Page 41 of Beneath the Flames
Goosebumps rose on Brie’s skin, and she immediately took a seat beside him. “What happened?”
Faelan closed his eyes, not answering for a moment, and then sighed. “I went to visit Asher today. He hadn’tbeen returning my calls, and when I talked to Celestia on the phone, I could tell something was seriously wrong. So, I asked Mary to watch Kaylee for me and headed over.”
Faelan frowned. “Asher refused to see me, and nothing I said or did would change his mind.”
Brie nodded. “Marquis is in a very dark place.”
“I gathered that.” Looking at the letter again, he explained, “I almost left their house empty-handed, but Celestia suddenly remembered that she had something that belonged to me and ran to get it.”
He looked grief-stricken when he told her, “She said she ran across it while cleaning her desk, and apologized for not getting it to me sooner.”
Brie’s heart skipped a beat when she looked at the letter, afraid she already knew what it was. Mary had talked to her about it ages ago, but she’d forgotten all about it.
Brie noticed his hand began to shake as he clutched the letter tighter. “It’s a letter from Trevor’s mother. That’s the boy I…” Faelan closed his eyes, forcing himself to say the word aloud, “…killed.”
Brie looked up at Sir, silently asking permission before giving Faelan a hug. While she embraced him, she insisted, “You don’t have to open it!”
Faelan was stiff and unresponsive, telling her, “It’s my duty to read it.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I agree with, Brianna,” Sir interjected. “When dealing with my mother, I refused all communication because it served no useful purpose. You are not obligatedto bear the anger and hostility of another person unless you choose to.”
Faelan held the letter up and stared at it, telling Sir, “You don’t understand. I never had the chance to speak to Trevor’s mother because his father was so angry after the car accident that he threatened to get a restraining order if I came anywhere near either of them.”
He looked down at the letter, letting out a tortured sigh. “She deserves to release the anger she feels. I killed her son and I ruined their lives in the most significant way a person can.”
Sir nodded thoughtfully. “That may be true, Wallace. But what purpose does it serve for you to accept that anger when you are already remorseful and striving to make a better life for your daughter?”
Brie cried out, “Haven’t you suffered enough?”
Faelan turned to Brie, silencing her with the intensity of his ocean-blue gaze. “Don’t you think a mother deserves to be heard—especially when it involves her dead child?”
A lump formed in her throat and she reluctantly nodded.
Looking at the letter again, Faelan told them, “I have dreaded this moment ever since I saw Trevor’s terrified face in my headlights just before we crashed into each other.”
Brie couldn’t imagine how horrifying it would be to know you had killed another human being, especially when it was someone so young. Bearing the guilt of knowing the accident was his own fault had to be heart-rending to Faelan.
Brie could understand why a mother would hate the person who caused the accident which killed her child. But Faelan was a good man and a father of a little girl now. He didn’t deserve the setback this letter would bring, not after Kylie.
“Let me throw it away,” she begged him.
Faelan looked into her eyes. “I don’t need you to throw it away. I need your support.”
Brie nodded, understanding it was why he had come to her. Sighing nervously, she accepted her role and grabbed his hand. “You’ve got my support.”
Hope came down the stairs with Shadow following behind her. The moment she saw Faelan, she squealed in excitement.
Faelan froze, his emotions too raw to handle the innocent intrusion.
Reading the situation, Sir lifted Hope into his arms and headed back toward the stairs. “Let’s read a book. You can pick your favorite one or let your papa surprise you.”
Hope peered over Sir’s shoulder, grinning at them both as he carried her back upstairs.
Once they were alone, Brie placed her hand on Faelan’s shoulder and apologized for the interruption. “I’m sorry about that.”
“No need to say sorry. It’s not her fault I’m unstable and came here unannounced.” Glancing back at the stairs, his voice softened when he told her, “It’s good to see how happy your kid is. You and Davis are good parents.”
