Chapter 47: Broken Hearted Princess

Third Person POV

Derreck Mitchell and the Spencer's arrived at the Chicago Airport around 2 in the afternoon. Tiredness, uncertainty, and grievance were felt through the thick icy weather.

After they each gathered their luggage, they decided on grabbing something to eat before heading towards their destination.

Ashley was especially feeling anxious. She itched with the need to run into her daddy's arms. She could almost picture his face full of surprise and excitement when he sees them. She knows he's not expecting this surprise. She looks forward to their reunion, longing for each second to pass by quicker until the time comes for them to meet with him.

Derreck sat next to Logan. He sat calmly, eating his food and making small conversation to keep Logan's mind at ease. He knew Logan was in no mood, his demeanor said it all. Dark aura and a stiff complexion that fought against self-control.

How could he keep calm? His gut told him things were edgy from the start of that damn cruise. The body language and involuntary glances between that woman and his father had given him more than a night of thought.

All plus his mixed feelings for Sophie at the time gave him such headaches, that sent him into the worst moods possible. If it hadn't been for Steven's company, he was sure to lose his mind back then.

After they had lunch together, they headed towards the hotel where Derreck had rented two rooms for both Riley and himself.

He walked towards the reception and asked to upgrade Riley's room to a higher suit, to accommodate Ashley and Logan as well. Though most rooms were already booked, the receptionist managed to switch them to two rooms with double beds next to each other. Thus, Logan would stay with Derreck, and Ashley would dorm with her mom.

Ashley swayed from side to side, holding her duffle bag in front of her. "Mom, why can't we just go directly to dad's place? I mean, Logan and already have our room there, and we are here to see him after all. Why not just go there? I'm sure dad would allow Derreck to stay in the guest room. Don't you think so?" She sighs, looking out towards the elevator where a bell boy is carrying an elder lady's luggage behind her.

"Sweetheart. Your dad, well. . . .he may have company over, so we must give him and his company the privacy they need. We will only see him long enough to say our blessings for Thanksgiving and go back home with aunt Ruthie and Meghan to spend Thanksgiving with them. You wouldn't want them to spend Thanksgiving all alone as well would you? I mean they did come to stay and help us with our new family business after all. The least we can do is spend their first year at Lakeview together with us do you not agree?" Riley tried to hide her grief behind her voice. Averting her gaze somewhere else to hide her unshed tears.

She gulped down hard and fought the tears back before forcing a smile on her face and looking at Ashley with loving care.

Ashley sighs, puckering her lips and averting her gaze between her mom and the two men accompanying them.

"I guess. But, who's visiting dad? Is it uncle Peter and his family? If so we should stop and grab a slice of chocolate cake for Mindy. She loves chocolate came, and it would put such a big smile on her face." She smiles, reminiscing on the last time she saw uncle Peter and her little niece Mindy. Uncle Peter was falsely three years older than her dad, but he decided to stay single until five years ago when he finally married. Mindy had been born a year after their marriage, making her the smallest of their family at four years of age now.

"Sweety, I'll have to consult with Peter first, Ok? You know he doesn't approve of Mindy having too many sweets. We'll wait and see what his thoughts are, ok?"

Ashley's lip pulls in dismay. "Ok." She looks away, glancing towards the clock mounted on top of the tall arched wall between two pillars leading towards the hotel's cantine.

"Ok. We're all set. Let's go ahead and get settled in our rooms first, then we can meet up and go see Charles. Here you go Riley, this is your room key, Ashley I got an extra one for you. Shall we?" Derreck hands them their card keys and smiles at them.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Riley gives him an awkward smile and grabs her handbag, clutching it tightly against her chest.

They each go up to the 8th floor and walk towards their room. After settling in and freshening up, they meet back down by the lobby. Ashley becoming more impatient by the minute.

Her mom had asked her to refrain from alerting her father of their arrival. It would surely ruin their surprise of meeting with him to say happy Thanksgiving before having to come back home on time to cook for Aunt Ruthie and Meghan.

Bit oh did she want so bad to call him. She knew it was a long shot. She so badly wanted to hear his voice, but out of respect and due to her mother's request, she had turned off her phone and left it back in the hotel room to keep herself from dialing his number or texting him.

They got into a taxi and we're driven directly to his apartment. The air felt thick and suffocating. An awkward silence none dared to break until they arrived and were asked by the driver t pay their fare. Logan quickly swiped his card against the slit of the keypad and paid for the fare, leaving a hefty tip for the driver, gaining a smile and words full of Thanksgiving blessings from him.

"Ok. Riley, are you ready? Maybe we should go up first. Logan and Ashley could wait out here while we talk to Charles and-" Derreck suggested but by the time he realized it, Ashley and Logan sprinted hand on hand towards the elevator.

Riley's heart stammered uncontrollably. A stray tear escaped her, fear and anger mixed in her heart, but the sadness for her kids overpowered it all. She was turmoil inside her heart. She feared for their reaction, hoping and begging in prayer that he wasn't home, or alone in there the least.

"Guys, wait." She yelled after them, but it was too late. The door closed behind them, leaving her behind.

