#Chapter 39: An Ice Cream

Alaric’s POV I fall silent. How can I supposed to explain this to Cara’s child? But Mia notices my hesitation and, in her thoughtful way, quickly changes the subject. “The ice-cream is so good! Can I have some more?” Mia takes another lick of her ice cream cone. “No, this is the last scoop. You’ve eaten so much already,” I say to her. Mia is devouring this ice cream like she hasn’t had any treats in years. She treasures the ice cream so much that even after finishing it, she still seems reluctant to part with it. I notice her cheeks are even redder now. "Well, thank you, Uncle... Mommy usually doesn’t let me have ice cream," she says softly. I reply, "I’m sure your mom has her reasons. Be a good girl and listen to her, okay?" Mia beams at me with a pure, innocent smile. "Of course! I love Mommy the most!" It took a great deal of effort. I stopped myself midway, swallowing the question: "And what do you think of your dad?" It’s a question that mustn’t