1.3 Truth and Consequences

WARNING: This chapter has a very small amount of profanity, so be advised.

Credit: The poses included in this chapter are Don’t Be Sad, Baby! PosePack by IMHO, Fear Poses by Akuiyumi, Chatting Pose by deggdegg, and Couples’ Couch Poses by FairsteadSims.

Note: Thanks for all your lovely comments. They were greatly appreciated. This chapter is fairly long and begins to build the plot of the story as well as tell a little bit of the history. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I look forward to hearing what you all think!

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2 Months Later…

Cold shivers covered every inch of my body like a heavy blanket as I quickly sat up in bed and looked around the room in a blurry daze. Another nightmare haunted my slumber as usual, causing me to wake up in a pool of my own sweat. I looked out the windows above my bed and noticed it was still a little dark outside. The sun had just started to peak its way through the hills, creating a reddish-orange glow in the early morning sky.

It was Monday. Blah. The one day out of the week where everyone shared a common hatred for the acclaimed stressful weekday. I already wanted this day to be over, but wishful thinking never got me anywhere. I sleepily arose from my bed and stretched before heading into the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee. I stood there vacantly staring at the coffee maker as the noise vibrated the counter tops. I silently griped at the thought of going into work today. I hated my job. I hated everything about it. There was nobody in this screwed up world that could convince me that serving stale coffee and day-old crappy muffins is rewarding in any kind of way.

The coffee machine let out a boisterous beeping sound indicating that it was done brewing. The aroma of freshly ground coffee filled the air, sending my senses into a frenzy. I sat at the counter and happily took sips from the warm mug that I held in my hands and relished in my newly remodeled home. Even though I still had a lot to get, I was unquestionably grateful for Declan and his skilled hands as a carpenter and for the man at the thrift shop who took pity on me, practically gifting me all of the furnishings needed.

After finishing my coffee, I wandered aimlessly over to my old wooden desk and sat down. My mind immediately drifted over to Declan and a smile instantly found its way upon my face. He had been such a big help these past couple of months that I was becoming very fond of him. But nothing would happen. I didn’t come to Belle Harbor to meet anybody. I came to escape from the past and start a new life without any drama. Is that even possible?

While the morning glow slowly faded away and the afternoon clouds took precedence upon the sky, I decided to get myself together and look for jobs online at the library. In the middle of brushing my hair, a loud ring chimed from the front door. Declan stood on the other side of the glass-plated double doors and I involuntarily let out a slight gasp. I desperately hated the fact that my heart felt like it would literally go into overdrive every time I saw him. Taking a deep breath, I answered the door.

“Hey,” he greeted sleepily through a yawn. “Are you still looking for a job?”

“You mean other than the shitty one that I have now? Yes, why?”

“Well, I have this friend. He owns a dog rescue shelter and he could use the help if you’re interested.”

“Is this the one off of Jersey Avenue?” Declan nodded. “I know where that is. Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”

“Okay, will do.” Declan started towards the door but then turned around abruptly. His eyes no longer sad and he smiled his genuinely warm smile he often does when he’s satisfied with something. “Thanks, Corrina. This will mean a lot to him. It means a lot to me too.”

A sheepish grinned spilled across my face and I could feel my cheeks burning. He waved goodbye and gently closed the door behind him, leaving me to stare blankly at where he once stood.

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Belle Harbor Dog Rescue Shelter was located quite a distance from my house. The drive alone took a couple of hours, but my anxiousness alone made the traveling quicker. I walked through the glass doors and was immediately greeted with the odor of wet dogs. Better get use to this. “Down boy!” I heard a man say; his deep raspy voice echoing throughout the building. The shelter was a little small, but had a descent amount of kennels that lined up in a row on both sides of the long turquoise hallway ahead.

“Hey there! You must be Corrina.” A man who appeared to be in his early thirties came out from one of the kennels and approached me with his hand extended out for me to shake. “Declan told me you’re looking for a change in careers.”

