Expired Expectation

Astrid was aware that her daughter, Coco, loved her father. The problem was that the father, Isaiah, did not love her, nor did he love Coco; he only ever allowed Coco to address him as uncle. After Isaiah dismissed the three chances Coco gave him, she decided she was going to leave him for good. It was only then that Isaiah changed his mind and started pleading desperately, “My dear, I want nothing more than to hear you call me your father.” Chapter 1 “Mom, can we not go?” Coco asked as she wrapped her arms around Astrid Payne's neck. There were tears in her eyes. “Daddy gave me a music box decorated with rainbow patterns today, and he wasn’t angry when I called him Daddy. I think he’s starting to like me. “I love daddy. I don’t want to leave him.” Astrid looked at the longing in her daughter Coco's eyes and could not bear to tell her the truth. Isaiah Lear did not love either Coco or Astrid. He had no love to speak for his family. At the time, Isaiah was engaged to his first love and girlfriend, Juno Calzier. Then, she ended up cheating on him. Juno dumped him at their wedding venue and left with another man. No matter how much Isaiah pleaded, she refused to go back to him. Isaiah was so upset that he chose a new bride for himself straight from the crowd. That bride just so happened to be Astrid. Even though they have been married for five years, they have been sleeping in separate rooms the entire time. One time when Isaiah got drunk, he ended up sleeping with Astrid in a night filled with passion. And that was how Astrid unexpectedly found herself pregnant. After that, Isaiah’s mother pleaded with Astrid to cancel the abortion she had scheduled to keep the baby. Isaiah ended up fostering resentment toward Astrid because of what happened. He extended the same resentment towards Coco. After Astrid gave birth, she spent half a month in the ICU. Isaiah never bothered to visit her, and Coco once. He never hugged Coco and would much rather watch her choke on milk and vomit than step in to help. Though he was the father, he regarded her with less affection than a stranger would. Then one night, Juno returned to the country following a divorce. Isaiah, who had always ignored Coco, suddenly had a change of tone. He coddled Coco in his arms, kissed her, and even gifted her a music box. “Listen to the song on this music box, Mommy! It’s ‘My Dear Baby’!” cried Coco as she danced enthusiastically to the music. “Do you think Daddy picked this song for me because he loves me?” Before Astrid could even form a reply, Coco grabbed a picture frame with a family picture inside and went on again. “Look! This is Daddy holding me! He loves me, doesn’t he? “Look how happy he looks smiling in this picture!” At Astrid's silence, the light in her eyes dimmed, and tears began to fall from her cheeks. “Mommy, Daddy must be tired from having to perform so many surgeries every day, that’s why he never smiles at me or hugs me. He doesn’t hate me, does he? “Please, can we stay here? I want to see Daddy, I can’t sleep if I cannot see Daddy.” Astrid’s lips trembled for a moment, and when she tried to speak, nothing came out. How was she supposed to tell Coco that the reason Isaiah gifted her a music box was because he was celebrating Juno’s divorce and her return to the country? How was she to tell Coco that the picture she was holding was photoshopped by Astrid? Should she bluntly tell Coco that this was a mirage she had created to give Coco an impression of a harmonious family? Or how did Isaiah react when Coco was ill? He tried to sign a document to stop treatment. She could not bear to reveal such cruel truths to Coco. All she could do was endure the pain. “Coco, the only reason we’re leaving Uncle Isaiah is because Mommy is going to take you to a better place. “I don’t want to call him Uncle Isaiah.” Coco wiped her tears and spoke in a choked-up voice, “I am the only one in my class who calls my father Uncle.” Astrid paused. After five years of marriage, her commitment to him never touched Isaiah. He had demanded to marry her secretly. Then he forbade Coco from addressing him as her father. He wanted to be addressed as an uncle as if he were an outsider to the family. When Coco turned two, Astrid took her to the hospital for a routine examination. When they were in the elevator, Coco happened to bump into Isaiah, who was at work with his fellow doctors. She blurted out, “Daddy!” That night, Isaiah locked her in a small, dark room, completely ignoring the fact that she was afraid of the dark. Coco ended up developing a fever and fainted for three days before coming to! On Coco’s third birthday, Astrid had to beg Isaiah to attend the birthday party. Just like the last time, Isaiah took offense to Coco addressing him as her father. He ditched her in the park and left by himself. When Astrid finally managed to find Coco, human traffickers who were close to snatching her away had shaved her head. They even had her change into flimsy outerwear despite the cold. If