Mental Institution, N27.

31

I stared down at my wedding band with a forced smile before looking up at Celeste who had a tiny smile on her face as I finished telling her the story I tell her every night before she goes to sleep. She looked at me with bright greenish blue eyes.

"Why is mummy always so quiet, daddy?" She innocently asked, moving closer to me and raising her arms for me to pick her up, she held onto me as she climbed on my lap and looked up at me with wide eyes full of sadness.

"She doesn't like the noise very much. She likes the silence." I told her while wrapping my arms around her small body, a smile of content settling on my lips before I pressed my lips to Celeste's hair.

"Sometimes..I feel like she doesn't really love me. She never comes to get me from school, she never sits down to play with me when I ask her to..she just feeds me.." A pout formed on Celeste's lips making my heart ache as I listened to her saddened voice.

"Never say that again, Celeste. She loves you more than you could Imagine, she's just not good at expressing her feelings, she's shy." I furrowed my eyebrows as she pursed her lips in a straight line, not really believing me.

"I'm six years old, daddy. I'm a big girl now and I know it when you lie to me." She rolled her eyes and bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from pouting any further.

"I'm not lying to you, Celeste. It's rude to call older people liars." I scolded her and saw tears form in her eyes before she pushed herself off my lap harshly and turned to look at me with sad and angry teary eyes.

"Yes you are, daddy! You are lying! It's not rude to call older people liars when it's the truth!" She stomped her small foot on the floor before storming out of my bedroom. I shot up in anger following after her petite body.

"Come back here and apologise right now Celeste!" I ran after her but she immediately turned and slammed the door of her room in my face and locking it, her loud cries echoing through the wooden door.

I sighed and rested my forehead against the door.

"Open the door, Celeste." I told her much quieter than before. I never really meant to make her cry I just don't like the way she's been acting recently, she's more bold and it's not appropriate to call older people liars and scream in their face. I don't even know what has gotten into her.

I groaned in frustration when she didn't listen to me so I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath before yelling just loud enough for her to hear me.

"Fine. Stay in your room but for your information daddy is very angry and disappointed in you Celeste!" I looked at the door in anger, knowing that me saying that I was disappointed in her was worse than anything elsw in her life and this is how much I know I'm that important in her life. Every time I express my disappointment she stays around me all day or week of she has to just to make it up to me.

I heard the door unlock making my eyes soften, she didn't open it but she unlocked it so if I want, I can come in and scold her all I want but instead I just stared at the door for a few minutes before turning and leaving, deciding that the silent treatment would knock some sense into her. She needs to know that her behavior is not acceptable and I won't tolerate it.

I stormed down the stairs to see Perrie sitting on the couch with a picture, that she's always holding, in her hand. She had her hair up in a ponytail and in her baby blue onesie with her legs folded underneath her as she stared down at the picture with an emotionless face.

I stopped walking and stared at my wife with a grim expression, feeling my heart pounding and aching while my stomach tingled at the sight of her.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and closed her eyes with her head still hanging low and I know she does this when she feels her heart terribly ache.