One More Chance by Jaycelle Rodriguez

Chapter 122: Do you still love him?

~~~I told you from the start, | won't be demanding. If you'll have a change of heart, I'll be understanding. I'll

never try to hold you back, | wouldn't try controlling you. If it's what you want, what | want, | want what's best for

you. And if it's something else that you're looking for, I'll be the first to help you try. Believewhen | say it's

hard to say goodbye~~~

-Paul Anka and Celine Dion-

SAM's POV:

"Mommy?"

"Hmmm... yes, baby?" | immediately wiped my tears when the door to my room suddenly opened and the face of

my adorable daughter hugging her favourite stuffed toy, cinto my view.

It's the sday David and | talked and finally said goodbye.

"Can | sleep here?" She asked, her face full of hesitation as she waited for my answer.

"Of course, baby. Chere," | motioned my baby girl to ctoand she did right after closing the door.

| hugged her as soon as she threw herself on the bed.

"Mommy, can | ask you something?" She asked after a few minutes.

I looked at her confused but then nodded.

"Sure, what is it, baby?"

| waited a few minutes for her question and | frowned when she got up, so | have no choice but to get up too.

"Mommy, where is Uncle David?"

"Uhm..." | was kinda surprised by her question and was not sure if | must tell her the truth.

"lI haven't seen him these past few days."

"Uncle David..." | paused and stared at her. "He went back to New York, Cali."

"He went back to New York?" Her eyes widened as she repeated what | had said. "But why didn't he say goodbye

to me?"

And that madebite my bottom lip.

"Actually, he really wanted to say goodbye to you, it's just that he needed to get back to his work because he

said there were a lot of patients waiting for him, so he just toldto kiss you goodbye." She didn't say

anything, she just nodded.

"Mommy..."

"Hmm?"

"Will Uncle David see us again? Have you already broken up with him?"

My mouth hung in mid-air as | didn't expect to hear her follow up question.

"Cali, how did you know about it?"

She lowered her head, fidgeting her fingers before answering my question. "Auntie Jack told me."

"I knew it---"

"Please don't be mad at her, mommy? Honestly, I've always seen you cry and out of thoughts in the last few

days and daddy too, so | asked Auntie Jack what's going on with you." "What do you mean about your daddy?"

"He always asked about you and his expression changed every the heard of Uncle David."

| don't know what to feel nor what to say when | heard those words. | just took a deep breath and closed my eyes

for a while.

"Yes, baby, we broke up already and he went back to New York for good," | said not looking at her.

"Why? Don't you love him anymore, mommy?"

I looked at her, blinking away the tears that instantly formed around my eyes as soon as | heard her question. |

don't really know what exactly to feel at that moment. | wanted to cry again and laugh at the stbecause

| felt like | was being asked by someone older thanand not by my own daughter.

"I love him. | still love him, baby." | said having a stretched smile on my lips.

"Then why did you break up if you still love him?"

"Because it's the right thing to do. Sometimes in life, we have to make decisions that are best for us. Decisions

that will sometimes break our heart but will give peace to our soul."

"Huh? | don't understand, mommy." She frowned and | couldn't help but chuckle.

"You will understand it when you grow up."

She stared atfor a few seconds before asking the most surprising question she could ever be asked that

night.

"How about daddy? Do you still love him?"

"Cali..." | suddenly felt my heart stopped beating for a few seconds.

"I know you can't choose him either."

"Cali, how do you say those words? You're still young and there are still a lot of things that you don't

understand."

"I know, mommy, but you know what, I'm happy as long as you are happy. | really wanted to have a daddy---"

"But you already have."

"Yeah, but what | mean to say is that | want him to be with us. | love you and I love him too."

"Baby--"

"But don't worry, mommy, | won't make you choose him over Uncle David. | love them both, but I love you more.

| know that my dad will always be my daddy and nothing will change even if he doesn't cto live with us."

And at that moment, | lost. | immediately lifted her into my lap, pulled her closer toand hugged her like the

first t| held her in my arms.

"I'm sorry, baby..."

"You shouldn't be sorry, mommy. Grandma and Auntie Jack have already explained it to me."

| bit my lip hearing the nof my best friend and of course my mother, but somehow | thanked them for taking

care of my daughter and for explaining the things that | myself couldn't explain to her directly.

"Would you be mad atif | don't choose your daddy?"

She looked at me, shaking her head.

"If I don't choose him, we will never be a family again."

"I know, but | also know that nothing will change between my relationship with him. I will still be his daughter

and he will still be my father and we will always see each other."

| just hugged her but didn't try to open my mouth again. The words she said truly ingrained into my soul. How

can an eight-year-old understand the things that only adults should understand?

| watched her sleep that night in my arms, reminiscing sold memories when she was young and | couldn't

help the smile that curled up against my lips

It was on the third day when | got the courage to call Luke and asked him to meetat the beach he bought

about six years ago and which was named after our daughter. Maybe the conversation with Cali a few nights ago

somehow gavethe strength to gather all the courage | have that very moment. | have to do it now before

confusion eatsup again and all that | have mustered disappears.

A small smile curled up against my lips as | wandered my eyes around and smemories of the past cto

my mind.

It's the exact place where | first heard Luke callinghis wife. It was also the first t| felt being appreciated

by the man I loved. My first love. This was where my dreams started building again and it's all because of him

and my daughter. But who would have thought that those happy memories we had and shared in this place

could be the first and last at the stime?

For several years that I've been trapped between the love and hatred, | have for him. | was just sixteen when i

realized that | love

ooo

him. | was seventeen when | made what | considered the biggest mistake in my life. We got married... | got

married at the sage and gave birth at 18. Fours years have passed that | had becdesperate for his

love. | begged for his tand his attention, but the 22-year-oldfound out that my beloved husband was

cheating. He's cheating onand the woman he

chose to give his love to was his ex-girlfriend. The woman he first loved.

That t| decided to end up my misery and gave up on my dreams. Those dreams had been part of my journey

as being his wife. His

miserable wife that no one had known. Eventually, | realized that it's hard to wait around for something that may

never happen or for someone who would never love you back. But at that tit was even harder to give up

when it was or should | say he was everything that | wanted.

Another four years have passed and

in those four years, | have tried, at least | have tried to erase all the memories of him inside me, all the feelings

had for him and all the

things that happened. | met net

and somehow fell in love with him. And because he was the one who showedwhat real love was and how to

be appreciated, | thought the feelings | have for Luke had completely vanished, but | was wrong.