Astrid had only been five minutes late, Coco would have been kidnapped! When they got home, Coco threw herself into Isaiah’s arms and bawled her eyes out while holding onto his clothes, “I’m sorry, Uncle Isaiah, I was wrong!” Since then, she learned to address him as Uncle Isaiah and never laughed in his presence. The mere thought of it made Astrid experience the searing pain again. She took Coco into her arms. “Coco, Uncle Isaiah doesn’t like to have us around. Be a good girl, alright?” Coco burst into tears. She held the music box firmly. “If Uncle Isaiah doesn’t like me, why would he bother giving me a gift?” she asked in confusion. “Coco, be good. You know there’s going to be another woman moving into the house soon.” Coco wrapped her arms around Astrid’s neck and started to bawl again. “But I just want Daddy to love me,” she said, her voice caught in her throat. “Let me give him three more chances. If he still hates me, I'll give him up. “Alright,” Astrid relented. “Isaiah, we will give you three more chances. If you let us down again, we are going to leave you for good. It would be like we never existed,” Astrid said inwardly. Chapter 2 The next day was Astrid's wedding anniversary with Isaiah. She finalized the divorce agreement and booked a flight to get out of Lovatia the day after tomorrow. In the afternoon, she went to the kindergarten to take Coco home. When they passed through the central square, they bumped into Isaiah, who was down on one knee, proposing to Juno. Many onlookers were mumbling among themselves. “Mr. Lear must truly love Juno to splurge two million dollars on an engagement ring!” “In the past, Mr. Lear intentionally registered for the same university as Juno, despite his great talent.” “Even when she cheated on him and married someone else, he patiently waited for her to come back to him. He loved her with complete devotion!” “Both were gifted and very attractive. The children that were to come from their union would be gorgeous as well!” Astrid looked at the wedding ring on her finger and smiled bitterly. It was a ring meant for Juno originally. It was slightly too big for Astrid, but Isaiah had never said anything about getting a new one for her. Yet, here he was spending two million dollars on a ring for Juno. Astrid told herself she was too presumptuous. She had foolishly assumed that as long as she took care of his parents and dedicated herself to making tasty food for him, it would be enough to win his affection. As long as Coco was an obedient and thoughtful daughter, Isaiah would be compelled to dedicate himself to his family. Reality had utterly crushed all the expectations she had. Isaiah treated their home as nothing more than temporary lodging. There were countless times he threw away the food she prepared for him. Time and time again, he would ignore Coco’s request for a hug. He was blind to her longings, cold-shouldered her every time, and even refused to approach her. He never loved Astrid or Coco. Astrid was the one who foolishly clung to her teenage obsession with Isaiah and refused to snap out of her delusion. How stupid and naive she had been. “Mommy, that person proposing looks like Daddy!” Coco's shrill voice snapped Astrid back to reality. Just as she prepared to carry Coco away from the scene, Juno suddenly stopped in front of her to cut off her path. Juno eyed Astrid and Coco for a moment before remarking hesitantly, “Isaiah, didn’t you tell me you didn’t marry anyone and only pretended to just to get on my nerves? Why are this girl’s eyebrows shaped like yours? “She’s… ” When Isaiah looked at the shock and hurt in Coco’s eyes, he felt a faint throb in his heart. Though it only lasted an instant. Then, he walked past Astrid with Juno still wrapped around his arms. “I have no idea who that is. A nasty coincidence.” On the way home, Coco buried her head in Astrid's arms and cried for a long time. “Is that lady the girl Uncle Isaiah likes? Is she going to move in?” she asked when she finally looked up. Astrid nodded weakly. From the corner of her eye, she saw a white car drive by. She spotted Isaiah inside the car, putting on a necklace for Juno with a doting look in his eyes. That was her husband showing affection to another woman. There was nothing she could do to stop him or change things. “Don't be sad, Mommy. You have me,” Coco declared firmly despite the lump in her throat. “I will always love you.” Astrid felt herself tearing up, too. She embraced Coco tightly, “I’m fine, don’t worry.” When they got home, Coco locked herself in the room and would not let anyone enter. Astrid felt her heart break when she heard Coco’s sobs filtering through the door. It took a long time before she convinced Coco to open the door for her. Coco was coughing violently when she handed Astrid a framed picture. “Mommy, I’d like to take this with me when we go.” It was a picture of Astrid with Coco. Astrid felt a mix of feelings when she looked at it. She knelt before Coco and gently wiped the tears from her face. “Mommy