She has no option but to wait for the next available elevator, hoping for the best of outcomes. Though she somehow knows, things were not going to end well for either side.

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Ashley

My heart was thumping so loud in my ear, I thought it would burst out of my chest. I was feeling extremely anxious for some reason. And why wouldn't I? I haven't seen daddy in so long. I was so excited to see him. I couldn't wait to jump into his arms and see his smile. I could almost hear his voice calling me princess.

I glanced at the elevator numbers going up a little too slowly for my liking. 4, 5,6,7. . . and then the time was here. Finally, yes! Level 8 comes with a ding. The elevator comes to a halt and the doors slowly open. Logan sighs, clenching his jaw. I can't help but wonder what's going through his mind.

I know he and dad don't have a good relationship. Which I can't understand why. They used to do everything together. He used to love hunting and camping with dad. He got especially excited when dad would suddenly show up to his football games. I remember when Logan used to study Taekwondo.

Dad was always the first one to cheer him on, making every effort to show up to Logan's matches. He went all the way to the red-black belt, I was sure Logan would have made black belt if he had shown up to his last match. But he never did. I have no idea what happened that day or why he had decided to quit taking martial arts.

I glanced down, seeing Logan's hands turn into fists. He tightened them so badly, I could see his knuckles turning white.

"Logan?" I asked calmly.

"Let's go." He said nonchalantly and walked out of the elevator making me sprint to his side.

When we finally got to dad's door, I could hear laughter on the other side. Daddy's voice was recognizable, but I couldn't make out who the others were. I could hear the voice of a woman, and a young girl. My guess is she was probably around Logan's age, she didn't sound too young.

"Guys wait." Mom's voice startled me making me turn back. Logan's hand stood frozen by the doorknob, his copy of dad's apartment key in hand.

"Why should we? Isn't that why we're here? To surprise dad?" Logan's voice sounded annoyed. I was beginning to get worried.

"Why do I feel you guys are hiding something from me? Mom?.... Logan?"

I asked averting my sight between them. They stared at each other, unwilling to break sight.

"Fine, I'm going in," I said they were so engulfed in their staring contest that they were not even paying attention to me. I grabbed Logan's key away, placing it in the keyhole and turning it to unlock the door.

I swung the door open with a smile and walked in. My face with a bright smile as I walked towards the voices coming from the living room.

"Daddy?" I announced my presence with a bright smile. Dad's face turned pale and he froze in place. His hand was around a lady with red hair and wearing a dark green dress that was sure to tear to pieces if she allowed herself to breath normally.

The young girl next to dad on his other side. She clung to daddy, with her arms wrapped around daddy's arm. My heart sank, I didn't know what I was looking at. All I knew was my eyes clouded with tears and I felt as if I had seen the saddest part of a k-drama series.

"A-Ashley." He quickly pulled his arms away and got on his feet.

Mom, Logan, and Derreck followed soon behind me. "Riley? Logan?" Dad's voice sounded nervous.

"Dad, who are they?" The girl's voice sounded so girly and annoying. Dad's face turned into the brightest tomato I had ever seen. He looked at her and then towards me. "Ashley, sweetheart. I- I can explain." He reached over to me, walking in front of me, but I was too confused. My cheeks were stained with tears. I took a step back, I didn't want him to touch me.

"Oh, you're Ashley. And you must be Logan. Boy, you are cute." Her snake eyes roamed over Logan from head to toe making him scuff in disgust.

Dad near me, wanting to place his hand on my cheek but I took another step back.

"No. Don't touch me. Who are they, daddy? Why are they in your house? Is this why you forgot all about Logan and me? You replaced us." My voice could no longer hold it together. I broke in front of them, running into Logan's arms.

He held me right, his hands giving me a temporary comfort as he ran his hand over my head in a soothing manner.

"The snake and the saw," Logan whispered to himself.

"What?" I asked, turning my eyes towards him. He forced a smile on his face and kissed my forehead. "Nothing little sis. Things will be ok. I promise."

"You knew, didn't you?" My throat hitched with pain, and my eyebrows knitted together with so much pain in my chest. I wanted to run and disappear, but Logan held me tight in his arms, unwilling to let go of me.

"Riley, I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it just happened. We were going to tell you-" The redhead told my mom, making me turn towards mom.

Mom's face was calm. Derreck stood by her side, and that's when I had just now noticed he was holding his briefcase.

"Save it, Cynthia. I don't need your pitiful excuses. And you, Charles, I just came to give you something and I'm out of your life for good." She addressed towards dad and turns to Derreck.

Derreck calmly steps forward, placing his briefcase on the coffee table and opening it to retrieve a blue envelope from it. He places it in front of dad and walks back to mom.

"What is this?" Dad asks.

"Divorce papers of course. I mean, you didn't expect me to still be married to you while you're here with your new lover and forming a new family with her, did you?"

That's when my walls crushed down completely. My chest hurt so bad, I clutched Logan's body as if it was for dear life. He sighed and kissed my head.

"Riley, I-"

"Save it, Charles. I want nothing from you. I have provided and taken care of my kids all on my own for the past few years, and I will continue to do so. Just sign the papers, and we'll go our separate ways. If not, be prepared to face the consequences."

