Page 70 of Finding Forgiveness
She’s going to leave a strange man in her house while she sleeps? “Ah, Okay. I’ll head back to my car then,” I say, standing.
She waves her hand dismissing me. “Nonsense, I have a perfectly comfortable lounge you can sleep on. Make yourself at home. You’ll find pillows and blankets in the hall cupboard near the front door.”
“Thank you again for the food,” I say to her retreating back. “And for not shooting me.”
Martha throws her head back and cackles. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, young man. If you upset my Cassie tomorrow, I might have to carry through with that threat.”
What a strange night this has turned out to be.
Despite her invitation, I headed out to the car, turning off her lights as I went and locking the front door behind me. I didn’t feel right staying in her house, I barely knew the woman.
I reach over to the passenger side seat where I dropped my phone and click on the screen to see the time. It’s just after three in the morning. Leaning back into my seat, I scrub my hands over my face and groan. Martha said Cass gets up at six to feed the animals before breakfast, but that’s hours away. I stare ahead into the darkness, in the direction that I presume her cabin is, and with each passing minute, I become more unsettled.
I’m desperate to see her, and I can’t wait that long. I’m not game enough to start the car up though; I’m likely to have Martha shooting out my taillights if I do.
Reaching for the door handle, I slowly open it, trying to be as quiet as I can. I’m not even sure how far Cass’s cabin is from here, but even if I can’t find it, a walk will do me good. Sitting here is driving me around the bend, and if nothing else, it will help kill some time.
I click the torch icon on my phone, then start down the dirt road. I’m not used to such complete darkness, it’s so black out here you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Even the full moon and countless number of visible stars do nothing to light my way.
I’m not a person who spooks easily, but the weird and creepy sounds coming from the distance, and poor visibility, have my senses on high alert. I hope I don’t come in contact with a wild boar.
I’ve been walking for about five minutes now, and I still haven’t stumbled upon her cabin. I did pass through a cobweb though, which had me karate chopping the air like a ninja. Thankfully, nobody was around to witness that less-than-manly act. I checked myself over with the torch, and I’m pretty sure the spider isn’t on me, but my skin still crawls nevertheless.
I continue along the road, shining the torch towards the ground as I go. After a while, I stop and lift my arm illuminating it in the distance, hoping to see her building. I hear some twigs crack beside me, and my body immediately spins in that direction. I remain as still as a statue, even going as far as holding my breath. I hear another twig snap and rustling of leaves, and I’m now regretting not driving. This place is as creepy as fuck. I’m guessing Martha and her shotgun would’ve been the safer route.
My feet are killing me, and my usually polished dress shoes are now a dusty brown, along with the cuffs of my trousers. I should’ve changed into something more comfortable before I left, but I was in too much of a rush to get here.
I glance behind me, but the way back to my car is probably longer than the one ahead, so I decide to keep moving forward. As I take a step, a large kangaroo jumps in front of my path. I drop the phone in my hand on instinct and raise my clenched fists ready to take him out if need be.
He’s a huge buck, almost the size of me, and built like a brick shithouse. I’ve done loads of kickboxing sessions in my time, but I’m not sure if I’m any match for this motherfucker and his razor-sharp claws. It pauses for a moment; when it makes eye contact with me, I cock an eyebrow, daring him to make his move, but he bounds away instead.Pussy.
“For fuck’s sake,” I growl as I bend down to retrieve my phone. Out of all the places my girl could flee, she chose the fucking country. Give me the hustle and bustle of city life any day.
I swear I’ve walked a kilometre, maybe two, by the time the cabin comes into view. Her red Mercedes-Benz is parked outside, so I know it’s the right one. It’s a lot smaller than the main house, but quaint. It has a matching bullnose veranda. I shine the light around the vicinity; she’s so secluded down here, surrounded by nothing but bushland, and I don’t like it one bit.
I move to the base of the stairs that lead to the front porch, and that sickly feeling I had in my stomach on the drive here returns. Will she even want to see me after the way I’ve acted?
I’ve been so lost in my own head since I found out about the baby, I never once considered what she had gone through, and now that I know the truth, I feel like a colossal arsehole. This poor woman has been to hell and back, with zero support along the way.
As much as my heart breaks for her and everything she’s had to endure, I admire the hell out of her, and the resilience she had to keep going, because her situation would’ve broken many.
She was a kid, betrayed in the worst possible way by a person who should’ve protected her most. She’s suffered in silence for years all because she was trying to protect me and continued to smile through her sadness nevertheless. I fucking love her for that, but I wish she hadn’t.
Legally, there is nothing her mother can do to me; I know it, and so does she. We were young and in love, and the only crime that was committed was by her. I imagine it would be easy to manipulate a child when they know no better. She was bluffing and poor Cass is so conditioned by that baby-murdering cunt, she took her threats as gospel.
The real kicker here is that she’s a doctor … someone who has supposedly dedicated her life to saving others. I promise you one thing, by the time I’m through with Amanda Lewis she’ll regret the day she was born.
I suck air into my lungs as I take the four steps and cross the landing in three long strides. Raising my hand, I pause. I don’t want to scare Cassie by knocking this time of morning, but I’ve come this far, and I need to see her.
Shaking out my shoulders, I move my head from side to side a few times before raising my hand to tap twice. I wait about a minute before I do it again, this time with a little more force. A few seconds later, the door swings open and a squinty-eyed Cassandra stands before me, and fuck me if my heart doesn’t skip a beat. One look at her pretty face and it feels like the organ that’s been lying dormant in my chest since she left suddenly kicks back to life.
She looks like a hot mess in that oversized T-shirt that hangs off one shoulder, and her usual immaculate hair is sticking up all over the place, but she’s a beautiful mess.My beautiful mess.
“Connor,” she gasps in surprise.
“I can’t believe you just opened the door in the middle of the night without even asking who it was.”
“I thought it was Martha.”
