Breaking The Ice Queen

Chapter six

Impatiently, I walk up and down in my office. The news is out to the press. Tomorrow morning, it will be on every cover, and the whole world will know. This is my second divorce. How did things become this complicated? I grabbed my phone when it rang and put it against my ear.

"Ryan, you piece of shit," I swear at him and go to the window. "You chose another woman over your daughter? Are you going to write her off?"

"Rose-Ann, trust me. It's for the best," his voice travels through the phone. My door goes open, but I don't dare look. It's probably only Jasmine. "Lara and I are going to start over fresh."

"I don't give a fuck about Lara. You better fix this with Ariana before I bury your ass!" I shout loud enough to make sure that he hears it. "How could you do this? You are a selfish, desperate bastard!"

"Wow, hearing this from you doesn't make you any less of a desperate whore!"

"I might be a desperate whore, but at least I don't give up on my daughter. What did she ever do to you besides obey every damn thing you told her?" I keep on the fight. This isn't about me. This is supposed to be about Ariana. "You failed, and I promise you if you dare sign her off, you will never see her again. You will never talk to her or as much as mention her."

"Well, isn't that the whole purpose?" He asks. "Listen, as much as I'd like to talk to you, I have a life to live. I love Ariana, but I also need a new start. I will send you the papers. Just sign it and send it directly to the lawyers. I don't give a fuck. Just do what needs to be done."

"Fine, send it to me. I never want you to call me or Ariana again. You are completely out of our lives. She's my daughter, not yours," I say and hang up the phone. My hands were shaky, and before I knew it, I became shaky. I grab my face and turn to the window. My tears are giving me away.

"Rose-Ann?"

I shake and look behind me at Stephen, who walks slowly towards me. What's he even doing here?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen to your conversation, but... is everything okay?" He asks and stops in front of me. I nod my head and grab a tissue from my desk.

"How did you do it, Stephen?" I ask and breathe heavily. "Tell me, how did you get through with raising a kid on your own? How did Tania get through it?"

"Well, you can't force someone to be a parent. Parenting isn't a gift or a skill. It's a choice," he replies. I shake my head and look at my smudged make-up on the tissue. "Is it your husband?"

"My daughter's dad," I reply and look at him. Wow, he's wearing his uniform. I stand back and scan his outfit. "Good heavens."
Awkwardly, he looks down and then back at me. It only struck me now. Sometimes, my mind takes control of my mouth in a way I hate it.
"I need to call Jasmine. I just got the best idea for our shoot."

"You will wait with Jasmine," he says and grabs my arms. Even his touch sets me off. I look at his hands on my arms and then at him again. "As you were saying?"

"He's moving on with his life without Ariana, my daughter," I tell him and sigh. "Everything is just happening so fast all at once. Another divorce and now Ariana's father. What's next? The business?"

"Well, if you like, we can involve Tania. She's gone through something very similar, and maybe she can help your daughter," Stephen says and inhales deeply. I nod my head slowly. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure my daughter gets through this. "Hey, it'll be okay. Trust me, I've gone through that. I don't know how, but we did. You will too."

"Mrs. Kendall."

We both look at Jasmine, who came in and froze. Perhaps she was shook by how close Stephen was from me. I immediately walk away from him and take a seat at my desk.

"Mr. Tony Horn told me to give you this," she says and puts the yellow envelope in front of me. I look at it then hopelessly at her. "Also, I'm sorry about how this ended up for you. From here on, life can only get better."

"Thanks, Jasmine," I smile softly at her. She nods happily and walks out. I take the envelope into my hands and stare at it before looking at Stephen, who's looking out the window. "Stephen, thank you for the advice. I will talk to Tania and have her come in contact with Ariana. As for now, I will phone you for your project when everything is right. I just need a break from everything for now."

"A break? Should you consider going to the beach, I have a nice beach house, very private with an amazing bedroomview of the ocean," he smiles at me. I sit back in my seat and nod my head slowly.

"If you don't mind, can you... give me a moment alone, please? I need to sign these papers, but I have to do it on my own," I say, showing to the envelope in my hand. He comes to my desk and smiles softly at me.

"I need to get back to work now. I just thought I'd bring Tania lunch and pop in to say hi," he chuckles and touches the chair. He has such a soft, delicate look in his eyes. As if he's seeing everything that can complete him. "Good luck with everything, Rose-Ann. If you need someone to talk to or something, just phone me, okay?"

"Thanks," I nod with tears in my eyes. He stares at me for a while before he turns around and leaves. There's something strange about him. He has a way of looking at you as if it's the last time he's seeing you.
I open the envelope and pull out the divorce papers. Everything is happening so fast. I drop my face on my arm and start crying. I don't want to go through a divorce again, but I am.
"Oh," I dry up my tears and look at the papers again, grabbing my pen. "Let's do this, Ann. You're free again."