Rogue | outer banks

022 - Father And Daughter

Sarah moved cautiously along the dock towards the back of her family's house, her eyes scanning the area, looking for any sign of movement. The familiar landscape of her childhood seemed foreign now, wrapped in layers of tension and fear. But even as she checked her surroundings, she knew it was only a matter of time before someone spotted her.

Ward had already seen her. He sat in his car, parked just outside, and the sight of Sarah froze him in place. He blinked rapidly, not trusting what he was seeing, his hands gripping the steering wheel before he quickly climbed out of the driver's seat. With trembling hands, he removed his sunglasses, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Sarah?" His voice was uncertain, almost a whisper, as if saying her name too loudly would make her vanish.

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks the moment she heard his voice. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she could feel the surge of emotions rising up inside her, but she kept them in check. She had to stay strong. She couldn't afford to let her guard down now.

Ward started running towards her, his steps frantic, a mixture of desperation and joy in his expression. "Oh my God, sweetheart!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking with emotion. "Oh my God."

But Sarah didn't share the same enthusiasm. She immediately extended her arm, putting a firm stop to his approach. "Stay back," she warned, her tone cold, a stark contrast to the warmth he had expected. "Don't."

Ward stopped in his tracks, his arms raised in a gesture of surrender, his body jerking as if unsure whether to step forward or retreat. He looked like a man caught between hope and fear, his hands shaking slightly as he backed up a few steps, clearly rattled by her response.

This should've been a happy moment. A father and daughter, reunited after everything that had torn their lives apart. In another world, Sarah might have run to him, seeking the comfort and protection she had always found in her father's arms. She had looked up to him for so long, believed in him — Ward Cameron, the man who had always been her rock. He was the person who shielded her from the darkness, the one she turned to when things got scary, when the world felt too big and uncertain.

But now? Now that image of her father was shattered. The protector she had once known had become the very source of her fear. The man who once stood as her hero had lied, manipulated, and chosen Rafe over her. The betrayal was raw, fresh, and it cut deeper than she ever imagined it could.

"I'm back, I'm back," he stammered, trying to reassure her as if those words could somehow erase everything. "I just—"

"I swear to God," Sarah cut him off, her voice sharp, her hand still held out to keep him at bay. "Where's Rafe?"

"I don't know, I don't know!" he said quickly, his voice trembling as he tried to calm her fears. "He's not here, he's not home."

There was a small pause between them, a tense silence where father and daughter locked eyes, each waiting for the other to speak. The weight of everything unsaid hung in the air like a thick fog.

Ward was the first to break the silence, his voice low but filled with genuine concern. "Amelia, is she okay?"

Sarah's jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with anger as she snapped, "Of course she's not okay. You saw what Rafe did." Her words were sharp, each one a reminder of the chaos Rafe had caused.

Ward flinched at her response, but quickly recovered, a familiar excuse already forming on his lips. "He didn't mean to, sweetheart. It was an accident."

For a brief moment, Sarah almost believed him. She knew how much Rafe cared about Amelia. She had seen it in the way he looked at her, in the rare moments when he allowed himself to be vulnerable. Rafe's love for Amelia was fierce, raw, and all-consuming. But that same intensity made him dangerous. His love could easily be overshadowed by his rage, his jealousy, and the hatred he had for Amelia's friends. He didn't need to physically hurt her for the damage to be done. The way he lashed out at the people she cared about, the way he dragged her into his darkness — those things hurt her more deeply than any physical blow could.