Seven

My stomach twisted at his audacity, blabbing about like he had the right to stand in my face after all this time.

We were done. I was done with him. Why would he pop out all of a sudden to stand in my way?

With each statement he made, the emotions I was holding back were becoming harder to bear.

"Mr Ellington, I'm sorry I don't have any time left to entertain your rubbish," I said, shooting up from my chair. "I'm a busy woman as you can see. So, if you don't mind, excuse me."

He stood up and caught my arm as I tried to walk away. That touch made my legs freeze right where I stood.

"I won't let you go, Daisy."

His palm tightened around my wrist. A gesture I once cherished, but it kind of irritated me now because it brought back hurtful memories.

I turned around. "Mr Ellington, you—"

A lump formed in my throat, holding back the rest of my words. And what came after it was tears welling up in my eyes.

"Let go of me, Declan," I demanded.

"I won't," he said, boldly looking into my eyes. "Not until you promise to sit back on that chair and talk things out with me."

I sniffed back a sob, flinging my hair to pack properly behind me. "Alright."

"So tell me, what exactly happened all these years?" He asked.

I shook my head, not shifting my gaze from him. "And why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm your husband and I have every right to know," he blurted.

"Don't spew that rubbish from your mouth, Declan. You ended our marriage five years ago. We ended it," I reminded him.

"Really?"

"Yes. We signed those papers. And for your information, my copy is still with me, digitally and physically saved!"

"Oh dear, Daisy." He chuckled. "Since when did signing mere divorce papers become enough to break a marriage?"

When he saw that he had hit a soft spot with that question, he let go of me, confident that I wasn't going to walk away. And foolishly, I stood there, confirming his assumption.

I wanted to know what he meant by that question? I wanted to know if there was something about our divorce which I had no idea about.

My stomach turned with disgust at the way I fell in for his game. I shouldn't care whatever he has to say, but why did I still stand there like a mine was placed under me and would detonate if I moved a bulge?

"What do you mean?" I finally asked Liam.

He exhaled, sitting back on his seat and gesturing at mine with his eyes. "Let's talk, shall we?"

The way I obeyed him left a bad taste in my gut. Why was it difficult to bullshit this scumbag and get the hell out of the cafe?

I sat down and rolled my eyes as I crossed my legs beneath the table. "Don't waste my time further. Go straight to the point."

"The thing is… I never thought I'd seen you again, Daisy," he said.

My chest tightened at those words. Who knew where he was headed?

"When I saw you at the launch, I understood what hope feels like once more," Declan said, his brows drooping. "Come back to me, Daisy…"

I clenched my toes tight. Just like that? He just wanted me back just like that? And oh lord, the pitiful looks on his face wasn't helping at all.

"I have a lot of money to take care of you now," he added and my brows shot upwards.

"Yes, Daisy. There's no need letting a man use you when I clearly can take care of you," he said. "Come back to me."

I flung my hair back, my throat tightening once again with the weight of my pent-up emotions. Was he out of his mind?

"You must have taken the wrong pills today, Declan. If you were in your right state of mind, these words wouldn't be coming from your mouth."

"Listen to me, Daisy. You're being used by that bastard for the his selfish goals. And the earlier you realize it and get away from him, the better for you," he argued, his brows furrowing desperately.

I stood up from the table. "After all these years, you still think selfishly, Declan. Well, I'll just tell you one thing."

It's almost impossible to keep all my emotions in check and not let Declan see them but I square my shoulders, doing my best to appear confident and in charge.

"I don't need your goddamn money, Declan," I started and I'm certainly satisfied with Declan's reaction as I see his jaw lock tightly.

"My baby's father isn't dead and he's more than capable of taking care of us."

Declan's eyes open widely.

"Y..Yo..You kept the baby?" I don't reply but it's more than enough for Declan to guess my answer.

"If you don't mind now, I have important duties calling for my attention," I added and exited the cafe without looking back.

My fists folded as I bolted away from the cafe. Damn him. He couldn't even offer an apology after all these years. Was sorry such a difficult word to say?

I reached the parking lot where Zara had been waiting for me. She opened the door and I entered the car.

"Can you give me a minute, Zara?" I asked. "Go buy yourself something to eat. I need some time here alone."

"Understood," she said softly and climbed down from the car.

The windows of my car were tinted and soundproofed, perfectly built for security and privacy. Now that I had all these emotions boiling inside me and seeking for release, it seemed like the perfect place to let them out.

"Damn it!" I screamed, landing a punch on the driver's seat. "Damn it!"

Tears trickled down my eyes. After five years, I thought every single emotion I had for him had died, only for me to start acting like a baby once again because he didn't care to apologise. Who needed his apology anyway?

I punched the car horn angrily and Zara came rushing to the car.

"Ma'am?"

"Drive me home, Zara," I ordered. "I'm sick and tired of all this rubbish."