My Ex-wife, My Destination

Daisy’s P. O. V.

As Luke stands beside me, holding out his hand, I am just about to rise from the sofa, ignoring him, but Hope places my hand in his, giggling.

A smile flashes on his face as he clasps my hand, sending a shiver down my spine. Yes, his mere touch still affects me like this, and I hate it.

“Go, go, Mommy and Daddy!” Hope squeals, standing on the sofa and bouncing on it.

I take a deep breath before standing up. Luke leads me to the dance floor after passing me a small smile. Five years ago, I yearned for his affection. Now, when Luke is finally treating me with kindness and care, I feel baffled.

Part of me wants to push him away, to maintain the walls I’ve built around my heart to protect myself from getting hurt again. But another part of me, a part I’ve tried to bury deep inside, yearns for love from him.

As we stand in front of each other on the dance floor, I look everywhere except at him. He grabs my waist with one hand and entwines my fingers with his other, drawing me closer. I stare at him, surprised.

“Let’s dance for Hope. Please.” As he requests, I glance at Hope, who stands on the sofa, holding the phone in her hand to shoot a video of our dance.

I turn my gaze back to him and give him a nod. “Only for Hope.” As I murmur, we begin to move to the rhythm of the music.

I avoid looking at him because I know once I do, I’ll certainly lose myself in his oceanic blue eyes.

“I must say, the dress I purchased for you suits every curve of your body so perfectly.” As he whispers in my ear in a husky tone, his warm breath touches my skin, sending a jolt of electricity down my spine and igniting a familiar flame of desire deep within me.

Fuck! No! How can I still feel this way about him after all that he’s done?

I try to ignore the effect his proximity has on me, focusing instead on the sound of the music and the joy visible in Hope’s eyes as she watches us dance. But it’s getting hard for me to resist him.

We continue to sway to the music, now with both his hands resting on my waist and mine on his chest. I’m trying so hard not to look at him.

“Butterfly.” As he murmurs, I again look at him and find his intense gaze locked on me. “I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you. I promise I’ll make it up to you.” His eyes are filled with honesty, and there’s a longing to make amends for the mistakes of the past.

For a few seconds, I lose myself in his gaze, forgetting about the entire world. It’s as if the past few years have melted away, leaving only the present moment. Right now, I truly want him to make up for all the pain he caused me. Deep inside, I’m still longing to be loved by him in a way that heals all wounds, erases all doubts, and fills the void in my heart.

But then reality hits me hard, reminding me of the countless nights I spent alone, crying myself to sleep, wondering why he couldn’t love me the way I deserved. I can’t just forget all that pain and humiliation, no matter how much I may still love him.

Yes, it’s true that I still love Luke.

Taking a step back, I tear my gaze away from his, my heart pounding. “You can never make up for the pain you caused me, Luke. The wounds you gave me are so deep they can never be healed.”

I push him away and rush towards Hope, with Luke following me.

“Mommy, Daddy, you both rocked!” she squeals and, as always, seeing her sparkling eyes and a smile on her face, I forget about everything.

Luke and I together bend down to kiss her cheeks, but she moves away, and we end up pecking on each other’s lips. As our lips touch, my eyes widen in shock, my heartbeat quickens, and my desire to taste his lips intensifies. It’s been five years since our lips met and I felt the warmth of his kiss against mine.

I pull away, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I meet Luke’s gaze. He looks just as stunned as I am, his eyes wide and his lips parted in surprise. But beneath the shock, I see something else flickered in his eyes-a hint of longing, of desire.

“Mommy and Daddy kissed each other.” Hope’s giggles pull us back to the earth, and we both stand straight.

“You naughty little girl, why did you move away?” I ask, pulling Hope’s cheeks, trying to ignore my body burning with desire.

“I just did it for fun, Mommy.” She laughs, placing both of her hands on her mouth, stealing my heart all over again.

“You know, now what Daddy will do to have fun?” Luke asks her, raising his brows.

“What?” Hope stares at her with curiosity.

“This.” As he tickles Hope’s tummy, her innocent laughter fills the restaurant, and a smile tugs at my lips, seeing this sight.

Earlier, I was jealous of their bond, thinking that Luke had returned to snatch Hope from me. However, now I realise that Luke’s presence in Hope’s life is a blessing because she is finally experiencing her father’s love, which she yearned for. He may not have been a good husband, but perhaps he can be a good father.

***

Luke’s P. O. V.

“Mommy and Daddy danced and kissed each other today, and Hopi enjoyed it a lot.”

As we return from the restaurant, Hope dances and hoots, standing in the car backseat between Daisy and me. I wonder where she gets all her energy.

“Hope, do you ever get tired?” I ask, smiling at her.

“Luke, she only gets tired when I ask her to do her homework,” Daisy answers, chuckling, and I lose myself in her for a few seconds. She looks so extraordinarily beautiful when she laughs like this.

However, she looks around, realising she unknowingly behaved normally with me.

“Mommy is right, Daddy. I don’t like to do homework; it’s super duper boring.” Hope giggles, climbing into my lap and drawing my attention back to her.

I pull her cheeks, laughing.

“Hope wants to have fun the entire day.” She yawns, resting her head on my chest. “With you and Mommy….” She dozes off, and I lean in and kiss her forehead.

Every moment I spend with her, and Daisy is precious to me.

As I shift my gaze to Daisy, I catch her already looking at us.

“You can never make up for the pain you caused me, Luke. The wounds you gave me are so deep they can never be healed.”

Her words from our dance echo in my ears, filling me with remorse. I wish I could change the past. However, I can’t do that. Now I can only make amends and try to build a better future.

“Daisy,” I begin, but she averts her eyes. “I know the wounds I gave you are too deep to be healed, but I’ll keep trying if you want me to or not. I’m ready to spend my entire life alleviating the pain I caused you.”

She doesn’t answer, just keeps staring out of the car window.

***Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

After dropping Daisy and Hope off at their home, I return to the luxurious villa where I’m staying. I’m already missing my family. I can’t wait for the day when I’ll start living with them. For now, the few moments I spend with them are more than enough for me.

My lips curve into a smile as I look at the photos of Daisy and Hope that I took today. I select one photo and set it on my phone wallpaper.

I gasp as I watch the video of my dance with Daisy. We look so perfect together. It’s clear she’s trying hard to avoid looking at me and resist me.

It was incredibly satisfying to feel her close to me after so many years. When I grabbed her waist and drew her closer, my entire body burned with desire. It was a perfect moment. I just can’t get it out of my mind.

Thank you, Hope, for making your mommy dance with me.

For a moment, I’m transported back to the dance floor, to the way her hand felt in mine and the warmth of her against me.