Chapter 4

Emilia's POV.

I have been trying to get Aria ready for our date with Aiden but she wasn't having it. She has rejected every single dress I have picked out for her. It was either too tight or too heavy or too itchy. All of a sudden she seems to have different excuses to not put on her dress. She even claimed her favorite dress was too boring. I went into her closet again and picked out one of my favorite dresses of hers. It was purple and had this huge bow thing at the back and tiny sparkling diamonds on the sleeves and the neck side. I believe this dress is not too heavy, itchy, or too tight and it wasn't tight either. Although I am looking forward to the excuse the little chit will come up with this time around.

I walked out of the closet and found her typing away on her phone.

"Put down the phone and come try this dress on. I am pretty sure you will love this one." I tried to infuse as much excitement as I could into my voice.

She put down the phone and walked up to where I was standing in front of the mirror. I helped her to put on the dress and made sure to tire the bow prettily.

"Okay...what do we think?" I asked her.

She looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. "I don't think purple is my color, mummy." She commented.

"And how do you know that?" I asked.

"Well, there is the fact that I look pale in it, and...it is just not my color. This is not the dress either." She declared.

"Aria..."

"Can't we just stay at home? Do we have to go?" She asked.

"Of course baby. We are going to the theatre. Aiden is going to pick us up and we are going to see the little mermaid together...the three of us." I said.

"I have seen the little mermaid more times than I can count. Can we just stay at home and wear our PJs and watch the movie at home? You don't even have to cook, we can order." She pleaded.

There are times when I just sit and wonder if my child is actually five because she definitely doesn't speak and act like your usual five-year-old.

"Okay, Aria. What exactly is this about?" I asked her.

"I don't want to go on a date with Aiden." She finally said.

"Why?"

"You already know why." She said.

"True but I have only been assuming. I need you to say it." I answered.

She was silent for a while before she moved back to the bed and sat at the edge.

"Because I don't like Aiden." She mumbled.

"And why don't you like Aiden, Aria?"

"Because he doesn't like me either." She said.

"Did he tell you that?"

"Not in so many words. He said he doesn't like children which means he doesn't like me. Besides, he never smiles at me, he doesn't pick me up like Aunty Patty does and he is not nice. I can't even play with him, he never wants to play. If I get too close he pushes me off and asks me not to stain his cloth. I am five not two, I don't go around with dirty hands." She sighed.

It was no secret that the bond between Aiden and Aria was literally non-existent. Aiden has always been uptight and almost unfeeling. I knew it from the very first day he met Aria and he was able to say no to her even when she turned those huge eyes on him. I meant it when I said no one has ever been able to say no to those eyes— apart from Aiden of course. I thought or I was hoping it might be because they haven't gotten to know each other yet. I was hoping that they might be closer and get more used to each other as time goes by but the opposite happened.

There was no way I could be with someone that my daughter doesn't get along with. I have known for a while that the relationship I share with Aiden was going nowhere. Aria is my baby, she will always be a part of me and she will always come first. Every decision I have made for the past five years, I have made while putting her into consideration.

I walked over to her and knelt between her legs. "Why didn't you say anything to me?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Aunty Patty said to give it time that he might come around and there is the fact that Aiden really likes you. I did not want to ruin that for you." She said.

"Oh, baby. You should never feel like you are ruining anything for me. You are my baby, it is you and me against the world. You will always be my priority so next time let me know if anything is wrong. Anything at all and we will figure it out together." I said.

"Okay, mummy." She answered.

"Give mummy a hug?" I asked and stretched out my arms for her to come in.

She jumped on me. She actually did and I went tumbling down with her in my arms. We both laughed at that and she wrapped her hands around my neck tightly, all the while she couldn't stop laughing.

I would never trade this for anything. I will always choose her over everything else in this world. She came to my life when I needed her the most and became my rock ever since and I just...I can't imagine my life without her in it.

"I love you mummy." She declared while placing a kiss on my cheek.

"I love you too, Pumpkin. I love you so very much." I replied and started kissing her all over her face. She was laughing so hard that she snorted twice.

"So...does this mean..."

"Yes, we don't have to go on that date anymore. You can change into your pajamas and get ready to have a movie night with mummy." I told her and she squealed.

"Yay! Thank you, mummy. You are the best." She declared before running off to her closet to search for her pajamas.

