My Ex-wife, My Destination

Luke’s P. O. V.

“Mr. Anderson, I need your help. Can you come here?” I hear Eva’s voice from the kitchen as I settle down at the dining table with Hope.

“Hope, I’ll be right back.” I walk to the kitchen after placing a kiss on Hope’s cheek.

As I enter the kitchen, I see Eva standing with a stern expression, her arms folded across her chest. “I talked to Daisy and found out that you’re her ex-husband.”

I lower my gaze, bracing myself to hear all the harsh words I deserve.

However, instead of berating me, she speaks softly, surprising me. “I don’t know what you’ve done to Daisy in the past, but I’m certain it must have been something terrible. That’s why she is so afraid to trust you now. But Luke, I believe in second chances. I can see you genuinely care for Hope, and she deserves to have her father.”

I stare at her in shock and disbelief. I didn’t think she would understand me. We have just met a few hours ago. She has rendered me speechless.

She continues, “Luke, I can clearly see that you care about Hope. But I want to know, do you care about Daisy too? Do you want her back in your life?”

“I love Daisy,” I confess, finally breaking my silence. “Eva, I forced myself to divorce her because I thought I didn’t deserve her. I hurt her so much in the past that I can’t even forgive myself for it. I wanted to keep myself away from her, but then I met Hope and realised my mistake. Instead of running and punishing myself, now I want to take care of my family. I want to take responsibility and be there for them.”

I met this woman a few hours ago, and I can’t believe I’m sharing everything with her. But it feels good to open up to someone.

“I’m glad to hear that, Luke.” She places her hand on my arm. “Daisy deserves to be loved and cherished, just as much as Hope does. I have seen her struggling for the past five years. She never told me, but she is yearning for love deep inside.”

I nod, feeling a lump in my throat. “I was foolish and selfish, that I pushed her away when all she ever wanted was my love,” I murmur, my voice choked with regret. “Eva, I made so many mistakes. I don’t know if I deserve another chance, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.”

Eva gives me a reassuring smile. “It’s never too late to make amends, Luke. But it won’t be easy. You have given her deep wounds, which will take time to heal. So you must be patient. And I’m with you on this journey because I really want to see Hope and Daisy happy.”

I give her a grateful smile. “Thank you, Eva. You’ve given me hope when I needed it most. And I promise, I won’t stop until I’ve earned back Daisy’s trust and love.”

***

Daisy’s P. O. V.

I reach Eva’s apartment as soon as possible, dying to hold my princess in my arms. I missed her the entire day. The tension with Luke is a forgotten matter; right now, I just want to meet my baby.

As Aunt opens the door, I find Hope rushing towards me. “Mommy, finally you’re back. Hopi missed you a lot, Mommy.”

I kneel and embrace her with a smile on my face. As I close my eyes, a few tears trickle down my cheeks.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Mommy missed her princess so much.” I wipe my tears before pulling away from her. “Did you have your lunch properly?”

She nods. “Yes, Mommy. I’m your goodie-goodie girl.” As she giggles, a wide smile spreads across my face. She truly has the power to take away all my tension. “You know, Mommy, I spent the entire day with Daddy. We played, and he combed my hair.”

As she mentions Luke combing her hair, I notice that her hair is tied up in two buns. I’m shocked to see that she let him tie her hair. She never lets anyone do that. She likes to keep her hair open.

“You let him tie your hair?” I ask, pointing at her hair.

“Yes, because my hair was bothering me by getting in my eyes. He made my hairstyle by watching a video on YouTube. Am I not looking beautiful? Hope’s daddy is best at everything, just like you, Mommy.” She chatters nonstop about her daddy, and I feel a pang of jealousy.

I plaster a smile on my face and stroke her cheek before standing up and lifting her in my arms.

I turn towards Aunt Eva. “Thank you so much for taking care of her, Aunt.”

“Anytime.” She passes me a smile, pulling Hope’s cheeks.

“I think I should leave now.”

“Daisy, stay here tonight. I need to talk to you.”

I know. She wants to talk about Luke.

I nod in response because I also want to talk to her. I want to know why she is allowing Luke to come close to my daughter. Why did she let him spend the entire day with her?

***

After putting Hope to sleep in the room, Aunt and I settle down in the hall to converse.

I initiate the conversation. “Aunt, you’re not doing right by letting Luke stay with Hope.”

“Daisy, just for once, think about Hope, putting your anger aside,” she explains. “Hope needs her father’s love. Don’t let her crave it anymore. She is so happy after getting her father.”

“Can’t you see he is snatching Hope from me?” I question her, a bit disappointed because instead of supporting me, she is taking Luke’s side.

“He is a billionaire, Daisy. If his intention were to snatch Hope from you, he would have done that long ago. He can easily take custody of her. But he won’t do that because he is guilty of his past mistakes.”

Somewhere, Aunt is right. Luke is so powerful; he can easily snatch Hope from me, but he is just spending time with her. Maybe he has truly changed, but I still can’t trust him so easily.

“How can you be so sure, Aunt? You just met him today.” As I question her, she passes me a smile.

“You know, darling, I’m good at reading people.” She clasps my hand in hers. “I don’t know what he did to you in the past, but believe me, now he has no intention of hurting you and Hope. I’m not asking you to forgive him. Just don’t keep him away from Hope. For Hope, let Luke meet her.”

“I don’t want to share Hope with the man I hate the most, Aunt. It’s hard.” My voice chokes with emotion, and she gives a slight squeeze to my hand in reassurance.

She continues to explain, “I can understand your feelings, Daisy. However, it’s good for Hope to have both parents in her life. She deserves to experience a father’s love.”

“But what about me, Aunt? What about the pain he caused me? How can I just forget everything and let him back into our lives?” Tears well up in my eyes as dreadful memories of the past flash in my mind.

“Daisy, I know it’s difficult. The wounds he inflicted won’t heal overnight. But holding onto anger and resentment will only hurt you in the end. You must consider what’s best for Hope.”

Her words hit me like a revelation. It’s true that my anger towards Luke is driving me insane, and I don’t want it to affect Hope. She deserves to have a relationship with her father.

“I’ll try, Aunt.” A sob escapes my mouth. “For Hope’s sake, I’ll try.”

“Don’t worry, Daisy.” She pulls me into a hug and caresses my hair. “No one can snatch Hope from you. She is all yours. It’s just that she needs a father as well.”

As we pull apart, I express my gratitude, “Thank you, Aunt, for being there for me. It was getting so difficult for me to handle all these things alone. I was afraid that Luke might be pretending to have changed, but your words bring me some clarity.”