“I highly doubt serving coffee in a low budget coffee shop is a career, but yes, I’m looking for something better.” He laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

He was cute. Better than cute; he was terribly handsome and I was in trouble.  I desperately needed this job, but would I be able to control myself around him? Declan was one thing, but this guy was on a whole other level. I had to learn to control myself. I was inexperienced and now that I was on my own in this unsettling world we called home, it was up to me to stay away from trouble. Even if trouble was a hot guy who worked in a rescue dog shelter.

“Well, my name is Blair Hardy. And you are?”

“Corrina Stearns.”

Blair smiled as if he found my name to be amusing. “Nice to meet you, Corrina. When can you start?”

I was taken aback by his urgency. Either he was extremely eager to get some help or he really found me to be more amusing than I thought. “I can be here tomorrow if you’d like.”

Blair nodded. “Great I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Driving back to the house, I wondered about ways to tell my job that I was quitting. I never had to quit a job before and the thought of disappointing someone made me ill to my stomach.

Declan stood in front of his truck as I pulled into my driveway. He gave me a wave as he walked towards me, crossing the street. “What are you doing here? I thought you had to work,” I said. Honestly, I was kind of glad he came by. I didn’t have much money to go out nor any other sources of entertainment but the television.

“I got off early. I thought I’d stop by and see how everything went.” He pulled on a sweatshirt and followed me to the front porch.

When we went inside, I hastily made my way over to the couch. I was feeling tired from the drive, dreading the fact that it was something that I had to get use to. Declan followed and sat down beside me. I began to tell him about how it went and when Blair said I would start. Declan said he was happy for me. Something I was not use to hearing. It felt good knowing that somebody out there cared for you.

“Corrina, there’s something I have to tell you.” Declan’s voice went low and shook with his words. He looked down at his hands as he thought of the right words to say. His facial expression was suddenly solemn.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. I searched his eyes as they became saddened again.

He took a deep breath and sighed. “You have a sister.”

“What? What do you mean I have a sister? How is that even possible? I was their only child!” I felt my heart pound a million times per minute. This time not because of Declan, but because of more lies and secrets that had been hidden from me. Typical mother of mine.

“Before she had you and before she was with your father, she was with a guy name Tony Williams–her father. He got her pregnant, but didn’t know about it until he found the used pregnancy test in the trash one day. He told her that he didn’t want anything to do with the baby and that if she decided to keep it, he would leave. Well, since she was well into the pregnancy by the time he found out about it, she decided to give her up for adoption instead. So she did. Her adopted parents moved into a house next door to your mother because she wanted to be able to see her grow up. But she never spoke to her. She could barely look at her. I guess it was too much for her because one day, she up and left.

When she looked for her again, she was eighteen years old. Your mother was living in Belle Harbor here in this house. I was living in the house I live in now. Desiree–that’s her name–came by her house one day to get some answers. Your mom just looked right through her and acted as if she never knew her. I guess the pain of rejection was too much for Desiree because that night, she ended up swallowing an entire bottle of pain killers and died in her sleep.”

Declan released a long-awaited sigh and sat forward on the couch. I felt bad for getting upset. Even more, I felt bad for Desiree.  What if she never wanted to know the truth? Would she have still been alive? I was beginning to wonder if telling the truth was worth dealing with some of the consequences that can come along with it. Dealing with secrets and lies did seem much easier after all. But then how would anything get resolved? It was a nasty catch-22 that I never wanted to be apart of, but I knew it would end up finding me someday. “How did you find all of this out?” I asked, puzzled.

Declan paused for a moment and then said, “Her adopted parents told me. She was my girlfriend.”

I gasped. “I’m sorry, Declan. That must have been so hard for you.”

Declan shook his head. “Not as hard as how your guys’ life went. I don’t know what’s worse; being abandoned by your mother and then be rejected years later or living with your mother and being ignored by her.” I hung my head and frowned, feeling the hurt and anguish rise up inside of me all over again. Declan scooted closer to me and placed his hand over mine. “I won’t abandon you, Corrina. I promise.” I looked up into his eyes and saw his pain. He then reached over and gently kissed my forehead. I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder.