"Harris, I agreed to meet with you for a formal closure. You have no right to invade my personal life, especially my daughter," Mallory thundered.
"Mally, calm down," Harris said, raising his hands. "I was just asking. I don't want to invade your privacy, either. Someone told me about your daughter—"
"Don't talk about my daughter," Mallory cut him off. "This is the last time we talk. Goodbye, Harris." Mallory was about to leave when Harris finally had the strength to hold her.
"Mallory, is Harriet the name of your daughter?"
Mallory trembled in fear. "What about Harriet? How did you even find out about her?"
"An investigator tipped me off," Harris replied, his eyes shining with unshed tears as he spoke. "The moment I saw her picture, I knew there was no denying our connection. She has my eyes, Mal. She's my daughter, isn't she?"
"You're delusional, Harris."
"Am I too late?"
"Too late for what?" Mallory asked, her eyes searching his face for answers.
"Too late to be a father to our daughter, Mally." The words hung heavily in the air as Mallory's eyes widened in shock. "Harriet looks just like me, Mallory. There's no denying it," he said softly, his voice tinged with desperation. "I want to be there for you both. I want to make things right."
Mallory's emotions roiled beneath the surface, threatening to spill over. "She's not your daughter, Harris." She lied. She must, for her daughter's safety. "Don't you dare attempt to communicate with me again. I don't want anything to do with you. Harris, leave me alone," she said sternly. She raised a finger as if to threaten Harris, but deep inside, she was quivering in fear.
It was hard for Mallory to say those words, but she needed to, for her daughter, hoping it would stop Harris from gathering more information about Harriet. Her heart was drumming in her chest as she walked out of the cafe. Fear, anger, and frustration clouded her mind.
When she went home, Mallory brought Harriet a new doll, and her daughter was so happy to play with her new toy. "Thank you, Mommy," Harriet kissed her mom's cheek.
It melts Mallory's heart, motivating her even more to protect Harriet's full custody and hide her from Harris. She couldn't let anyone take Harriet from her, not even her father, Harris.
"Anything for you, sweetheart. As I have told you, we will have a fun day today since it is my day off. Why don't we play with the new doll game by trying on new dresses for her?"
"Yes, Mommy, I like that," Harriet exclaimed. "It's good that you bought new doll dresses too." Her tiny fingers started undressing her new doll.
"Of course, you know I love to spend time with my one and only baby," Mallory said, gently squeezing her daughter's cheek.
"I like it that you are with me, Mommy, and not with Aunt Heidi and Mrs. Johnson all the time," Harriet confessed, her blue eyes meeting Mallory's.
"Oh, baby, love. Don't like your aunt Heidi and Mrs. Johnson?" Mallory asked, stroking Harriet's back as if to comfort her.
"I like them both, but I like you the most, and soon when I have a daddy, the three of us can play together. What do you think, Mommy?"
"That would be great, sweetheart, but now, it's just us. Okay?"
"Okay," Harriet's eyebrows furrowed. "Mommy?"
"Yes, Harriet?"
"How was your meet-up with your friend?" Harriet asked, her blue eyes spark with curiosity.
Mallory was surprised to hear her daughter's question, but she promised to be open to Harriet and do her best to share whatever she could. "It was okay, sweetheart. We had a cup of coffee and talked about the things we missed after a long time, not seeing each other."
"Will I be able to see him next time, Mommy?" Harriet asked with excitement.
"I don't know, baby girl, we are both busy. You know Mommy is working, right?" Mallory softly touched her daughter's hair. "And he is also a busy man. I don't even know if we will see each other again."
"Okay," Harriet's disappointment was evident in her pouting lips. It broke Mallory's heart that she couldn't give what her daughter wanted, a complete family. She wanted a father figure in her life like what her friends have.
When Harriet was asleep at night, Mallory waited for Heidi to visit as she wanted to talk about what happened with her meet-up with Harris.
Mallory's mind wandered to the night they admitted each other's feelings. Harris took her hand and spun her around the dance floor. The warmth of his touch and how he looked at her as if she were the only person who mattered made her heart race. She remembered how they had laughed together, their fingers intertwined.
"Harris promised he'd always be there for me, and how he said he wanted to build a future with me," Mallory recalled. Her eyes filled with tears, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. "He told me that I was his everything and that we'd face any challenges together," she murmured, her voice trembling slightly.
As the memories washed over her, Mallory felt the weight of the love they once shared. It was a love that had been so passionate, so consuming, that it had seemed impossible to imagine a life without Harris by her side. But they had it for a very short time.
A knock on the door to get Mallory out of her reverie. She opened the door, and it was Heidi, her best friend hugged her tightly as she invited her in.
"So, tell me, what happened?"
"It wasn't the outcome I wanted. I thought we could have a formal closure for the sake of our past relationship, but it turned out differently," Mallory started. "Heidi, he knows about my Harriet," Mallory said, quivering in fear.
"What? How?" Heidi asked, puzzled. "You barely take Harriet outside. The only place you went out farther than Mrs. Johnson's house was the nearest park."
"Harris told me an investigator told him about Harriet. I can only pray he'd stop gathering information about my daughter. I want him to leave us alone, Heidi."
Heidi paused, carefully assessing the situation. "Mallory, is that really what you want?" Heidi knows her friend more than anybody else, and she knows her best friend's feelings toward Harris. "Be true to yourself, Mally," she said, her voice firm and gentle.
Mallory hesitated, torn between telling the truth and fearing losing Harriet. But she knew she would never be able to move forward unless she faced her feelings.
"Mally, this is hard for you, but think about it."
"I did give him a chance to explain, but it wasn't satisfying enough. He kept insisting on giving him a second chance, but I can't trust him anymore, Heidi. I can't be the old Mallory who was so naive, especially now that I have Harriet. And besides, he is still engaged with Nicole. I never dreamed of being a third party."
Heidi reached over and enveloped her in a warm embrace. "I understand, Mally." She pulled a little, facing Mallory. "You still love him, right?"