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.”

“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!”

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