CHAPTER 4: Daughter

Scatlett's POV

I reached home to my sweet little angel waiting for me by the door. Aria woke up at the sound of opening the door. She held a drawing, wiping her drool with it, thinking it was a tissue.

"Momma!" She jumped onto me, hugging me tightly as I crouched to her height.

"I drew you, me!" She pointed to the paper of scribbled crayons. I held my laugh in. My baby is a sensitive and mature girl.

"You're an amazing artist, Aria!" I cheered her on. Taking my bag, searching for her usual treats with her little chubby arms, she piqued,

"What is an artist?" I had to resist pinching her little cheeks.

"It is a person who draws good, baby. Like you." I replied. Her heart melted. She was melting at her mother's compliment.

"I will be the best 'artist' for you, momma!" She giggled and cuddled on my lap. I couldn't hold it anymore. I laughed aloud!

I walked inside and put her on the counter while preparing ingredients for our supper. My mind was all haywire after today's shocking delivery of slaps.

"Momma. Will we celebrate Christmas?" My body went numb. How will I tell her we won't be celebrating Christmas because a baboon was trying to push me away on a tour?

"Momma has to make money this year, baby. I have to go to work for a week again." Aria's eyes widened as I explained. My hand brushed her dark brown hair back neatly.

"So you won't be with Aria?" Her little doe eyes welled with tears. My heart was warming up with shame and longing. I quickly abandoned chopping vegetables and hugged Aria.

"Not this time, baby. Momma is sorry. I will make it up to you." I said to her. In the back of my head, I made a resolve to work hard for the promotion. I felt sorry for Aria. She deserves so much more from me. The promotion was a sole ticket, not for me, but for my daughter.

I could sacrifice a moment of joy for a lifetime of happiness with Aria. Missing one Christmas will be compensated with decades of togetherness. With that in mind, I convinced Aria to stay with my parents this Christmas. They'll take good care of her.

After supper, I tucked Aria into bed and quietly walked to my room. Aria and I had separate rooms. That way while I was packing my favorite travel bag for tours, I wouldn't bother about waking her up.

I was humming a tune, grabbing important travel necessities and my travel items checklist. There was a hard drive on my desk that I lazily grabbed and shoved into the electronics bag. That concluded my packing for the tour.

The next morning was a tearful drive to my parents' house. Aria was drawing many stick figures with bubbly heads and feet on her canvas. She was trying to make me stay, saying she would miss me for a whole week.

On the drive to my parent's house, the phone rang. I expected it from the travel agency - we had to cross-check a few things. Or it could've been my manager asking for a status report, even before the tour started.

But it wasn't any of them.

It was my ex-husband instead.

"Hello?" I spoke flatly on the phone.

"You're abandoning Aria and leaving again? How selfish." Raphael's cunning voice said.

"Didn't you have anything else to say first thing in the morning?" I let my nastiest voice snap back at him.

"You and I both know you're going to get wasted in a bar and forget that you have a daughter and a family. Instead of letting your parents down, send Aria to me. I'll get her from your house." I heard him say but chose to stay silent.

"Hello?" He inquired.

"Not happening," I replied coldly. Raphael scoffed at me, grumbling under his breath but I could hear it crystal clear.

"Women like you give birth to a child and don't even want to take care of them. I'll win the custody at this point." My blood boiled at his grumbling.

"What the hell did you just say? You're being too confident that you'd win custody of Aria. You're nothing but an irresponsible loser and an addict! Bitch." I muttered at the end. Anger filled me to the brim.

"At least I'd stay by Aria's side and take care of her like a real father," Raphael said. It was my turn to scoff. It came from my soul.

"Says the porn addict who couldn't even contain himself from masturbating when my daughter was crying in the room." I spat venom. There was eerie silence between us as I was slowing down to a halt by the roadside.

"Don't ever bring that up. Ever again." He spoke through gritted teeth. I felt just as disgusted as I recalled what I saw. It's burned into my memory and was the ultimate last straw that led to our separation.

To make things worse, that wasn't the only inappropriate thing that I was repulsed by him. The cheating and his scandalous affair with that wide of a wrench Serena was the cherry on top.

"Baby~ Who's on the phone!? Come back to bed! I'm horny!" My jaw dropped. There was another female in his vicinity, seductively calling him back to bed early in the morning. My stomach churned and I cut the call before the loser tried wasting more time.

As soon as I cut the call, Raphael started texting me like a maniac.

[Raphael: Bitch you have ten minutes to show up to my doorstep with Aria.]

[Raphael: Take my words seriously. I won't give you another chance]

[Raphael: It's all about you trying to get me back with you, isn't it? You're trying too hard. Move on. Even though you won't find any men who are attracted to that flabby body of yours. Bitch]

I scoffed reading his texts from the notification. He had no shame calling his ex-wife a 'bitch'. I lost all respect for Raphael long ago. But that was a whole new level. He never called me a bitch before. Maybe he's picking up vocabulary from his mistress. Serena is condescending and insufferable. And Raphael was turning into Serena as time passed by.

I let out a shaky breath and assured Aria that it was no one. Thank god I haven't taken his name while talking.

I reached my parents' house and was greeted by my sweet mother's warm hug. My dad kissed Aria's cheek and ruffled my hair. He picked up Aria and put her on his shoulders.

"Mom, watch out for Raphael," I said and showed her the texts. Mom gasped at his way of talking to me.

"I'll never let him take Aria even if he comes to the doorstep, Scarlett. And you take care. Here. Take this with you." Mom said and pulled out a big box of savory, spicy homemade goods.

"I love you, mom. Love you, Dad." I accepted their tokens of love and prepped myself for this trip.

It was going to be a lot of work.

It was a getaway for me, a much-needed one. I prayed that my two clients weren't the notorious kind. But who was I even kidding?