CHAPTER 36
Daniella inhaled deeply as she sought solace from the small human being laying in her bed. "Aj," she cried out her daughter's name, and then she lost control of her tears.
She sat with her daughter for hours, waiting for AJ to awaken. She desired to convey to her daughter the agony of witnessing the most valuable guy in her life kiss another woman. Daniella wanted to empty her heart of the weight of betrayal in order to go on, and she didn't want to burden Lilian with her issues.
"Mama...,"
Daniella smiled at her daughter and replied, "Hello, my love," as soon as she heard Aj's little voice.
"Are you hungry, Chuckie?"
Daniella agreed and walked over to their room's mini-fridge to retrieve a box of her chocolate drink, which she handed to AJ. She was delighted that her kid was already familiar with the procedure for inserting the drinking straw into the box. "Slowly," she instructed.
"Papa?"
AJ and Marcus had been close since Marcus's return to their lives, and Daniella wasn't sure how to deal with her daughter if Marcus was ever to leave their lives for good. "I'm sorry, my dear," she said, but AJ would never understand. The small child simply proceeded to sip the chocolate beverage from a box. Is AJ going to be disappointed with her in the future if she is unable to provide her with a complete family? Would she be furious with her for refusing to forgive her father's adultery? Her mind was racing with questions, many of which were linked to the man in their guestroom.
"Papa is leaving shortly to work abroad," she lied. For the second time, she concocted another narrative regarding Marcus, but she was less certain this time, given Philip Madrigal's presence in the home.
"All OK," AJ responded. "Play?"
Daniella desired to remain in their bedroom because she was concerned she and Marcus might cross paths in the common areas and she was averse to speaking with him. She grew enraged every time the sight inside the inn flashed back into her memory. She could not, however, deny AJ of his urge to play with Vanessa. "Later," Daniella stated as she walked over to her closet and changed into white shorts and a pink top.
"Dani...," Marcus rose immediately upon hearing the sound of the door opening.
Daniella stared at Marcus as he approached her porch. "Didn't I warn you to leave?"
"Papa!" AJ shouted, her voice brimming with joy, reaching for her father's hand.
"Baby...," his daughter shouted with glee as he lifted her little frame into the air and quickly caught her.
She was furious, but she couldn't reject her daughter's request to be carried by Marcus, and so she yielded, although her eyes continued to send daggers in his direction. "Do not attempt to use our daughter," she advised him before they walked outside to play.
Lilian and Alexander were already on the playground with their daughter, Vanessa, when they arrived. They exchanged greetings before allowing their children to play independently. Daniella saw that Lilian had reverted to normalcy and that her stepsister appeared to be pleased, as seen by her eyes. She deduced that something positive had occurred between Lilian and Alexander and she began to investigate what was wrong with her, why she couldn't be happy indefinitely!
She grimaced at the guy beside her, and she prayed Marcus would leave, away from her house and forever from her life. She was fed up with it! Perhaps her love relationship was doomed from the start, or she was being punished for acting contrary to the man's wishes. She and AJ would be very content without him, in fact.
He attempted to attract the woman's attention with his index finger, and when she stared at him with glowering eyes, he panicked. "Doesn't our daughter look lovely?" He attempted to strike up a conversation with Daniella, but all he received were her frigid shoulders and a lack of eye contact. Marcus went an inch closer to her, and when she still refused to recognize his presence, he attempted a wicked technique he had learned as a child. He extended his hand and pressed his finger on the woman's cheeks, then shouted her name in a distressed tone. As he imagined her response when he poked her face, he smiled; nevertheless, Daniella continued to ignore him and did not spare him a glance.
Daniella remained immersed in her thoughts, imagining life without him. She despised being alone, but it was unavoidable. Marcus deceived her by entertaining Alicia, and she was incapable of forgiving him. "I still despise you," she yelled at Marcus as she walked away from him and took a seat on another bench.
Marcus pursued Daniella and addressed her by name. "Please, Daniella. Hear me out," he pleaded, oblivious to the fact that the other couple's attention had shifted to them.
"All you have to do is get lost, Marcus." Daniella said monotonously and continued walking away from him. "Why don't you simply visit Alicia?" I'm sure she could make you happy than I could, "she continued, but when she turned to look at him, he had stopped following her, and Marcus was assisting AJ in standing. Her daughter must have fallen while Vanessa was playing. Marcus was considerate and compassionate, but she couldn't shake the image of him with Alicia from her mind. She regarded his back with forlorn eyes, but her determination remained the same!