will take more photos with you, okay? You won’t ever have to cry again.” Coco felt weak and leaned against Astrid’s shoulders. “Mommy, my chest hurts. Is something wrong with my heart?” she asked, her voice filled with grief. Astrid had to calm her breath at the question. “There’s nothing wrong with it. Mommy will fix it for you.” Isaiah, there goes your first chance. Only two left to go! Chapter 3 Isaiah didn’t come back home that night. Just like their last few wedding anniversaries, Astrid was left all by herself watching over the table full of dishes she had prepared. She waited until night turned into day again. In the past, she would have called him relentlessly and almost begged him to come home to celebrate with her. But now, she was no longer willing to humiliate herself. Besides, Isaiah never cared about their marriage anyway. Nor did he ever care about her and Coco. She picked up the fork and went for a particularly large piece of marinated pork rib. The rib was very difficult to swallow and somehow tasted bitter in her mouth. It was a perfect analogy for their marriage for the last five years. There was never even a hint of sweetness, only sadness and bitterness. She poured all of the leftover dishes into the bin and proceeded to pack up her luggage. Then she deleted all photos of Isaiah from her phone. She even tore their wedding pictures. She went another step further and even uprooted all the sunflowers she used to plant for him in the garden. After everything was done, she dragged her exhausted body upstairs to coax Coco to bed. To her horror, she found Coco in bed with her cheeks flushed red and a speck of blood on the corner of her lips! She almost shrieked in horror and immediately rushed Coco to the hospital. Doctor Daniel Niell was assigned to attend to Coco. He put a stethoscope over Coco’s chest and began his examination. That was when they heard a familiar voice from outside the ward, “Which ward is Doctor Niell assigned to?” “Mommy, I think that’s Uncle Isaiah!” Coco's eyes lit up as she spoke, “Does he know I’m sick? Is that why he came to see me? Good thing I’m still in my school uniform! “He once told me I looked very cute wearing it!” Astrid told herself it was impossible. Despite that, she could not deny that she felt a tinge of eagerness as well. Perhaps Isaiah did come to visit Coco out of the goodness of his heart. Coco had been coughing and getting sick frequently lately. Isaiah’s mother had been calling Astrid recently to check on Coco’s condition as well. She would also instruct Isaiah to pay attention to Coco. When Astrid turned, she almost lost her balance. Isaiah was holding a little girl while Juno was trailing behind them with a gentle look in her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with Emmie, it’s just a light cough. Don’t be so dramatic about it! “Doctor Niell is very busy, let him attend to his patient first!” "Juno, it’s not just a cough!” Isaiah looked like a nervous wreck. “What if it develops into something more serious, like a lung infection? That’s very dangerous!” The light in Coco's eyes instantly went out, and she suddenly hunched over and started coughing violently. The sight of it made Astrid’s heart twist into a knot. She patted Coco on the back and turned to Doctor Niell. "Doctor, Coco’s fever won’t go away, and she’s even coughing up blood. Please tell me if there’s anything wrong with her! It's not pneumonia, is it?” Doctor Niell did not respond, he looked like he was put in a difficult spot. Astrid turned to Isaiah and pleaded, “Doctor Lear, could you help me? My daughter’s condition is very serious and she needs to be looked at…” Isaiah frowned when he noticed the speck of blood on the corner of Coco’s lips. Again, his sympathy lasted only for an instant. Then, he suddenly declared firmly, “Doctor, please attend to Emmie!” Astrid looked at Isaiah in disbelief. She felt chills all over her body. Isaiah was not even trying to hide his favoritism for Emmie. He completely ignored Coco’s grief and tears in her eyes. Coco did not mean anything to him! Astrid walked away with Coco and took a taxi to another hospital. When the doctor gave Coco an injection, the girl who had always been afraid of needles held back her tears and told Astrid, “Mommy, look, I’m not crying. Do you think Uncle Isaiah will like me just a little more if he knows? Would he come to visit me?” Astrid looked at the longing in her eyes and felt like crying again. “Coco, you are a strong and sensible girl. You deserve the affection of someone better.” “But I want Uncle Isaiah to like me,” Coco sobbed. “Even now, I don’t know what it’s like to have him hug me.” Astrid felt like she’d been stabbed and subconsciously clenched her fists. There goes your second chance, Isaiah! You only have one last chance! Chapter 4 After receiving emergency treatment at the hospital, Coco's condition was finally under control. Astrid was very attentive and made porridge for her to eat as well. However, Coco had no appetite and