You're Just My Ex-Husband,My Lord-Chapter 42- Mom, you’re the best

Laurent couldn’t quite understand. If Dave didn’t love her anymore, then they were divorced, so he should be eager to distance himself from her, right? Why was he still dragging her into his life by using their daughter?

Then she thought, perhaps it was just that his need for control was so overwhelming. When she said she didn’t want him to drive them, he insisted on doing so, not allowing her any resistance or rejection.

Laurent and emma got into Dave’s car, both sitting in the back, with the daughter in her safety seat.

The little girl once again focused on her mom’s new hairstyle.

"Mom, why did you suddenly decide to perm your hair?"

Girls would always be girls. The love for beauty was ingrained in them, and since she thought her mom’s new hairstyle was pretty, she couldn’t stop admiring it.

Laurent smiled and answered her daughter.

"There’s no special reason. Girls should change up their look once in a while. If you stick to the same style all year long and never change, life becomes dull."

Dave, who was driving, looked displeased. He liked long hair and only liked smooth, straight black hair, so for these years, her hair had always been long, flowing, never dyed or permed.

By saying this, was she indirectly implying that the life they had together for the past few years had been boring and dull?

The little girl thought for a moment after hearing her mom’s words and then said.

"Then I want to cut my hair short too. I think keeping long hair all the time is boring."

Laurent agreed to her daughter’s request.

"Sure, next time, I’ll take you to get a haircut, but you’re still a child, so you can only cut it short, no perming, okay?"

"Mm!"

The little girl was very happy, clinging to her mother’s arm.

"Mom, you’re the best."

Just after the little girl complimented her, she heard Dave’s displeased voice from the front.

"No cutting!"

He liked long, black, straight hair, and for these years, both she and their daughter had kept that hairstyle. Now that she had cut her hair short, he couldn’t tolerate the idea of their daughter doing the same, so he commanded her not to.

The little girl wasn’t having it and protested angrily.

"Why can’t I cut it?"

Dave couldn’t give a proper explanation. His tone was firm and commanding.

"I said no, so no cutting!"

He didn’t want to admit that he liked long hair because that would feel too much like admitting that he liked her. But he didn’t think he liked her, so he couldn’t say it out loud.

He remembered when he first met her, her hair was this medium length, and during one of their intimate moments after marriage, he had softly told her to keep it long.

So, for all these years, she hadn’t cut her hair, and after having their daughter, she let her daughter’s hair grow long too.

Faced with his unreasonable attitude, the little girl wasn’t happy. She pouted angrily.

"I want to cut it! I don’t like long hair. I want to cut it short like Mommy’s!"

"Emma Washington!"

Dave, irritated by his daughter’s little tantrum, shouted at her in a low voice. The little girl crossed her arms, snorted, and turned her head away, and the father and daughter were locked in a silent standoff.

Laurent pressed her lips together and said nothing, choosing instead to look out the window on the other side of the car.

This was an issue between him and their daughter, so it was up to him to solve it.

In the past, she would have stepped in to help. That was because she cared about him, trying hard to maintain his image in front of their daughter, not wanting their relationship to be strained.

But now, she wouldn’t. They were divorced, and she no longer cared about him.

Dave glanced at the mother and daughter in the rearview mirror. One was looking left, the other right. One was angrily ignoring him, while the other blatantly ignored him altogether.

His mood couldn’t have been worse.

At the restaurant, after Dave parked the car, he came over to lift their daughter out. But the little girl turned away and refused to let him pick her up, instead leaning toward Laurent. Laurent had no choice but to reach over, unbuckle her seatbelt, and lift her out of the car. The two of them got out through the other side of the car.

Laurent glanced at Dave, standing there with a cold expression, then at their daughter, who was equally defiant. She sighed inwardly. She didn’t want their daughter to have an unpleasant experience at dinner when she’d worked hard to bring them together. That would be a deep hurt for the little girl. So, she comforted her gently, and the little girl finally smiled through her tears.

Laurent promised her that she would take her to cut her hair another time.

By then, the hair would already be gone, and no matter how angry Dave got, it wouldn’t matter. Laurent didn’t intend to have her daughter oppose Dave, but she did think that Dave’s refusal to let their daughter cut her hair was a bit too much. What’s more, he was using such a forceful way to stop the child from cutting it.

The little girl, comforted by Laurent’s promise, stopped sulking. She wriggled out of Laurent’s arms and happily skipped toward the restaurant.

Laurent followed behind her, and Dave caught up with her, asking in an unhappy tone.

"What did you say to her?"

"What I said isn’t important. What matters is that she’s no longer upset. She can enjoy this meal now."

After Laurent said that, she stopped in her tracks and looked at him, accusing him without mercy.

"Children need to be coaxed, not controlled with your forceful methods!"

Laurent hadn’t wanted to say much more to him, but she couldn’t bear the thought of their daughter growing up under such a high-pressure environment, so she pointed it out.

He treated their daughter like one of his subordinates, expecting complete obedience, a "yes" to every order, and silence when he raised his voice.

Every child has a rebellious nature, and especially their daughter, who was sharp and perceptive. If he kept pressing her like this, it was only a matter of time before she would start to resist.

Dave was speechless in response to her accusation, but his anger flared up. He blamed her for everything.

"If it weren’t for you cutting your hair like that, would any of this have happened?"

Laurent was furious at his unreasonable arguments, so she turned away and walked toward their daughter, unwilling to engage with him further.

Maybe they really weren’t suited for each other. Before they divorced, there was so much indifference between them, and now that they were divorced, they were constantly fighting.

Two people who truly love each other would always make compromises, even if they argued. But for them, it was nothing but arguments, with neither of them willing to give in.

Laurent was truly exhausted from this relationship.

As for Dave, she no longer felt that passionate love she once had for him.