forehead crinkled as he saw what was going on.
“Mia? What’s wrong?”
“Karen got rid of the picture of Mom on the accent table!” I said. “And apparently, you’re okay with it. Is that what you’re going to do now? Pretend like she never existed?”
Dad’s eyes narrowed, and he put an arm on Karen’s shoulder. “Actually, she didn’t get rid of it,” he said, his voice stiff. “It’s on the mantelpiece in the lounge room. I was rearranging some things, and I thought it would look nicer there. Seeing as there was an empty space on the accent table, I thought I’d put the new photo there. Karen had nothing to do with it, and you are being unfathomably rude, young lady.”
My cheeks burned with pure shame. Karen looked like she was about to cry, and Brad stared at me with a hard look in his eyes. Great, now everyone hated me. I didn’t blame them. I was being awful, and this wasn’t like me at all. I’d never been the type to throw childish tantrums, but here I was acting like a three-year-old.
“Sorry,” I mumbled before slipping out of the dining room and racing upstairs. I knew ‘sorry’ wasn’t good enough, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to stay in that room. I was too ashamed.
I heard Dad come up the stairs after me, and he cornered me at the end of the hallway before I could go into my room.
“How dare you speak to Karen like that?” he said. His face was like thunder, and I averted my eyes. “This isn’t like you at all! She’s been nothing but nice to you, and you go and treat her like that and then storm out?”
“I didn’t storm out,” I said lamely, as if that changed anything.
He sighed. “Is that really the point? I didn’t raise you to behave like this, Mia.”
I tried and failed to fight back the tears that I knew were coming, and I sniffed and answered him.
“I’m sorry, Dad. It’s just…ever since I found out you were getting married again, all these old memories of Mom keep coming back, but at the same time I feel like she’s getting more distant. I can’t explain it. It doesn’t even make any sense to say out loud. I didn’t mean to yell at Karen. I’m so sorry.”
I was losing the plot now. Hot tears were spilling down my face, making a trail over my cheeks and leaking into my mouth. I could tell my mascara was running too, and I knew I looked like a complete and utter mess.
Dad sighed and put his arms around me. “I know it’s been really hard on you ever since your Mom died, sweetie. But you have to know, Karen isn’t trying to replace her. No one is. She’ll always be here in spirit. I thought you knew that.”
I nodded. “I do. I don’t know why I’ve been feeling like this,” I choked out. “I thought I’d been coping just fine for the last few years, but in the last couple of months I’ve been feeling awful again.”
“It’s my fault,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have surprised you with the wedding like I did. I should’ve introduced you to Karen a long time ago and slowly eased you into the idea.”
“It’s not your fault, Dad,” I said, my voice partially muffled by his shoulder. “You knew I’d react badly. That’s why you didn’t tell me. You were scared.”
“Well, I’m a grown man,” he replied. “I should’ve manned up and told you earlier, regardless of the outcome.”
I broke away from his hug and wiped my face with the back of my sleeve. He tucked some of my wild curls behind my ear and looked down at me, his eyes filled with concern.
“Go and wash your face,” he said. “Calm down a little, and then I’d like you to come back downstairs and apologize to Karen.”
I nodded and sniffed again. “I will. I’m really sorry, Dad.”
“I know.”
I turned away, and he put his hand on my shoulder. “Oh, and Mia? I hate to bring this up while you’re upset, but I just received a message from a friend of mine in the police force. You’re going to hear about it soon anyway.”
I
“Mia? What’s wrong?”
“Karen got rid of the picture of Mom on the accent table!” I said. “And apparently, you’re okay with it. Is that what you’re going to do now? Pretend like she never existed?”
Dad’s eyes narrowed, and he put an arm on Karen’s shoulder. “Actually, she didn’t get rid of it,” he said, his voice stiff. “It’s on the mantelpiece in the lounge room. I was rearranging some things, and I thought it would look nicer there. Seeing as there was an empty space on the accent table, I thought I’d put the new photo there. Karen had nothing to do with it, and you are being unfathomably rude, young lady.”
My cheeks burned with pure shame. Karen looked like she was about to cry, and Brad stared at me with a hard look in his eyes. Great, now everyone hated me. I didn’t blame them. I was being awful, and this wasn’t like me at all. I’d never been the type to throw childish tantrums, but here I was acting like a three-year-old.
“Sorry,” I mumbled before slipping out of the dining room and racing upstairs. I knew ‘sorry’ wasn’t good enough, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to stay in that room. I was too ashamed.
I heard Dad come up the stairs after me, and he cornered me at the end of the hallway before I could go into my room.
“How dare you speak to Karen like that?” he said. His face was like thunder, and I averted my eyes. “This isn’t like you at all! She’s been nothing but nice to you, and you go and treat her like that and then storm out?”
“I didn’t storm out,” I said lamely, as if that changed anything.
He sighed. “Is that really the point? I didn’t raise you to behave like this, Mia.”
I tried and failed to fight back the tears that I knew were coming, and I sniffed and answered him.
“I’m sorry, Dad. It’s just…ever since I found out you were getting married again, all these old memories of Mom keep coming back, but at the same time I feel like she’s getting more distant. I can’t explain it. It doesn’t even make any sense to say out loud. I didn’t mean to yell at Karen. I’m so sorry.”
I was losing the plot now. Hot tears were spilling down my face, making a trail over my cheeks and leaking into my mouth. I could tell my mascara was running too, and I knew I looked like a complete and utter mess.
Dad sighed and put his arms around me. “I know it’s been really hard on you ever since your Mom died, sweetie. But you have to know, Karen isn’t trying to replace her. No one is. She’ll always be here in spirit. I thought you knew that.”
I nodded. “I do. I don’t know why I’ve been feeling like this,” I choked out. “I thought I’d been coping just fine for the last few years, but in the last couple of months I’ve been feeling awful again.”
“It’s my fault,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have surprised you with the wedding like I did. I should’ve introduced you to Karen a long time ago and slowly eased you into the idea.”
“It’s not your fault, Dad,” I said, my voice partially muffled by his shoulder. “You knew I’d react badly. That’s why you didn’t tell me. You were scared.”
“Well, I’m a grown man,” he replied. “I should’ve manned up and told you earlier, regardless of the outcome.”
I broke away from his hug and wiped my face with the back of my sleeve. He tucked some of my wild curls behind my ear and looked down at me, his eyes filled with concern.
“Go and wash your face,” he said. “Calm down a little, and then I’d like you to come back downstairs and apologize to Karen.”
I nodded and sniffed again. “I will. I’m really sorry, Dad.”
“I know.”
I turned away, and he put his hand on my shoulder. “Oh, and Mia? I hate to bring this up while you’re upset, but I just received a message from a friend of mine in the police force. You’re going to hear about it soon anyway.”
I
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