refused to eat at all. Then, a thought suddenly occurred to her. She did her best to force herself to swallow the porridge before telling Astrid, “Mommy, I will lead the dance on stage at school on Children's Day. “Would you call Uncle Isaiah and ask him to watch my performance?” Astrid’s hand froze midway. “You want him to come?” “I do. I really do. It’s going to be my first time performing on stage. It will be the last time I ever ask him to come watch my performance… “I only hope he will remember the way I shine on stage and never forget about me.” Sensing Astrid’s hesitant silence, Coco shook her head dejectedly and burst out in tears. “Never mind, I shouldn’t have asked for so much.” “Coco, you’re not asking for too much.” Astrid felt morose as she said that. She then reached for her phone and composed a text to send to Isaiah. [Coco has a dance performance at her school on Children's Day, would you go watch her?] As usual, there was no reply from him. Coco stared at the display on Astrid’s phone without blinking. Every time a notification popped up, she would become very excited. However, her excitement would only be rewarded with disappointment. They waited until dawn. “Is he not going to come watch me perform?” Coco asked and coughed violently again. Then, she tried to justify it nonchalantly, “Maybe he’s just busy with all the surgeries, I understand. I don’t blame him.” Astrid observed how sensible Coco was, but could not help but feel crushed. She wanted to comfort her, but did not know how to at all. Last night, even when Coco was facing an emergency medical crisis, Isaiah still mercilessly refused to attend to her and prioritized Emmie over her. The sight of Coco trying to defend Isiah despite how much she was hurting was awful for Astrid to behold. She could not take it. “Mommy, don't be sad! I would still be very happy that you get to watch me perform! “Mommy is all I need,” she declared as she snuggled up to Astrid. Astrid gently kissed her and smiled reluctantly, “You can do it, my dear. Mommy is looking forward to seeing your wonderful performance!” Coco was very motivated by this and forced herself to finish another bowl of porridge and even had a couple of cherries. While Coco was getting her IV drip, Astrid stayed with her and watched the instructional dance videos the teacher sent. At one point, a notification message from Isaiah popped up. [Okay.] Astrid was overjoyed. She excitedly showed Coco the message, “Look, he says he’s going to come and watch you perform!” “Really?” Coco was just as enthused and showered Astrid with kisses. “This is the first time Uncle Isaiah is going to see me perform, so I must do my best! “Mommy, please help me put on my outfit. I want to practice right now!” In their five years of marriage, this was the first time Isaiah made a promise with Coco. Astrid was overjoyed, but could not quell her concern as well. A voice inside her head wondered if Isaiah’s reply was nothing more than a typo. However, she decided she could not rain on Coco’s parade when she saw how happy she was as she put on her outfit. Isaiah’s reply gave Coco a boost of confidence. Despite the condition of her body, she made herself practise for three hours in the ward. When they were taking a break, she produced all kinds of little trinkets from her bag to show Astrid. She was chirping away cheerily like a little bird. “Look, this is a clay doll the teachers taught us to make during arts and crafts! “Uncle Isaiah likes lions… Do you think he’ll be happy if I give him that? “Mommy, I won sixteen badges this school year! I came in first place in class, and the principal gave me a box of chocolates! I saved it to eat with you and Uncle Isaiah on Children's Day!” “That’s wonderful, you did a good job, Coco,” Astrid said with a smile. She hoped Isaiah would not skip the appointment. She hoped Coco would have an unforgettable Children’s Day before they left for good. However, she could not shake the fear that her hopes would be all for nothing. Chapter 5 After hurriedly getting Coco discharged from the hospital, Astrid took her to the supermarket to buy the snacks and ribbons the teacher instructed them to bring tomorrow. While Astrid was busy picking out snacks, Coco pranced up to her and asked in a voice filled with wonder, “Mommy, I saw Daddy picking out a doll in the gift section! Do you think it’s a Children’s Day present for me?” Astrid turned around to look. She spotted Isaiah, who seemed busy choosing a suitable doll. He was wearing a gentle and affectionate smile while doing so. Suddenly, from behind the rack, Emmie ran and wrapped herself around Isaiah’s leg and called out “Daddy!” in a cheery voice. Then came Juno with a cup of yogurt. Astrid quickly removed her earphones and put them on Coco while shielding her eyes in one smooth gesture, “I’m sure you’ll get a present. Come on, let’s go, it’s getting late.” That night, Isaiah did not come home again. Coco slept with Astrid and was so excited that she woke up before the sun