I got up from my position on the floor and picked up my phone. I guess I have a date to cancel and I might also end up breaking up with him over the phone— I know, I know, breaking up over the phone is not exactly a sensible way of ending things with someone but knowing Aiden, he probably prefers ending things over the phone than a face to face breakup. He is just weird like that. It is so not going to be pretty but that is okay, it is a little price to pay in exchange for my baby girl's happiness.

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Just like I expected, the call was chaotic. I spent over twenty minutes trying to explain why our relationship was not going to work and he did admit that he does find children annoying and I honestly don't hold that against him. I just had to make him understand that whatever it is that was between the both of us won't work because I and Aria are like a package deal, like buy one get one free. She is always going to be a part of my life whether he likes it or not and I don't think I can deal with the fact that the both of them won't get along.

Thankfully, he understood and we agreed to remain friends although I doubt that is going to work but whatever. I quickly changed into my pajamas and hurried down to join Aria in our cinema— it is actually a living room but she likes to call it a cinema every movie night and I always indulge her.

"Finally. I was about to start the movie without you." She said jokingly.

I gasped in fake horror. "Oh, you wouldn't dare," I said and she giggled.

"So what movie are we seeing?" I asked her as we settled on my very cozy love-shaped couch together. The couch is really tiny and can only fit one person comfortably but we have been sitting together on this couch since...forever and it has just become our thing. I sit on the couch and she sits on my lap and rests her head on my chest.

"It's a surprise." She said and I laughed.

I am pretty sure it is going to be one of those movies that we have seen more times than I can count. She turned off the lights with the remote control and started the movie. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her even closer and she snuggled into my chest.

Best feeling in the world. This is definitely better than a date in the cinema.

I left out a scoff when the movie started playing. "Raya and the last dragon? We have seen this ton of times, Aria." I said.

She shrugged. "It is one of my favorites and I want to see it again."

"No problem, Pumpkin but I bet you will fall asleep twenty minutes into the movie," I said.

"That's not true."

"Okay okay. Thirty minutes then." I said.

"Whatever mummy. The movie is starting." She said and that was my cue to keep quiet.

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Thirty minutes later and she was fast asleep. She had her face buried in the crook of my neck. I reached for the remote and turned off the television before turning on the light and I slowly lifted her in my arms, careful not to wake her. I carried her to my room because she never spends the entire night in her room so we just decided to always sleep in my room together. I placed her on the bed and tucked her in. I watched her for five minutes just to make sure she was asleep and fine before I went back downstairs to clean up a little bit.

Tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to go to work tomorrow cause Patricia will be taking care of things this weekend and I will be taking the next weekend. I intend to sleep the morning away— if Aria will let me—hence, the cleaning up. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I missed the sound of the doorbell the first time it rang. I snapped out of my thoughts when it rang the second time.

It was almost ten pm, who could it be? It can't be Patricia, she would have called me and I don't know who else...unless...can it be Aiden? The doorbell rang for the third time and I quickly ran to open the door before Aria woke up from the noise.

"Aiden you..." I looked up at the person at the door and I realized my mistake almost immediately.

"You are not Aiden," I said breathlessly and his only response was to stare at me slowly from my head down to my toes. His eyes lingered a bit when he got to my lips and chest area.

It was like I was in a movie because I literally could not believe my eyes and it was taking my usually fast brain a long time to register who was standing before me.

What the hell, Emilia? Snap out of it.

I did snap out of it then and I tried to shut the door but he had another idea. He stopped the door from closing with his foot and gently pushed the door open before stepping into my house like he owned the place.

"Potresti voler chiudere quella porta, Bella." He drawled and it was as if he had an unexplainable control over me cause I did close the door as he asked.

After all these years, I have thought about meeting him again. I have come up with several scenarios but never this. I didn't expect this. I definitely didn't see this coming now. It might have been almost six years since I saw him that first and last time but I would remember that face even in my sleep.

I mean it is him, the man that I lost my virginity to and most importantly, Aria's father and he is here, in my house for only God knows what.

"What..." I started to say when I heard the soft sounds of something that was undeniably Aria's footsteps.

"Mummy." She called out.

"Aria honey, don't come down here. Go back to bed." I called after her, my voice was shaky. I was feeling too many emotions at once.

She appeared at the end of the staircase "Mummy, I..." she stopped talking when she finally noticed that someone else was in the room with me.

"Mummy...who is that?" She asked and I could have sworn that I felt my heart dropped to the very pit of my stomach.

"A...Ar...Aria baby...." I stuttered.

"Ciao bella."