Chapter Five

Gwen.

In no time, we were out from the house, and I can confidently say that this was the first quality family time we have had in years. Henry rarely has time for us, he was either occupied with his mistress or engrossed in his company affairs.

My heart swelled with joy upon seeing the gleaming expression on Jasmine's face; one glance was enough to tell her exhilaration for this outing. Witnessing my daughter radiate happiness like this was my ultimate goal; she was my greatest source of pride, after all.

The drive seemed to be longer than I anticipated, and I couldn't help but wonder where Henry was taking us. Despite my polite inquiries, he refused to say anything to me, he was too preoccupied with making calls and barking orders at whoever was on the receiving end. At one point, I chose to remain silent and enjoy this rare opportunity to spend time with Henry… peacefully.

Jasmine was beyond thrilled and couldn't stop talking; she bombarded us with questions every time we passed something unfamiliar, and being a responsible mother, I had to offer explanations each time. She even attempted to engage her father in conversation, but it was clear that Henry wasn't in the mood; taking us out was already a stretch for him, so expecting him to say more was like asking for too much.

Finally, the car came to a halt in front of an unfamiliar building, and even though I couldn't recognize it, I still had to step out because both Jasmine and Henry had already alighted.

I glanced around, trying to find the name of the building, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I ended up asking Henry instead.

“What is this place, Henry?” I inquired.

He stopped in his tracks and gave me a brief frown before quickly plastering a smile on his face when he noticed Jasmine watching us.

“Why don't you come inside and find out, my dear wife?” he replied, and I couldn't help but detect the sarcasm in his tone when he referred to me as his wife.

Sighing, I chose not to comment on his rude behavior; after years of marriage, I had grown accustomed to it. Jasmine wanted the both of us to hold her hands as we made our way inside, and we complied. The security guard at the gate greeted us with a smile and promptly opened the gate for us, and as soon as we stepped inside a small gasp escaped my mouth, as I beheld the wonder of this miniature paradise. It was a sight to behold, beautiful and there were only few people moving about. 

“Do you like it, Jas?” Henry's question snapped me out of my reverie, as I turned to look at our daughter. Her eyes widened in excitement, eagerly nodding in response.

“I love it, daddy! Can I go play there?” Jasmine asked politely.

“Of course, my dear. This place is yours after all,” Henry dropped a bombshell that left me speechless. Did he really mean that this whole amusement park belonged to our four-year-old daughter? How on earth could a four-year-old own this place, for Christ’s sake?

But Jasmine was too excited to care about it, after all, she doesn’t understand what Henry just said. She let go of our hands and ran towards the swing she had pointed out earlier.

I wanted to go after her, but Henry held me back. “What?” I glared at him, still reeling from his statement earlier. I couldn't just forget or brush it off.

“Don't ruin this day for her, Gwen. Act like everything is okay,” Henry said, walking to the other side.

I sighed and reluctantly went to join our daughter, helping her onto the swing and pushing her back and forth with gentle force. We also tried out the trampoline and the shooting game, with Jasmine's energy showing no signs of waning even at lunchtime.

“Let's go have our lunch, baby,” I stretched out my hand, but Jasmine shook her head, pouting her lips.

“I still want to play, mummy. I don't want to leave,” she whispered.

“You can continue playing after we eat, Jas. Come down now, or I won't let you play even after lunch,” I warned, and she quickly relented, taking my hand as I carried her.

As we walked towards the snack stand, I looked around for Henry, but he was nowhere in sight. I pushed the thought aside and focused on getting Jasmine's favorite sandwich for us to enjoy.

“Here, take a bite baby” I handed her the sandwich and she eagerly accepted, opening her mouth without hesitation.

“Do you like it?” I asked, and she nodded as she munched on the food, her mouth too full to speak.

As we continued eating, there was still no sign of Henry. Despite my promise to myself to not let him bother me, I couldn't help but feel anxious sitting here and doing nothing.

Soon enough, we finished our meal, leaving some sandwich and a bottle of soda for Henry.

“Mommy, where's daddy?” Jasmine asked.

I forced a smile as I packed our used bags. “Don't worry, daddy will be back soon,” I reassured her.

“But daddy was the one who suggested we come out, and now he's not here,” she retorted, her smile wiping from her face as she spoke. My hand, which was reaching for the empty bottles, froze.

I hated seeing my daughter like this—hurt because of her father's actions. If he wanted to punish me, then that’s fine. But he shouldn't hurt our daughter.

I gently held her chin and lifted her head, my heartbreaking again as I saw tears gathering in her eyes. I forced another smile and shook my head.

“Don't cry, sweetie. Wasn’t it daddy who brought us to the park?” I asked, and she nodded.

“That means he cares for us. We had a great time today because of him, so don't be sad. How about this,” she blinked innocently at me.

“How about you stay here while I go look for daddy? Maybe he couldn't find us and got lost.” I suggested. Jasmine giggled and nodded in agreement.

“Okay, Baby, you wait here while I find daddy and then get us some ice cream on my way back. You like that, right?” I laughed at her excited expression.

If there was one thing that could cheer Jasmine up, it was ice cream. They were practically best of friends.

“Alright, I'll be right back.” I kissed her on the cheek before getting up with the empty wrappers and bottle in my hand.

I didn't know where to begin my search for Henry, so I decided to call him. The phone rang, but he didn't answer. I didn't bother trying again, and instead threw the trash away before walking down the road we passed earlier on, I took a moment to gather my thoughts. Despite my efforts for finding him, Henry was nowhere to be found in the park or the spot where we had last spoken. Suspecting he may have left or may be outside, I went outside the park in search of him.

As I approached the gate, my heartbeat quickened, sensing something bad was about to happen. I chose not to dwell on this feeling, and continued my walk to the gate. Upon reaching the gate, my eyes were immediately drawn to Henry's broad back. Something I can picture even in my head; his body. A wave of relief washed over me, but it was quickly replaced by a stab of disappointment as I noticed that he was not alone.

He was in the company of another woman-his lover.