had risen. She happily stuffed the rainbow music box into her school bag, then she asked Astrid to braid her hair into a tiara around her head. She even drew a family portrait and planned to give it to Isaiah as a gift to remember her by. Astrid took Coco to the kindergarten and waited by the entrance for a while, but Isaiah was nowhere to be seen. The one they ended up seeing was Juno and her daughter Emmie, who both dressed up. Emmie was adorned in a sparkling dress similar to a real princess. She showed it off to her schoolmates, “Look, my Daddy had this custom-made for me! He spent twenty thousand dollars on it! “When he found out I liked princess dresses, he ordered hundreds of beautiful dresses for me!” “Mommy, I just remembered something. Emmie is the transfer student who came to our kindergarten recently. “Uncle Isaiah spoils her, I’m so jealous,” she said meekly. Astrid suppressed the bitterness she felt and did not speak. Both girls were the same age and liked princess dresses equally. Isaiah spoiled one of them like a princess while the other was an eyesore as far as he was concerned. He would rather not mention her at all. He did not even buy a gift for Coco. At the shift in Astrid’s mood, Coco paused and asked hesitantly, “Is Uncle Isaiah not coming because he’s busy?” Astrid decided to make up another lie to save Coco’s feelings from getting hurt. She produced a doll and showed it to her, “Even though he’s not coming, he got a present for you.” Coco immediately brightened at the sight of the doll. “Look, everyone! My Daddy loves me so much that he got me a doll!” All the children who were flocking around Emmie suddenly turned their attention to Coco’s doll. Emmie declared arrogantly, “What a pleb! Who cares about a doll? My house is filled with dolls!” Astrid was worried the children would get into a fight and wisely led Coco away. To her surprise, Emmie ran toward Coco and began to scramble around inside her bag. “Oh! So you’re the one who stole my rainbow music box!” she cried. “You better give it back!” Coco was caught off guard by the sudden shove from Emmie and fell on the grass. The music box fell out of her hand and landed on the ground. “Coco!” Astrid was horrified and went to pick Coco up off the ground. Coco’s right cheek was cut by a branch and was bleeding. Then Juno’s voice called out, “Your daughter is a thief, Astrid! She deserves it! “Tell her to return the music box to my daughter before I tell the parents’ group about this! You don’t want to get humiliated, do you?” “I’m not giving it back!" Coco wrapped her arms around the music box to defend it and cried out grievously, “And I’m not a thief!” Astrid was immediately enraged when she saw Coco in such a state. “For the record, Ms. Calzier, “ she hissed, “it was her father who gave her the music box! You better quit pointing fingers, or I’ll break them!” “What’s going on here?” A man’s gentle voice broke across the scene. Astrid turned toward the voice and frowned. It was Isaiah. Chapter 6 “Isaiah, this girl is a thief! She stole Emmie’s music box!” Juno said as she pointed at Coco. “You should have Emmie transferred to another kindergarten. I don’t want her around poor characters like this bunch over here.” “Coco did not steal Emmie’s music box. I have proof!” Astrid turned to Isaiah and waited expectantly for him to defend her. Isaiah ducked her gaze and started looking around nervously, “Where's Emmie? Is she hurt?” “Daddy, I'm here!” Emmie ran to him and pointed at Coco while hissing spitefully, “She stole the music box you gave me! Call the police, we have to arrest her! “She’s a bad person, we can’t have her dancing on stage!” Isaiah gently cupped Emmie’s face in his hand and inspected her anxiously. “Are you okay? Is your leg hurt? Is your hand scratched?" "Daddy, I’m okay. I didn’t fall.” Emmie shot a sideways glance at Coco. “It was the thief who got her face scratched! Serves her right!” Coco’s eyes swelled with tears as she tried to defend herself. “It was my Daddy who gave me the music box, I’m not a thief!” People around them began whispering among themselves. “Emmie’s music box is worth more than ten thousand dollars. All the kids were jealous of her, so Coco must have stolen it because she was jealous too!” “She keeps insisting it was her father who gave her the music box, but I have never seen her father pick her up from kindergarten. She’s lying!” “Coco is always sick and has to take days off from school. I'm sure her mother had to spend a fortune just to pay her medical bills.” “Their financial situation must be difficult at home, so that’s why she decided to steal the music box. It could fetch a good price on the second-hand market!” Astrid lowered her eyes to hide the bitterness within them. Although she had a husband, she had been living as if she were a widow. And now, Coco was accused of being a thief! It was ridiculous! Coco was furious with everything they said. “I have a daddy!” she announced. “He works as a doctor overseas, and he’s an amazing