Page 48 of One Last Night

Once more, my stomach turns. I actually sink down into a chair. “Sean, why are you talking to me like this? You never talk to me like this.”

Sean chuckles in frustration and gives me a tight smile. “I’m sorry, Mary. This isn’t the right time for me to be gentle with you. I’ll be as gentle as I can, but the main point that needs to get across is that you need to leave this house before nightfall. Your presence here is damaging this family, and it’s not doing you any favors either.”

My breathing quickens, and my hands start to tremble. These are the beginning symptoms of a panic attack, but I refuse to succumb to one of those now. “Someone needs to help them.”

"No, Mary. They need to figure it out on their own. And you need to accept that sometimes things don't get figured out. Sometimes people hurt, and trying to stop that hurt only makes it worse. Sometimes bad things happen, and no one gets punished for them. Sometimes people cheat and get away with it. Sometimes families split up. Sometimes bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it or fix it. It's a shite truth, but it's a truth."

My whole body is trembling now. I look up at him, pleading silently for him to understand, for him to see that Ican’tdo that. I can’t give up. It’s not right. It’s notfair.

I see no understanding in his eyes. No agreement. Sympathy, but no agreement. “Start packing,” he says. “I’ll call Julian and let him know that we’re leaving.”

The last of my strength leaves me. I don’t have the energy to do more than nod as tears stream silently down my cheeks.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

I zip up my suitcase while Sean talks with Julian. “I understand this isn’t ideal for you, Mr. Bellamy. Believe me, we wish we could be of help, but I think that strangers being here right now is making things harder for the children, not easier.” A brief pause, then he says, “They’re…” He sighs. “I’ll be honest. There was an argument between me, Mary, and the children. I’m not sure exactly what it was about. I was only in the middle of it because it became heated. They stormed out of the house. I talked to Grant, and he told me that the children often visit a beach nearby, and they’ve been known to run there when they’re angry. Grant is looking there while Beatrice checks the mall in town. I understand that’s another favorite hangout.”

I sit on the edge of the bed and stare out of the window. The sun is setting, and the shadows of the vines below are lengthening. Already, some brown is showing in the vines as the drenched soil causes their roots to rot. The disease afflicting this family is spreading.

"I'm afraid not, sir. It's no offense to you and none to Victoria. We just feel it's best we leave before the children get back. Yes, I'm afraid it was that heated. Oh, no, no, nothing like that. Just words. It's just… well, at that age, they don't really respect strangers. I didn't respect strangers when I was a teenager. Hell, I didn't respect my own parents. It's nothing to feel so terribly about, sir. This is just a trying time for your family and one that we're not very well-equipped to help with. I wish the best for all of you, but we just can't be of much help. And… well, I hate to say it this way, but we couldn't even keep the children in the house. Not unless we physically restrained them, and I think it goes without saying that would be a poor way to keep them safe."

There’s a long pause, then he says, “No need to apologize, sir. You’ve been perfectly polite. Don’t be too hard on the children, either. They’re young. This is just the way things have shaken out, unfortunately. All right.” He nods. “Yes, that’s a good point. We’ll wait for the children to get back before we leave. You take care, sir.”

He hangs up, and sighs heavily. “I told him we’d stay until the children got back. Then we’ll leave.”

“Yes, I heard you.”

He rolls his eyes but doesn’t call me out for my attitude. “I’ll bring the luggage to my car. We can put everything in my boot.” He smiles slightly. “Sorry, my trunk.”

I don’t react. His smile fades after a moment. He sighs again, then begins taking the luggage downstairs.

I remain where I am on the edge of the bed. It’s probably not healthy for me to do this, but I think about what will happen to the Bellamys after I leave.

The children will suffer. Their father is embroiled in the company concerns, and their grandmother is in severe emotional distress. They won’t have anyone to advocate for them and no one to be concerned for their feelings.

Then again, I haven’t done much for them there, have I?

Tears swim in my eyes, and I brush them away. I meant to do so much good. I only wanted them to be safe. I only wanted to stop all of the secrets and all of the aggression.

But that’s not exactly true either. Like Julian intimated when he caught me eavesdropping on his phone conversation in the library, I treated this family’s past drama like a soap opera.

But not their current trials. I never treated their current problems like entertainment. I might have failed, but I did try very hard to do what was best for the children. Ididtry to help them. That’s not much comfort to me as I hear Sean’s stepsreturn up the stairs and try to wipe the tears free of my eyes, but it’s better than nothing.

When the door opens, I get to my feet. “I’d prefer to wait in the dining room,” I tell Sean. “I’d like some coffee before we begin the drive home.”

“I was thinking we’d spend the night at the Avalon Hotel in town,” Sean says. “We can drive home in the morning after a good night’s rest.”

“No. I don’t want to be here another night. You’re right. We should be gone completely as soon as possible.”

He looks like he’s going to argue further, but he stops himself and only nods. We head downstairs, and I make a pot of coffee for us. Sean stays silent and avoids eye contact with me. At some point, we’ll need to talk through our frustration with each other, but we’re a while off from being able to do that.

I finish the coffee and serve a mug to Sean and one to myself. I’m just about to take the first sip when the door flies open, and Nathan rushes into the dining room.

My blood chills when I see him. He’s covered in dirt, and his eyes are wide with terror.

Then I smell him. He’s not covered in dirt. He’s covered in soot.

“What is it?” Sean asks, recovering from the shock faster than I do. “Where’s Luann?”

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