17. I am not giving up Lily
Adrian’s Pov:
I went to Lily’s school to pick her up.
The moment she saw me standing alone, she frowned.
“Where is Vanessa?”
I bent down, picked her up in my arms, and said softly,
“She got caught up in some work, baby.”
Lily pouted.
“Only you are left, Daddy. Mommy also left because she has work, and now Vanessa too.”
Her words hit me unexpectedly.
A strange pain tugged at my chest.
I didn’t know what had happened to Vanessa.
Just a few days ago, she had been showering Lily with attention—
buying her ice cream, candies, taking her to movies.
But ever since Sophia left, Vanessa had started acting irritated whenever Lily needed her.
I buckled Lily into the back seat and started driving.
After a few minutes, Lily asked,
“Daddy, are we going to your office or home?”
“I still have some work at the office,” I replied. “You can play in the play area there. Your friends will be there.”
She pouted again.
“Will Vanessa be there?”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
“I don’t know, Lily.”
She huffed dramatically.
“It’s all getting boring. Vanessa won’t be there, and Mommy has started working.”
I stayed silent for a moment before asking,
“Do you want to have some ice cream?”
Her whole face lit up.
“Yesss! Let’s go to the ice cream shop!”
I smiled faintly and drove to the nearby ice cream parlor.
Lily ordered a scoop of mango ice cream, and as usual, after eating only half, she handed the rest to me.
I finished it for her while she giggled.
For a moment, things felt normal.
When we got back into the car, Lily picked up her phone and dialed Vanessa’s number.
The call was rejected.
Since Lily always kept her calls on speaker, I heard everything.
She called again.
This time Vanessa answered.
“What is it, Lily?” she said, sounding irritated.
Lily spoke innocently,
“Will you be busy in the office? I’m coming there.”
Vanessa replied in a flat voice,
“Yes, Lily. I have work.”
Then she disconnected.
Lily looked disappointed.
She immediately dialed Sophia’s number.
The phone was switched off.
She frowned.
“Why is Mommy’s phone off? She never switches it off. She always picks up my calls.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Because Lily was right.
Sophia always answered.
Always.
Lily called again.
Still switched off.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Why is Mommy not picking up, Daddy?”
We had reached the office by then.
I parked the car and picked her up.
“It’s okay, baby,” I said softly. “Maybe Mommy is busy.”
But even as I said it, I knew Sophia would never ignore Lily unless she absolutely had no choice.
I carried Lily to my cabin.
Vanessa was already there.
The divorce notice was lying open in her hands.
The moment Lily saw her, she jumped out of my arms and ran to her.
“Vanessa! You came!”
Vanessa forced a smile.
“Yeah, baby.”
Then she added coldly,
“But I need to talk to your Daddy right now. Can you go to the play area for some time?”
Lily frowned.
“But I want to play with you.”
Vanessa’s tone sharpened.
“Please, Lily. It’s urgent.”
Lily’s face dropped.
She looked at me.
I bent down and kissed her forehead.
“Go for a little while, princess. Then we’ll play, okay?”
She nodded quietly.
“Okay.”
Then she walked out.
The moment the door closed, I turned to Vanessa.
“What was that?” I snapped.
She crossed her arms.
“What?”
I stared at her.
“How can you talk to Lily like that?”
She huffed in annoyance and slammed the divorce notice on my desk.
“What is this?”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
She pointed at the papers angrily.
“I’m talking about the 50-50 custody.”
I looked at her, confused.
“What about it?”
She stared at me as if I were stupid.
“Come on, Adrian. We are still young. We should start our life fresh.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“And?”
She exhaled impatiently.
“And we can’t take Lily fifty percent of the time.”
For a moment, I just stared at her.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
She continued,
“If Sophia wants custody, then let her have Lily. We don’t need this responsibility.”
My jaw tightened.
Responsibility?
She was talking about my daughter as if she were some burden.
I said slowly,
“I am not giving up Lily.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“Adrian, be practical.”
“No,” I said firmly. “You be practical.”
She looked stunned.
I stepped closer.
“She is my daughter.”
Vanessa’s expression hardened.
“You’re choosing this over us?”
I stared at her.