doctor! “He was the one who gave me the music box!” Juno frowned. “It’s not good to make a habit out of lying, girl. “Your music box is the same brand as my daughter’s. Do you know how much is it? More than you can afford! “I can tell you have the same one as my daughter’s!” Isaiah stole a look at the flustered Coco and suddenly felt something shift inside him. Then, he instantly suppressed the jolt he felt. “It's just a music box, we have plenty more at home. Come on, let’s go.” Coco seemed very pale and was struggling to stay on her feet at that point. Astrid was distressed and embraced her tightly while holding out her phone to Juno. “Ms. Calzier, I received the music box in a parcel from Falo two days ago. Here is the tracking number. You can look it up if you don’t believe me. “It was my husband who sent it to Coco!” Juno would not take Astrid’s phone and changed the subject instead. “I still feel like this girl’s eyebrows look just like yours, Isaiah. Are you sure you don’t know her?” “No, I don’t,” Isaiah said firmly. Suddenly, a teacher hurried to the scene and went up to Juno. “Ms. Calzier, I found a music box. Do you think this belongs to your daughter? Mrs. Aubrey Claire found it in the dance studio two days ago and posted it in the lost and found group. “Didn’t you see it?” Juno was embarrassed by the sudden development. She took the music box from the teacher and scurried away from the scene with Emmie. She did not even bother to apologize to Astrid and Coco. It was as if they did not exist. Isaiah trailed after them, but not before shooting a glare at Astrid as a warning to keep her mouth shut. Even without his warning, Astrid would have done the same. She knew Isaiah had already lost his final chance! After today’s dance performance, she was going to take Coco and walk out of his life for good! “Ms. Payne, allow me to apologize to you on behalf of Emmie, ” the headmaster said solemnly. “Why don’t you take Coco to the infirmary? The show is about to begin. “Sir, will I still get to dance on stage later?” Coco asked nervously. “I want Mommy to watch me perform, I want her to take a video!” “Of course!” The headmaster smiled graciously, “You are the most talented dancer in our kindergarten!" Then Astrid took Coco to the infirmary to dress her wound. When Coco snuck a glance at the door, she was taken aback and cried out, “Da… Uncle Isaiah! Why are you here?” Chapter 7 Astrid turned toward the door and locked eyes with Isaiah. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. Isaiah did not say anything but motioned to his assistant, Mike Lancaster, to approach. “Coco, I got you a new music box. I hope you like it.” Coco rubbed her eyes and took a moment to register what was happening, “Mommy, am I dreaming? “Uncle Isaiah got me a new music box!” “It's not a dream.” Astrid took the music box and handed it to Coco. “Go on, play it.” Coco danced to the rhythm of the melodic tune churning out of the music box, then her eyes began to tear up. “Thank you, Uncle Isaiah. I will cherish it.” Isaiah noted Coco’s excitement and the tears in her eyes. He hesitated for a few seconds before remarking in a somber voice, “Coco, Emmie wants to be the lead dancer during the performance today. “Your face is cut anyway, so it wouldn’t be wise for you to dance. Why don’t you let Emmie take your spot instead?” Astrid’s smile stiffened in an instant. Coco’s eyes began to fray with red as well. So the reason he came to visit was not because he was concerned for Coco; he was only here to negotiate for Emmie. What an insult! “Alright, Uncle Isaiah,” Coco answered icily. She gently caressed the white tassel ornament on the music box and felt her heart break. The way she said it made Isaiah instinctively frown. Just as he was about to say something, the phone in his pocket rang. It was Juno. “Emmie has a nosebleed, we need you right now!” His expression changed in an instant, and he left immediately. The moment he walked out of the room, Astrid called out after him, “I mailed you something, make sure you open it tomorrow morning…” Isaiah cut her off impatiently, “Don’t bother buying anything for me in the future, I don’t need it!” Astrid lowered her eyes to sheathe the icy look within them and did not speak. It was not a gift or anything like that. It was a signed divorce agreement! … Later, Astrid took Coco back to the performance venue, then went to her seat. The teacher led the children backstage to prepare for the performance. Emmie was positioned at the front of the group. She cheerily waved to Isaiah and Juno in the audience and smiled proudly, “Thank you, Daddy, for making my dream come true!” As soon as she said that, Astrid noticed Coco, who was assigned to the back of the group, nearly slip and fall. Her heart nearly broke at the sight. She got up and waved at her to encourage her, “You can do it, Coco! You’re the best!” Coco's eyes brightened, and she responded with a bright smile. Soon, the performance officially began. Astrid sat among the audience and