding out about the pregnancy
ney and finding the..." It was hard to say some things out loud to her.
"And finding the proof that I didn't cheat, steal, or manipulate you into our marriage?" she continued my question for me with bitterness in her tone. I had no right to ask her that question, but part of me wanted to know why she decided to disappear instead. "I would have done anything you wanted, you know? I would have shown you how sorry I truly was. I still am sorry, by the way. I would have begged for your forgiveness if you had given me the chance." I didn't mind showing her my vulnerability.
"You're not here so we can talk about us, Julian. You're here for Rosie, not me," she reminded me. What if I was here for her too? "As I told you before, I didn't want to get in contact with you after I managed to prove my innocence to the whole world. After how you divorce her alone.
"Does she know that she has a father?" I asked, afraid of the answer.
"She knows that she has a father who loves her so much. She knows that you send her toys on her birthdays and Christmas and actually, the teddy bear she's holding now is supposedly from you. You got it for her on her fourth birthday." I breathed out in relief when she "I would never make Rosie hate you for something you have done to me, Julian. When I looked up, I saw her eyes on me. She still had the ability to make me nervous like a high school kid in front of his crush
"How did you explain my absence to her?" I couldn't help but ask.
"The lie most parents tell their children. I told her you are working in a place with no internet or phones." I let out a light laugh at the naïve lie. "I didn't really know what else 1 could tell her. I loved the way her cheeks reddened. I wanted to hold her and kiss them like I use "I have written many letters and told her that they were from you. I have been preparing her for this day, Julian. I know how excited she is to meet you." Emily added. Delight filled my heart upon hearing that, but I hated how I wasn't prepared for something like that. I wish woman I loved with everything in me, I couldn't wait
I tried to be angry at her for keeping my daughter away from me, yet I couldn't and I didn't understand why. I missed four years of my daughter's. life and no matter what, I could never get them back. Perhaps I wasn't angry because I saw myself worthy of that punishment "Are you rearly in actually meet her?" Emily wondered and suddenly, I was more nervous. "If it makes you feel any better, she thinks you're nice Emily smiled at me, making my heart tighten in my chest 1105 AM c &
"She does?" I blurted in surprise.
and Lasked her if I e "Yes, she asked me who you were that morning and I asked hadn't felt that kind of joy in five years.
I could tell her later. She agreed, then told me that she thought you were nice."I
"By the way, I got her many toys and by many. I mean almost a dozen, so
en so I was wondering
dering if I could give them to her," I told Emily as I stood up.
y for years, so it would make sense to her. But please don't make a habit out of this because I
"A dozen?" Her eyes went wide. "Well.. you've been away fo don't want her to be bratty."
"Okay." I nodded.
Emily took me to the living room where Rosic was still watching the movie. When she noticed Emily, her eyes literally lit up. She then saw me and tilted her eyes a little to the side. "You're the man from the amusement park," she remembered me, making me smile.
"Cupcake, I want to tell you something" Emily said, taking a seat beside her. "Do you know who this man is?
"I asked you this morning and you
ou told m
"You're absolutely right." Emily nodded.
me you'd tell me later," Rosie reminded her mum.
Rosie looked at me and stared at me for a second, "What's your name?" she asked.
"My name is Julian," I replied, taking a couple of steps closer to her.
you like Rapunzel!" she randomly asked, making me chuckle.
"I do. I like her a lot." How could I not like her when she was her favourite and Emily's favourite?
Then we can be friends," she said with a grin on her beautiful face.
"I would love that." I smiled widely at her.
"But cupcake, he is more than just a friend to you." Emily told her, making her frown in confusion for a second. "Julian is your daddy." The way my little girl gasped made my blood run cold.