Chapter 191 Where Is Daddy?

Chapter 191 Where Is Daddy?
Cora's POV

I woke up in the morning feeling good. Even though thinking about last night gave me a bittersweet feeling, remembering how frustrated Spencer was when he learned that Carla had contacted Uncle Ryan made me feel better.
The only thing that concerned me was Ellie. As soon as she woke up and sat up in bed, she began looking around the room. At first, I thought she was searching for me, but when I reached her, I realised I was mistaken.
“Daddy?” she called for Spencer. When he didn’t appear, she called out louder, “Daddy!”
“Ellie, Daddy isn’t here,” I reassured her.
She looked at me first, and then, wanting to make sure I was telling the truth, she scanned the room one more time.
I helped her get ready for breakfast, and we headed out to join Mum, who had already set the table. To my surprise, Ethan was there, happily eating.
“Good morning!” he greeted us.
“Daddy?” Ellie looked at Ethan, who chuckled in response. 
“Ellie, your Daddy is probably just getting out of bed. I’m your Uncle,” he explained while I placed Ellie in her high chair. Ellie stared at Ethan as if she wanted to ensure he told her the truth.
“How come you’re here?” I asked Ethan, and he smiled.
“I thought I could save some time by having breakfast here.”
“His fridge was empty, and he was too lazy to go to the store to get something to eat,” Mum chimed in, which made us all chuckle.
“Yeah, that’s a better description,” Ethan agreed.
After finishing breakfast, we headed to the office, but we were both surprised to find that Spencer’s car was not in the parking lot.
“Do you think he’s alright?” I asked Ethan, who looked at me with a frown, surprised that I cared.
“I’m sure he’s fine. Maybe he’s just running a little late,” he replied.
I nodded, but after about half an hour had passed, I glanced at Ethan again. 
"Are you sure that Spencer is alright?" 
Ethan looked at me, then sighed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He called Spencer a few times, but there was no answer. I had many things on my mind and worried about him, even though I didn’t want to show it to Ethan. Yet, he noticed my discomfort. 
Ethan tried to contact Spencer a few more times, but still received no response. 
"Maybe something happened to him," I added, but Ethan shook his head. 
"Or maybe he had a long night and is still sleeping." 
His comment hit me like a stone. What did he mean by "a long night"? Ethan turned back to his computer as if he wasn’t worried at all, but I had a bad feeling about that. They were twins, after all, and they always shared everything. Even if Spencer had feelings for me, he was still a man. After I made it clear that I couldn't forgive him, perhaps he thought that by moving on, he would get over me more quickly.
I felt a pang of jealousy as I thought about whether Spencer had someone in his bed last night, someone who kept him occupied and prevented him from waking up on time. 
I turned back to my computer, but I couldn’t focus on what I was doing. 
Finally, Spencer showed up. He looked a bit frustrated, as if he had something to hide. He didn’t want to share the reason for his delay, and that hurt. 
Even though I pretended I was working, my mind was miles away. I thought about our future. I wasn’t involved with him anymore. Just because we had a child together didn’t mean we couldn’t see other people. After I made it clear that I loved him but wouldn’t start over with him, he had the right to have a girlfriend. 
I couldn’t shake that thought from my mind, not even during lunch. Unfortunately, Ethan's behaviour only confirmed my suspicions; he hadn’t asked his brother about his delay, suggesting he knew precisely what Spencer had been up to but didn’t want to hurt me by bringing it up in front of me. 
I couldn't stop thinking about the future. How much would it hurt to see him with someone else? How would it feel to send Ellie to spend time with her father and his girlfriend? 
These thoughts swirled in my mind when Spencer asked if he could stop by to see Ellie. I refused him. He looked disappointed, and I knew I shouldn’t have done that to him, but I couldn’t say yes. 
I walked to Ethan's car and sat in it. 
"I thought you were going with Spencer," he said. 
I shook my head. "Please, could you take me home?" 
"Sure, but what happened?" he asked with a frown. I could see him glancing in the mirror at Spencer, who was standing there and watching the car leave.
"I just want to rest with Ellie," I said.
"Ellie will look for him," Ethan replied.
I sighed. "Exactly. This is what I want to avoid."
Ethan frowned but didn't press me further. He drove me home and mentioned that he would stop by for dinner.
As I walked in, Mum frowned when she saw me come in alone. 
"Where is Spencer?" she asked.
I sighed again. "He isn't coming today."
"Why not?" Mum inquired. I looked at her while I picked up Ellie, who was still searching for Spencer.
"This is why, Mum," I said, glancing at Ellie.
"Cora, she is looking for her daddy."
"I know," I replied, then walked back inside the house holding Ellie. For the rest of the evening, I played with Ellie, trying to avoid the conversation with Mum. Ethan had mentioned earlier that he wouldn't be having dinner with us because Jessica was free; however, when it was time for dinner, the doorbell rang, and Mum opened the door with a smile to let Spencer in.
"Daddy!" Ellie exclaimed, then she ran to Spencer. He picked her up and kissed her little cheek. "Did you miss me?" he asked, and Ellie lay her head on his chest with a broad smile in response.
"Dinner is ready," Mum called us, wearing a satisfied smile on her face. I suspected she had invited Spencer over. 
I avoided talking to him throughout the evening, but when I tried to put Ellie to sleep, she reacted just like she had the night before. I held my head in disbelief and stormed out of the room. 
“Do you need me?”
Spencer looked at me, and I nodded in frustration. 
"Go, darling," Mum said, and Spencer followed me. I gently laid Ellie on the bed, and both of us settled down next to her. She fell asleep within minutes. 
Afterwards, I placed her back in her crib and turned to Spencer. 
"Will you please leave? I want to lie down as well." 
Spencer propped himself up and stared at me. 
"I'm not going to move until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you."