4-Ice

AVA

Melissa has been asking for Ice cream while I drove. It was very, very difficult to concentrate with her persistent whining so I parked my car in the nearest Ice cream parlour and carried her out of the car, walking to the entrance of the parlour.

"Just one Ice cream Lissa, and you promise not to disturb me till we get home?" I asked her while walking, she just nodded her head and pouted. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she is.

The door of the parlour was opened by a young man who I assumed worked here. He must have noticed how tired I was while carrying Melissa.

I smiled admiring his kind gesture, "Thank you."

He followed us to our seat, standing beside the table while I checked the menu containing different flavours of ice cream.

"I'll have the Pistachio Ice cream and one chocolate Ice cream for her." I told him. He just smiled and left to get them.

Melissa was suddenly quiet which was unlike her. Each time we were out for Ice cream, she usually was a chatterbox.

"Lissa?" I said, rubbing her arm with my hand. The young man that had gone to get us Ice cream just returned with it, placing it on the table, he left.

Melissa hasn't shown any bit of excitement when the Ice cream was placed on the table. She just kept staring ahead of us.

Worried I spoke to her again, "Lissa, look, Ice cream." I said, but she just shook her head and kept it down, now this was getting on my nerves. 

Using my index finger, I raised her face to look at me and was frightened by her tear stained face, her eyes which were so white surrounding her dark blue Iris were stained with touches of red. 

"What is it Lissa? What's wrong? Tell mama, please." I begged, lifting her from the chair to my lap.

Lifting her hand, she pointed her tiny index finger at the table in front of us and I followed the direction of her finger

"Dada! " She cried. 

She pointed at a table of three. There sat a man who was sitting with a lady and a little boy. I couldn't control the emotions swirling inside of me.

Quickly placing some bills on the table, I picked up the ice cream and hurriedly lifted her into my arms. I was battling the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes when the young man that got us the ice cream approached me.

I think he noticed the scene Melissa had created.

"Leaving already?" He asked in a sad tone, looking down at the cash that sat on the table. When I didn't respond, he continued.

"Are our services not good enough? Did she not like the taste of the Ice cream?"

I shook my head, "Everything was perfect, something came up and we really need to be on our way." I half lied.

He nodded his head in understanding and collected the Ice cream from me.

I raised a brow but he ignored it, dashing into an open door beside him, he came out almost immediately he entered with the ice cream in a take home pack.

I smiled at him with immense gratitude, "Thank you so much, I'll definitely come around some other time." I assured him

"Please do and bring her with you." He said, referring to Melissa who was already asleep in my arms from the tears she shed.

I was a complete mess while driving, weeping and thinking of ways to explain to Melissa that her dad wants nothing to do with her. He doesn't even know she exists, he had locked me out of the house on a rainy night because of nothing but mere lies. He despises me but what kind of marriage doesn't face problems... apparently ours simply didn't tolerate it. 

I remember the first time I had called him to tell him about Melissa, even when my dad was against it. 

Flashback 2 Years Ago

"Hello Ryan. It's... It's Ava." I was so nervous that my voice came out shaky.

I looked towards my dad when there was dead silence on the other end. My dad had signaled me to put the call on loudspeaker so he could hear Ryan

"What do you want?" His voice was cold. Breathing a sigh, I opened my mouth to speak when he beat me to it

"Listen, I want nothing to do with you and believe nothing will ever change that" He paused for a moment before continuing, "There's no problem love." I was about to get excited about what he just called me.

"You're just a backstabbing whore." Ryan said like it was the most simple thing in the world. He was about to end the call when my phone was taken from me and smashed against the wall by my angry Father.

While I cried every night, he moved on. All the times I wanted to explain things to him and get our marriage back in its fullest, he was busy with his lovers

"Don't ever allow anybody to talk to you that way. If they don't want you, then stay far, far away from them" My dad had told me, drying my tears.

"Promise me one thing Ava, Promise me you'll never go back to him." He begged. I nodded my head before he pulled me into a hug.

-

I pulled up in the driveway of my dad's mansion that was now mine. Isabelle must have heard me drive in because she came walking towards the car immediately after I had parked it. She helped carry Lissa into the house with me following closely behind with the ice cream I had bought earlier.

I couldn't help but think about what had happened today. I understand that Melissa is but a child but this is becoming unbearable. It has become torture, pure torture. 

Climbing the stairs to my room, I couldn't control the tears any longer, So I let it out. The tears were streaming down my cheeks with no form of control.

I never bargained for this, the thoughts of the day the doctor had announced that I was pregnant came rushing in. 

It was a memorable day to me and could have been more memorable if Ryan had been there with me, it could have saved me that night. 

The night he left me and my baby to die in the cold and on the streets...