flipped through the program sheet. She realized Coco was scheduled for the last performance of the day, the dance of the Four Little Swans. After patiently waiting an hour, it was finally time for the Four Little Swans to get on stage. She reached for her phone and started recording, only to find that Coco was nowhere to be seen! She was gone! Astrid felt herself getting dizzy and quickly went to the headmaster to ask for an explanation. The headmaster answered solemnly, “Ms. Payne, I was just about to speak to you. “We just found out that Coco is missing. I spoke to the security guards and had them pull the surveillance camera footage. They are looking into it as we speak. “Could you tell me where your daughter usually likes to hang out?” “She loves to dance!" Astrid said anxiously, “Take me to the dance studio, please!” When they got to the dance studio, it was empty. Coco was nowhere to be seen. Astrid ran around the kindergarten in search of Coco to no avail. Soon, the other parents heard about what happened and started to help as well, but it was no use. One hour passed. Then two hours came and went. It had been three hours since Coco’s mysterious disappearance, but still, there were no leads! Astrid was sweating anxiously when she spotted Emmie, who was playing on a swing in the playground. She was toying with a white tassel pendant. Astrid approached her and asked anxiously, “That’s an ornament from my daughter’s music box! Have you seen Coco anywhere?” “Astrid, what are you trying to say?” Juno ran over out of nowhere and wrapped her arms protectively around Emmie, who had started bawling her eyes out. She was furious. “This is just a common tassel pendant, you can find it anywhere! How dare you accuse my daughter of withholding information about Coco?” Chapter 8 “What’s going on, Juno?” Isaiah had appeared, too. He noticed the dark look in Astrid’s eyes and noted her strange demeanor. “Astrid showed up and accused Emmie of hiding information about where Coco is, even though she does not have any proof.” Juno was upset. “She was the one who didn’t know how to look after her daughter, how dare she pin the blame on someone else! It’s ridiculous!” “Mr. Lear, the white tassel pendant Emmie is holding comes from Coco's music box!” Astrid announced sternly. “Emmie must have seen Coco before she disappeared! “Coco has been missing for three hours. Do you know what this means? “We can’t afford to waste any time, her life might be in danger!” Isaiah's expression shifted slightly at her words. He bent low and gently took Emmie's hand. “Emmie, you can tell Daddy the truth. Have you seen Coco? ” “No!” Emmie's eyes looked away shiftily. “The white tassel pendant… I picked it up off the floor.” “You are clearly lying!” Astrid insisted angrily. “I made sure to tighten it around Coco's music box, so it wouldn’t just fall off! Where did you see Coco? Answer me, now!” “Ms. Payne, my daughter says she picked it up off the floor, which part of it don’t you understand? “If you keep accusing her, I will have the headmaster come over and settle this for us!” Astrid was in no mood to bicker over this. She needed to find her daughter. She made up her mind to call the police. When the police arrived, Emmie ducked behind Isaiah and whimpered timidly, “Daddy, I'm scared, please tell them to go away!” Isaiah frowned. “Emmie, I’m going to ask you one more time. Have you seen Coco?” he asked solemnly. “I haven’t seen her, I promise!” Emmie said with tears in her eyes. “Honey, please give us the tassel pendant.” The chief officer came up to them and spoke sternly, “Coco has been missing for three hours. This is a very urgent situation. We have to find her as soon as possible.” Emmie tossed the tassel pendant away as if she were playing hot potato. Then she demanded that Isaiah take her home. Isaiah obliged and took her away. Before he left, he stopped and turned to Mike. “Bring more manpower over and find the girl." Juno was taken aback by the gesture while Emmie looked upset. Astrid was in no mood to care about how they felt. She followed the police officers and their patrol dogs to the back of the school building. Suddenly, the police dog started barking at the innermost closet in the dressing room! “Coco!” Astrid charged at the closet and pounded at the door as hard as she could while crying out, “Are you in there? Say something, it’s Mommy! "Someone, pry this door open, hurry up!” As soon as the closet door opened, Astrid was shocked by what she saw. Coco was in a curled-up position inside the closet. Her breathing was very weak, and her face was a faint purple. The back of the closet door was covered with scratches. She had been clawing at it with her nails! Astrid carried the distressed Coco in her arms and was in complete shock by this point. After they got into the ambulance waiting by the entrance, she cried out frantically, “Hang in there, Coco! We’ll get you to the hospital!” Moments before the door closed, Isaiah gripped the door and entered the ambulance as