The Bastard (Darling #2) [complete]

Chapter Thirty-Four

" W H Y  A R E you still awake?" Thatcher asked accusingly as he entered Louelle's bedchambers.

He shut the balcony door behind him as he waited for her response, but he didn't get it. As he glanced over at her to gauge his response, he noticed that she was wiping away tears from her puffy eyes. The king to be rushed to her side.

"My love," he cooed, cupping her cheeks and wiping away her tears himself. "What ails you?"

His soft tone - one of comfort and caring - made her want to cry even more. She had been attempting to stop for what felt like hours after her father bid her goodnight, but her eyes would not stop leaking.

She laughed through a sob and stared at him with adoration.

"Oh, it is nothing," she said in an attempt to dismiss his worries. "It is quite silly. Really."

"I will not quit poking until you tell me what is on your mind, my Louelle. And you know how annoyingly persistent I can be." He hummed and smiled softly at him so as to not crack open her cut lip again. "I am quite aware of your fondness for pestering."

"So, tell me," he persisted. He lightly kissed her wet cheek as he sat on the bed beside her."

She sighed in thought as she tried to collect herself. It was quite wild to her, and it didn't feel very real that her father had come to see her to apologize. What was even crazier to her, was that she was considering forgiving him. He had eighteen years to apologize to Louelle for all of the mistreatment. But he chose to apologize after the big scary king was no longer a threat in the castle.

Why should she have forgiven him? He was her father, and because he had such a great title in court, she did have a decent life. She was grateful for his position because if he did not have it, she guaranteed she would not have ever had friendship with Thatcher. If she didn't have friendship with Thatcher, she never would have fallen in love with him. She very likely could have been one of the many ladies he kindly rejected.

But just because her father had that title and offered her that lavish life, it did not mean he deserved forgiveness for the heartbreak and estranged feelings she gained because of him. Well - partially, because of him. Her mother and sister also played a grand deal to her neglect. She wasn't entirely placing all of the blame on her father.

Her father.

He was her father. It should have been simple for her to forgive him, right? Forgiving him should have not been confusing. It should have been a straight-forward answer.

It was sort of how it was with her sister. She hadn't quite forgiven her, either, but she was at least cordial with her as time progressed, and she could see that her sister truly did wish to mend their relationship. Because of the amount of time that had passed, Louelle was able to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the presence of Maryann.