Diamonds Dancing

Forty Nine

The world seemed to slow down as the very word echoed around the room.

Mommy.

Rika froze, drawing the trembling body close to her chest as she thought over the many textbook responses the word 'Mommy' had. It wasn't uncommon for a child who had been looked after by one caretaker for so long to accidentally call them something like 'Mama' or 'Mommy'.

However, what made it harder to comprehend was the sole fact that the child in question was old enough to know who her real parental figure was.

Janessa knew that by calling her such a name that both her father and nanny would be startled.

She couldn't help it though. She was so frantic and grateful to see the one person she needed to see for the last two weeks.

Standing still by the door, Slater flickered his attention from his daughter to the woman who held nothing but the world in her eyes.

He didn't have to look hard to detect the love in her watery gaze.

A thick swallow, so brutal that it actually hurt. She pushed her tremor aside and found his drooping eyes.

He was too exhausted to react, he heard Vera visibly gasp behind him but he didn't seem to take it in as he began moving towards the bed.

Meanwhile, his sister took that as her cue to leave, she understood that they clearly needed to talk. It was going to be a difficult conversation, one that she certainly didn't belong in.

She carefully trodded away, closing the door and leaving the family of four alone.

Lilia's brows were still raised, searching her father's speechless face. She couldn't make out any emotion as her heart skipped a beat.

She was in his arms, swaying side to side as he reached them.

"Sit down next to your sister." His husky voice was controlled, planting her small body down on the bed.

"Okay, Daddy."

The five-year-old followed her father with her eyes, he took a seat on the edge of the bed. Not touching the nanny or her sister, he simply gawked the back of her sister's head.

Slater cleared his throat, rubbing his hands against his bare chest. "Janessa," he tried.

The nanny felt the child stiffen in her arms, his gruff tone going through all of them.

She avoided his command, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Janessa," Louder and more direct. "Look at me, please."

"No." Her little voice sounding so scared, she knew exactly what she had said and she didn't want to take it back.

His gritted his teeth, glimpsing over at Rika's worried face. He ignored it, completely focused on his difficult daughter.

"I'm not going to have this conversation with you again, so I would like to see your face when I say this." The warning was nothing extreme, although it was enough for the well behaved child to take a peak at her serious father.

"Vy ne dolzhny govorit' takiye kraynosti, ne zadumyvayas'." He continued in Russian, making her frown.

Janessa gulped. She had never spoken back to her father, but if this was going to be the only chance she had to make him understand how hurt she was by his actions, then it was now or never.