well and declared, “I’m coming with you.” “What are you doing here?” Astrid was equally surprised and slightly disgusted by his sudden appearance. “I don’t need you here, quit acting like you care! Scram!” Isaiah was surprised by the way the usually docile and timid Astrid was lashing out at him. He paused briefly before turning to the driver, “Go on, drive!” The ambulance took off. The pair was stuck in the cramped space, facing each other. “Uncle Isaiah…” Isaiah got up and held Coco’s hand firmly. “Coco, who locked you in the closet?” he asked gravely. “It was Emmie.” Coco’s voice was frail as she spoke. “She saw the picture of you that I kept inside my pencil case and found out that you were my father. She said she would keep it a secret if I would stay inside the cabinet for two hours…” “I… did I last two hours?” Astrid was heartbroken and could not bear to listen anymore. She felt a torrent of emotions inside her and shoved Isaiah away while howling at him, “Don't you feel any guilt? “This happened because you are too lax with Emmie! You let her hurt Coco and let her get away with it!” Chapter 9 “Astrid, I want to apologize to Coco on behalf of Emmie for what happened.” Isaiah continued solemnly, “She is young and doesn’t know better. She didn’t mean any harm by it.” “She locked Coco inside a closet! You call that not meaning any harm?” Astrid snapped back. Isaiah was about to say something when his phone rang. He answered it and became more solemn as the dialogue went on. At one point, he replied anxiously, “Juno, I promise I can explain. Don’t leave just yet, I’m coming to you right now!” “Coco, I'll come back for you later!” So he ordered the driver to stop the car. “Uncle Isaiah, won’t you stay?” Isaiah fell silent for a moment but ended up opening the door anyway. “Something came up, I have to go.” “Uncle Isaiah!” Coco called out after him, then she bid him farewell quietly. Isaiah turned and stared into Coco’s reddened eyes. After a brief pause, he assured her again, “I’ll visit you at the hospital!” After he closed the ambulance doors, silence descended again. Astrid hugged Coco tightly in her arms as she burst into tears. “Coco, don't cry. Mommy is here, I will always love you.” After the doctors attended to Coco in the hospital, her condition stabilized, and she was no longer in danger. Astrid hugged her again as Coco cried her heart out. It was as if she held the world in her hand. Coco coughed while turning to look at the entrance of the ward. She asked weakly, “How long is it going to take for Uncle Isaiah to come?” Astrid felt her heart break again. She did not have it in her to tell Coco that Isaiah was not coming. “He said he was on the way when I called just now, let me call again.” Astrid walked outside and called Isaiah. When the call was connected, it was Emmie who answered instead. “Who is this?” Astrid paused before asking, “Where is Isaiah?” “He’s getting me some sauce now.” Emmie put on an act, “I was telling him to go to the hospital to see Coco, but he refused and insisted on bringing me out to get some barbecue. “He said he needed something nice to take my mind off of what happened today, I couldn’t say no.” Just as Astrid was about to speak, she heard Juno's voice ringing through the speakers as well, “Astrid, Isaiah panicked when I told him I found out that you two are related to him. He promised he was going to divorce you tomorrow. “You are nothing but a substitute! Did you think you could cement your place beside him just because you’ve had a baby with him? Quit dreaming! I am the only one he will ever love!” “Mommy, stop it.” Emmie kept up the charade, “Don’t worry, I’ll ask Daddy once he comes back. He loves me and will do anything I ask him to.” Astrid could tell Emmie was only saying that to rub it in. The arrogance in Juno’s voice didn’t help either. Even when Coco’s life was in danger, Isaiah chose to ignore her needs and elected to be with Emmie instead! He even filed for divorce at such a time. The man was as cruel as they come! She had completely given up on him. After the call, she immediately sorted Coco's discharge procedures. Coco did not ask Astrid any questions. She silently tore up the family portrait and tossed it into the bin along with the lion clay doll meant for Isaiah. Before they left the hospital, Astrid went to the doctor and left explicit instructions with him. “If Doctor Lear asks about Coco, tell him that she died of respiratory failure.” The doctor was taken aback by the request and refused her. “Please.” Astrid gave him a bank card. “I’d like to live a life with my daughter without being disturbed.” “Alright.” The doctor finally obliged. On the way to the airport, Astrid held Coco tenderly and applied medicine to the wound on her face. They both had a silent agreement not to talk about Isaiah. It was as if he had never existed. After they boarded the plane, Astrid texted Isaiah: [Goodbye, Isaiah.] Soon after, her phone started ringing. She ignored Isaiah’s calls and changed her SIM card.