Dad tossed with a weak chuckle and nods his head. "This is why you came along didn't you? You couldn't wait to see this happening, waiting for years for us to break apart. You couldn't contain the urge to sweep into Riley's side and give her comfort, right?" Dad narrowed his eyebrows looking at Derreck.

Derreck maintained his posture, regardless of his dad chastising him. "This a not about me Charles. I am only doing my job. Riley has hired me to take her divorce case. Be glad I don't squeeze every dime out of you. May I remind you, you have not paid any amount towards your kid's upbringing for the last year and a half? What would your firm say when they find one of their most elite partners has failed to fulfill his obligations? Surely your firm will not be pleased to find itself in a scandalous case inside a courthouse. Now, do yourself and your girlfriend a favor, sign the documents. And we will be out of your way." Derreck's voice remained calm. He stood tall, and his head held high.

This was too much for me to take. My dad was in his home with another woman that was not my mom. They were now arguing over a divorce, and to top it off, the girl with them was calling him dad.

I couldn't take it anymore. My heart was feeling too much pain. My tears couldn't stop falling, I was sure I had completely soaked Logan's shirt, and I was thankful he wasn't chastising me over it.

I snapped at both of them. Yelling my heart out in front of them all, not caring who I was going to hurt with my words. They couldn't possibly hurt as much as I was hurting.

I pushed my dad on his chest making him stumble back, "I HATE YOU. I hate both of you. We were a happy family. Why couldn't both of you love each other like you were supposed to? And you!" I yelled looking at the girl and her mom.

"You stupid homewrecker! Why couldn't you look for someone else? There are hundreds of single men out there, why did you have to take away my dad? He's my dad, not yours. Mine! mine you hear me? My dad." I slapped her hard on her face making her gasp in shock.

"Princess! How could you?" Dad defended her, running to her side making me angrier.

"Don't call me princess. I am not your princess anymore. You chose her over me. I don't ever want to see you again, EVER! I have no daddy." I yelled turning away and running out but Logan stopped me. His arms held me tight, holding me in place no matter how hard I tried to pull away. I hit his chest begging him to let go, but he refused. "The snake and the saw." He whispered again making me annoyed.

"What the fuck are you talking about the snake and the saw Logan? You're making no sense." He sighed, kissing me on my forehead and letting go slowly. I turned as he walked towards dad.

Dad's eyes grow like saucers. "Logan," mom tried to stop him, but Derreck nodded telling her to stop and allow him to talk.

"You know. I first wanted to come up here and punch you in the face. After all, you're not my dad. You stopped being my dad long ago, Charles. I held a grudge in me that was causing more harm than good to me and my life. That is until a good man had a good talk with me a few hours ago." Logan glanced at Derreck making dad clench his jaw.

"He told me the story about a snake and the saw. At first, I didn't get it. I was far too angry with you, that all I wanted was to come and give you a piece of my mind and punch you. But you're not worth it. You're not worth my mother's tears, not my sister's tears. You are where you belong. In a fake family where the love may be superficial and temporary. You made your decision of being happy, now sign those fucking papers, and let us be happy as well." Logan's voice was dominant and dark.

I had never seen him so angry, yet so in control of his actions.

Logan walks towards the folder, grabbing a pen off his jacket and flipping the folder flap open.

"No one turned Ashley and me against you. Especially Derreck, and mom. It was all, you Charles. You were the one who pushed us to this point. Now sign them, before things turn ugly."

Dad hesitated for a few minutes, his eyes swelled with tears. Apart from me wanted to still run to him, engulfing him in a hug and hoping he and mom said it was all just a prank, but it didn't happen.

Dad grabbed the pen away from Logan and leaned down slowly. He sighed and signed the papers marked for his signature and closed the folder, slamming the pen on top of it.

"This is not over. You haven't heard the last of me, I can assure you that." He glances between mom and Derreck, making mom's head fall in shame towards the ground.

"I will make it up to you princess, I promise." He looks at me with his eyes full of tears. His hand slowly cupped my cheek. I was far too hurt to believe him, especially with the girl behind him that had called him dad.

I pulled away, taking a step back.

"I'm not your princess. So don't call me that."

I walked towards the girl and stared at her in her eyes. She took a step back, she probably thought I was going to slap her again. Which I really wanted to, but instead I smiled and turned back to dad.

"You have a new princess in your life. You don't need me, and I don't need you. That's what I have mom and Logan for. THEY are my family." I walked to mom and pulled her face up, giving her a weak smile.

"I'm sorry I wanted off on you mom. I love you. And thank you for being the best mom in the world." I whispered through the pain in my throat and hugged her tightly.

"Can we please go home?" I asked burying my face in her chest.

"Yes, baby. We can go home." She said with a smile and grabbed my hand.

We walked away, leaving dad and the homewreckers back inside. I fought back tears and held my head high.

I was hurt, but the support I was getting from Logan was more than enough for me. We had to be strong, as a family, we had to stick together. Mom was not alone in her pain anymore. We were with her, and we were not going to leave her.