Page 69 of Burned

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Come.” Sadie stepped back enough to allow Carys inside. She wasn’t completely comfortable being around the teenager but there was something in the girl’s eyes that stopped Sadie from slamming the door in her face. Regardless of how Carys had treated her, she knew the two of them would have to see one another again anyway considering she was carrying Rhys’s baby.

Carys hesitated briefly before squaring her shoulders and stepping inside.

“Please have a seat.” Sadie gestured to the couch once they stepped into the living room. Can I get you something to drink?”

The teenager shook her head. “No, thank you.” Carys took a seat and looked around. “You have a nice place.”

“Thank you. Although I suspect you’re not here to discuss the décor of my house. How did you get here anyway and better yet, what are you doing here?”

“I asked a friend of mine to drop me off. I uh, got your address off my dad’s phone and we used GPS to get here.”

“Is your friend outside waiting for you?”

“No, she was on her way to the mall. I figured I could get a cab home.”

“I see,” Sadie said not really seeing at all. What was Carys up to? “Does your father know you’re here?

“No. And if he knew of my plans he probably would have stopped me. But I had to come.”

Sadie took the reclining chair cattycorner from the couch. Her lower back throbbed. It had been bothering her on and off since the night before. She rubbed the tender area silently vowing to have a long hot soak in the tub followed by some time with her heating pad. “Why?” she asked again.

Carys’s cheeks turned scarlet, her head lowered. “Because even though it may be too late, I have to fix what I did. Sadie…I…I’m really sorry for the way I acted. I really am. I was a brat and all I could think of was myself.”

Sadie didn’t know what to say. This was the last thing she’d expected from Carys. She’d long since let go of her anger towards the child, despite what Carys had done but sometimes saying sorry couldn’t fix everything. “I appreciate your apology Carys. It was very brave of you to come here and say it. Thank you.” Another pain shot through her back. She winced slightly, reaching around to rub the tender area that was bothering her.

“Sadie, I’ve been going to therapy these past several weeks and my therapist thought it would help me to get things off my chest and I wanted to tell you why I did what I did.”

“That’s not necessary Carys. I’ve already accepted your apology.”

Carys’s eyes glistened with tears. “Please?”

Sadie sighed, leaning back in her chair now that the ache in her back subsided a bit. “Okay.”

“You already know my Dad is well off financially. He’s a good looking guy and he’s single so he’s dated a handful of women. Most of them, however, weren’t interested in being stepmothers. Whenever my Dad was around they’d smile in my face and act like we were best friends but when Dad wasn’t around it was like I didn’t exist. One of the women Dad dated before you was Barbara. I thought she was different because she actually seemed like a nice person. But then I heard her talking to someone on the phone saying nasty things about me, like how I was ugly and didn’t have social skills. And she said when she married my Dad she’d send me to a boarding school far away. I already felt insecure because my own mom didn’t want me and I really liked Barbara, but she thought I was a loser. That’s when I tried to make her as miserable as possible. I pushed her buttons to the point where I got her to attack me when she didn’t think my Dad was around. When I realized how easy it was to get rid of any of Dad’s other love interests I did it because I wanted to hurt them before they hurt me.” She paused for a moment to wipe a tear from her eyes.

Sadie understood where the teen was coming from. It made sense now why Carys had tried so hard to get rid of her. “That sounds awful, Carys.”

Carys looked down at her shoes as she continued. “I was also very scared. You see, when I was younger, I found out my dad and I wasn'tblood-related. But he’s raised me since I was ababy but my insecurities made me think that eventually he’d have biological children and I’d be forgotten and I’d have no one.”

Rhys had confided in Sadie about the situation with his ex. It was one of the reasons she’d tried so hard to befriend Carys. Under most circumstance, Sadie would have hugged someone relaying such a heartbreaking tale but the wounds were still too fresh. “Carys, I hope you know how much your father loves you. He’d never abandon you for anyone, not even for a new child. He’d love you just as much as a child from his blood.”

“I know that now. But I didn’t before. I’ve still got a lot of work to do on me and I was hoping…well, I thought if you could just forgive me you and Dad can get back together again.”

Sadie raised both brows. Not in a million year would she have believed this child would approach her about reuniting with her father. While she appreciated Carys taking the time to come over and apologize, she feared it was too little too late for her and Rhys.

“Carys, I’m very glad you took the time to come over but I’m sorry—as far as your father and me getting back together it’s just not possible right now.”

Carys recoiled with her mouth falling open. “B-but you two broke up because of me. Sadie you’ve got to know I would never harm you or the baby. Even the old me would never hurt a baby. I’m not that crazy. But I promise I’ll try and if you can’t see yourself being around me. I understand. I can go live with my Nana.”

“Carys, I wouldn’t dream of asking you to move away from your father. He needs you as much as you need him. The problem between your father and me runs much deeper than you and I getting along.”

“But do you love him?”

Sadie didn’t want to answer. She could have lied but saw no point. “Yes. Part of me will always love your father.”

“And I know he loves you so why can’t you be together?”

---