Young Love Struggles

Chapter Four: Telling Isabella

Hannah's POV: I watch him walk until I can no longer see him. I know right there in that moment that I have lost the best thing in my life. I'm going to have a constant reminder of that every time that I look at Isabella. He wants to wait for me, even though he knows his chances of actually being with me is slim to none. He will find some one, he will find some one so much better for him. I need to make sure that I don't hold back when he can be out in the world enjoying life, but how? I don't have time for this now, I take a deep breath and compose myself. I need to go get my daughter from school. 

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I walk into the school, sign Bella out of daycare, and wait for her at the front desk. The worker gets on her walkie talkie for me to be told that she's on her way from the classroom. She drags her backpack as she walks over. She's looking at the ground, "You're early, Daddy."

I scoop her up in my arms, "Maybe because it's not Daddy."

"Mommy! You're back!" She hugs my neck tightly. "I missed you, Mommy. How was your trip?"

"Not as good as I hoped it would be, but I'm here with you now. You make everything better," I pepper her with kisses.

She giggles, "Maybe you and I can go on a trip next time."

"Maybe," I carry her to the car, and start to drive us to Christy's house. 

"Home is that way, you went the other way."

"We aren't going to your home."

"What do you mean? My home is your home."

"I'll explain what I mean when we get to Auntie Christy's."

She was quiet the rest of the way there. When we arrived, she didn't even look at me, she just wandered around the house. I wasn't sure if she was looking for Christy or if she was just observing, so I didn't disturb her. "Mom," sge said in a monotone voice, "why is all your stuff here?" She climbs up on the couch and stares at me blankly. 

"Mommy and Daddy aren't going to be living together anymore."

"But why?"

"You know how you said that you don't like when Daddy and I fight?" she nods. "Well, we don't like fighting either. We decided that it's best if we had some time apart."

"You're getting a divorce?"

"Who told you that?"

"I went to bed one night and I couldn't sleep, I overheard you and Daddy yelling about it."

"Do you know what a divorce is?"

"It's where the mom and dad live in different houses because they don't want to be married anymore. They switch off days having their son or daughter with each of them."

I give her a wide eye blink and nod my head, "Where did you learn that?"

"Molly, my friend from school, told me about it. Her parents are divorced."

"Well," I know I'm failing at explaining this to her. If I don't figure out how to tell her this, she's going to get the wrong idea and she's not going to like me anymore. I can't let that happen. I can't lose my daughter too. "Your father wants to see if we can try to work out our differences in a couple months."

"You're leaving Daddy, aren't you? I found your wedding ring on the floor in the kitchen. You're leaving us. You don't care or love us anymore. Molly's daddy decided that he didn't want them anymore, that means you don't want us either."

"No, no, Isabella, that's not it."

"Yes it is! Molly says divorce is bad! I want to go home. I want Daddy. I don't want to be here," she stands up and tries to run out the door.

"Isabella!" I start to get up but she runs straight into Christy coming home from work. 

"Where are you going? What's wrong?"

"Auntie," she sobs and holds on to her tightly, "Mommy is leaving us. I want Daddy, I want to go home."

"Honey, no. She still loves you very much, she's just going to be living in a different house. She's going to be living with me."

"I want Daddy."

"I'll call him," I choke out and grab my phone, dialing the number. Louis leaves his therapy session with Jamie about 15 minutes early to come pick our daughter up. He apologizes that things didn't go as well as we had hoped and Louis takes her home.