“Hey, Soren, come in,” I greeted, my voice a bit shaky.
“Thanks, Marina. I’m excited to meet Livia,” Soren said, handing me the gift. “I hope she likes this.”
“She will,” I replied, hoping it was true. “Let me get her.”
I walked to the bottom of the stairs and called, “Livia, sweetie, can you come down? There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
I heard her small footsteps hurrying down the stairs. But when she saw Soren, she froze. Her face turned pale, and she looked terrified.
“No! Mommy, please, no!” Livia screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ran to me, hiding behind my legs. “Don’t let him take me! Please, Mommy!”
I was shocked. Soren looked as confused as I felt. I knelt to Livia’s level, trying to calm her.
“Livia, honey, it’s okay. This is Soren. He’s a friend,” I said gently, smoothing her hair.
“No! He’s bad! He’ll take me away! I don’t want to go!” she sobbed, clinging to me tightly.
“Why do you think he’ll take you away?” I asked, my heart aching at her fear.
“Daddy said he will! Daddy showed me pictures and told me to run if I ever see him!” Livia cried.
I felt a wave of anger and confusion. Kael had done this? Why would he frighten her like that?
Soren knelt beside me, his face full of worry. “Livia, I’m not going to take you away. I promise. I just want to be your friend,” he said softly.
Livia didn’t answer. She just cried and held me tighter. I stood, lifting her into my arms, and turned to Soren.
“We need to sort this out,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
“Absolutely,” Soren agreed, looking concerned.
I carried Livia to the living room and sat with her on my lap. Soren sat across from us, keeping his distance to avoid scaring her more.
“Livia, can you tell me exactly what Daddy said?” I asked gently.
She sniffled and nodded. “Daddy said if I see Soren, he’ll take you and me away, and we’ll never see Daddy again. He showed me pictures of Soren and said he’s a bad man.”
I took a deep breath, feeling a mix of anger and sadness. “Livia, Daddy was wrong to say those things. Soren is not a bad man. He’s kind and cares about us.”
Livia looked at me with wide, frightened eyes. “But Daddy said…”
“I know, sweetheart. But sometimes grown-ups make mistakes. Daddy made a mistake,” I said, trying to comfort her.
Soren leaned forward slightly. “Livia, I promise I’d never do anything to hurt you or your mommy. I just want us to be happy together.”
Livia stayed quiet, but she seemed a bit calmer. I knew this was just the start of a long journey to help her feel safe around Soren. I looked at Soren, who gave me a small, encouraging smile. We had a lot of work ahead, but I was determined to fix this.
As soon as Livia was settled in her room, I grabbed my phone and called Kael, my hands trembling with anger. He answered on the third ring.
“Marina, what’s up?” he said casually.
“Kael, what did you tell Livia about Soren?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice calm.
“What do you mean?” he replied, acting clueless.
“Don’t act innocent, Kael. Livia just had a meltdown because she thought Soren was going to take her away. She said you told her that,” I said, my anger growing. Tears welled in my eyes.
“Well, maybe I did,” he admitted after a pause. “I don’t trust that guy, Marina. He’s going to take you and Livia away from me.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Kael, that’s not true, and you know it. You had no right to scare her like that. You’re done babysitting until further notice.”
Kael’s voice turned defensive. “Oh, so I’m the bad guy now? I was just protecting her. What do you really know about this Soren guy? What if he’s not who you think?”
“That’s not your call to make, Kael. Soren and I have been together for over a year. He’s a good man, and he cares about us. You had no right to meddle like that,” I said, struggling to keep my frustration in check.
“So I was right. As soon as she met that man, I’m out of her life,” he snapped.
“No, Kael. You did this to yourself. You scared our daughter and filled her with fear. That’s not okay,” I replied, my voice shaking with anger.
Kael sighed, and I could hear the frustration in his voice. “I’m her father, Marina. I have a right to protect her.”
“Protect her from what? A man who’s been nothing but kind to us? You’re putting your own fears onto Livia, and it’s not fair to her,” I said firmly.
“Fine, maybe I went too far. But I don’t want to be pushed out of her life,” he said, his tone softening a bit.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Kael, you’re not being pushed out. But you need to understand that what you did was wrong. From now on, every time you see Livia, Soren will be there too. We’re going to work on this together. Livia needs to see that Soren is not a threat.”
There was a long silence on the line. Finally, Kael spoke, his voice resigned. “Alright, Marina. I’ll go along with it. But if he does anything to hurt her, you’ll answer for it.”
“Nothing like that will happen, Kael. We’re doing this for Livia’s sake. She needs stability and to know the adults in her life can get along,” I said, hoping he’d understand.
“Okay, fine. I get it. I’ll cooperate,” he muttered, clearly unhappy but agreeing.
“Thank you, Kael. This is what’s best for Livia,” I said, feeling a slight sense of relief.
“Yeah, whatever. Just keep me updated, okay?” he said before hanging up.
I ended the call, feeling a mix of anger and sadness. I knew this would be hard, but I was determined to make things right for Livia. I returned to the living room, where Soren was waiting, looking worried.
“How did it go?” he asked.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’ll get through it. We’ll take it one step at a time, together,” I said, feeling a bit more hopeful.
Soren nodded. “I’m with you, Marina. We’ll make this work.”
I smiled, grateful for his support. It wouldn’t be easy, but with Soren by my side, I knew we could handle it. We just had to be patient and strong for Livia. The path ahead was uncertain, but we were ready to face it together
