Unconditionally ➳ D. O'Brien [2]

➳ 77

"This is it," Dylan muttered as he stared at the letter in his hand. Cara sat beside him, clutching his free hand tightly. "I don't think I can do it," He handed the letter to her, "Will you do it for me?"

"Are you sure?" She asked, gnawing at her lip as she took in her boyfriend's expression.

"I'm sure. You do it," He replied, "Unless— unless one of you want to do it," He looked up at Thea and Isaac, both of whom were sitting in separate armchairs on other sides of the living room. There were two letters in this envelope, as per Dylan's request; one with his own test results, and one with Isaac's. Neither of them seemed to keen on opening it, and Thea was holding Delilah on her lap. She said nothing.

"She— she can do it," Isaac agreed, curling his trembling hands into fists on his lap.

"Okay then. Here we go."

Cara tore open the envelope, sliding out both of the letters. Dylan was looking at Delilah, the little girl he'd been raising as his own for nearly three months now. Cara's heart went out to him, especially as she read both letters. The likelihood that Delilah Melody Mills-O'Brien is the daughter of Dylan O'Brien is 0%. The likelihood that Delilah Melody Mills-O'Brien is the daughter of Isaac Grey is 98.7%.

"Well?" Isaac pressed, leaning forward in his anticipation. Cara reached over and squeezed Dylan's hand again, blinking away tears as they welled in her eyes. Dylan looked back at her, and his face fell, as if he could tell just by one look.

"She's not mine," He whispered, "Isn't she?"

"I'm so sorry, Dylan," Cara sniffled, handing him the letter meant for him, then leaning across to hand Isaac the letter that declared him Delilah's father.

"What?" Thea gasped, looking between the two men, "No, that's not- that's not fair!"

"Can I- can I hold her?" Dylan asked, though his gaze was focused on Isaac rather than Thea, "Just one last time?"

"Of course," Isaac nodded, allowing Dylan to cross the room and pick up Delilah.

"This is goodbye, Deli," Dylan said to her as he cradled her against his chest, "Because, you see, I'm not your Daddy like I thought I was, and you have your Mother to blame for that," He glared down at Thea, who quickly looked away, not daring to look Dylan in the eyes. "Whilst it wasn't exactly the best situation, I really do wish you'd have been my daughter. Because I do love you, little girl. How could I not? I've spent months thinking you were mine. So, this is the last time you'll see me. At least, it'll be the last time you see me as your Father. You see," He started walking towards Isaac, who stood quickly. "This man right here is your real Daddy, and he's got  a lot of catching up to do." Dylan handed Delilah over, kissing her tiny hand before moving back to Cara. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hid his face in her neck as he cried. 

"I'd like for you to leave now, Thea," Cara whispered as Dylan cried. "Congratulations, by the way. Because this is the most painful, unforgivable thing you've ever done to me. You hurt the man I love, you gave him a daughter, Aurora a sister, and me a step-daughter, and you ripped her away. You've caused enough pain to last a lifetime, and I can honestly say I hope I never see or hear from you again. You can see yourself out." Cara led Dylan upstairs, thankful that she'd had the sense to get her Mother to babysit Aurora for the day.

The two of them curled up under the covers of their beds, hidden from the world around them. Neither of them spoke, but they both cried, with Cara's arms wrapped around Dylan's neck and his wrapped around her waist. Together, they cried for the little girl that they had grown to love and would probably never see again. Because, despite all of the Thea drama, Cara had loved that little girl. She had been a part of her family, because she had been Dylan's daughter. And Dylan's family was her family.

And now she was gone. But, Cara knew that it was for the best. Isaac deserved to know his daughter, and she could only hope that he was a good father. Because if Cara found out that he was anything less, then she'd take that baby back in a heartbeat.

An hour later, Daphne Brooks entered the home of her daughter and followed the sound of conversation to their bedroom. There, she found them curled up under their blankets, and she, too, almost cried, for the look of pain on her daughter's face was enough to make her heartbreak. But, she didn't. Instead, she lowered their daughter onto the bed, knowing that, if anything, Aurora would be all her parents needed to piece themselves back together again.

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