Living With My Ex-husband

Leaving for work

KIARA

"I missed you Momma," she whispered in a low voice beside my ear and I tightened my arms around her.

"I missed you too sweetheart," I whispered back .

"No hugs for auntie?" Sia asked from the side as she stretched her hands out for Lisa trying to pry her out of my embrace.

Lisa made a face at her and burrowed further into my arms.

"You little heartless girl, you don't want your beautiful aunt after seeing your mother," she said in mock anger before starting to tickle Lisa.

"Ha ha ha," Lisa giggled loudly while trying to hide from Sia's evil claws and I turned my body to help her but Sia approached from the other side and successfully tickled her.

Lisa struggled to get down from my arms and I let her on the ground and she ran from Sia who sprinted after her.

Soon Sia caught up with her and engulfed her in her arms and tickled her some more.

"No... no...aunt," Lisa gasped breathlessly in between laughs.

"This is what you get for not giving me hugs," Sia said to her proudly before stopping and placing her on the sofa.

" Ha ha , I am going to tell grandma,"she announced the moment she got away from Sia and ran off to the kitchen still laughing while Sia pointed her with a horrified expression.

"Look at your daughter, Such a traitor!" she complained as she stood up and interlocked her arm with mine.

I laughed at their shenanigans and walked to the kitchen with Sia.

And to no one's surprise, Lisa is now in Melissa's arms pouting mischievously as she complained exaggeratedly about Sia while Dad is sitting by the counter adding fuel to the fire by agreeing with her.

"No dessert for Sia," Melissa announced the moment she saw us.

"Nooo, Come on Mom, you know I can't live without dessert," Sia groaned and rushed to Melissa side.

"You should have thought about that before tickling my grandchild," Melissa replied in mock anger while I took a seat beside Dad still laughing at their antics.

Sia whined and groaned pleading with her mother not to take away her desert before Melissa relented and agreed to let her eat her precious desert but Sia had to apologize to Lisa who kept on laughing in Melissa's arms.

These past few years Melissa has shown me how a mother should be unlike the woman who gave birth to me for the sole reason of tormenting me so much so that I hated the word " mother".

That is the reason why I don't address Melissa as mother because it reminds me of that woman and I associate pain and trauma with the word.

And I almost teared up recalling the way Melissa has been like a mother to me and how much she adored Lisa better than a biological grandma.

I am so grateful to have her in my life.

Anyway after Melissa finished cooking we all moved to the dining room and then I informed Dad that we signed the contract.

"I am so proud of the two of you," he said , tears welling up in his eyes.

"Three years ago when you two said you wanted to start a construction company instead of joining the family business, I thought it was just a whim and you will be back to join the business but I am happy to be proven wrong," He continued holding both our hands.

"We are also happy to prove you wrong, Mr. Sanders," Sia said mischievously, making him pat her head.

"So what next now," he asked after a pause.

"I will be moving to the outskirts of the city in order to be close to the construction site and coordinate with the mysterious owner of the town," I replied.

The contract we just signed is the construction of a small town outside the city in the middle of the jungle.

I don't know why anyone would want to live in the middle of a huge jungle but what matters to me is that this project will put our company on the map and take it to a new height of success because even though the town is small, the buildings are not simple and constitute of a huge mansion, a hospital, a school and several residential buildings.

So this is an all in one project and that is why it is important to us to complete it perfectly .

Most importantly the mysterious owner that Mr. Smith works for, wants the person in charge, who is me, to live with him for the duration of the project so that they can make changes quickly and he is always updated on the project on time.

However I am not going to tell this part to my father because he will get worried.

"How long will it take?" Melissa asked while wiping Lisa's mouth.

"Around 2 years," I replied.

She nodded and we ate in silence as the fact that I won't be here for 2 years registed .

Dad opened his lips to say something but just let it be after a moment of hesitation and Melissa and Sia looked visibly sad .

While Lisa kept on eating her food nonchalantly, little heartless girl!

"I will be coming to visit every three months," I tried to comfort them but clearly it didn't help.

Over the past five years we have gotten used to one another and nothing I say right now can make it better.

A somber atmosphere engulfed the dining room for a moment.

"Well at least I will have a more dessert, ha ha..... wuu," Sia said in a clearly failed attempt to cheer up everyone because she started sobbing at the end .

I stood up from the seat and went to her side to hug her and then hugged Melissa and Dad.

Lisa looked up at us in puzzlement before turning to me and asked,"I am going with you, right Mommy?"