I'm feeling like I need to address her question, and I feel bad that I didn't answer her. She deserves to know something.
She does, whatever the answer is. I'd simply contact ex and say "D has been asking when you will be home. How would you like to answer this? "
I mean, he may be planning to come see her. Or he may not. You should find out so you can manage her expectations. I mean, you will need to find a way to tell her about the divorce, but her question right now is more immediate - when will she see him? So the answer might be "he's coming to visit you in January" or it might be "he hasn't told me yet" or it might be "he's decided to live with another woman in France and won't be able to come see you until next summer" or whatever the truth is.
What do you think is triggering her asking? Does she associate Xmas with the time when he would be home? Do you think she's overheard things that are making her question whether he'll come at all? Has she been talking to him about when he's coming and he's given her some idea that it would be real soon?
(And yes, your ex is a CREEP for leaving his little girl hanging. Looking back, do you see any signs that he wasn't attached, or that he had narcissistic tendencies?)
