Like Rapunzel, but Not Really ✔

Chapter 25

Dear Mom,

Croatia is every bit of pretty as you had told me! 

We are currently in Dubrovnik and we're just absolutely soaking in all the sun and sea that we can get right now. Going to the restaurant you recommended tonight - Will let you know if it's still as good as you remembered it.

We are renting a car tomorrow and will drive up the coast over the next week to hit as many towns as we can. Hope you love this postcard - Thought of you when I saw this. Please stay healthy and I will visit you when I get back. Till then, I'll keep writing to you every day as always!

Love,

Arianna

"You're going to write another one for your Dad?" Tristan set two tall, cold glasses of water by my side and climbed over to join me on the balcony wall. Our legs dangled over the 100 feet drop below us. I grinned gratefully at this angel of a man. The drink was such a reprieve from the hot weather.

"Yeah," I smiled, although it was a little sad. "I should. I haven't written anything for almost a month now."

I shuffled a similar copy of the previous postcard over the latter to start writing to my dad but my pen hovered over the paper with hesitance. "I don't know what to say, though." I pouted over to Tristan for help. "He still won't accept anything I send to him."

Tristan shrugged. "Just write what you would want to say if he will be reading it." He ruffled my hair softly much to my annoyance.

"I just combed it!" I protested while he just laughed. "Tease!" I punched him on his shoulder before shifting my gaze (and mood) to the postcard again.

"Really, just write whatever you want to say right now, even if he won't be reading it. From my own experience, that's better then leaving words unsaid. You might regret it one day."

My heart clenched slightly at the thought of how much I sorely missed my dad.

"There's just only that many sorrys I can write over and over again without feeling like a broken record," I sighed.

"Then write something happier. You went sea-kayaking today for the first time. Tell him about that," he coaxed me gently. He knew that my dad's four years' radio silence against me was an issue I struggled with a lot until now.

"Okay," I nodded, somewhat sold by that. I tried to imagine what our conversation would go like, before all the news of my parents' illegal dealings with Connor came spilling out after I shot him dead four years ago. Before all their other illegal dealings came to light when the world started to dig up on him. Before they were sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment without parole - that was the best their expensive lawyers could buy. 

So I scribbled down the mundane happenings that had transpired the past week as if we were having a normal conversation much like to the ones we used to have back when I was still living at The Tower and he would call me every few days to talk to me like I was his favorite person in the world.

"Here," Tristan passed the stamps to me so I could stick them on when he saw me sign off on the postcard. "We can drop it off at the post office on the way back to the hotel later."

"Thanks," I gave him a quick smile and pasted them on my postcards, scribbling a quick 'I love you and I'm sorry' before settling them down by my side.

I was obviously still struggling with the guilt from the aftermath of every thing that had transpired four years ago. My psychiatrist said that guilt was a normal response that I should feel after sending my parents to jail and it was going to take time to process it all and fully forgive myself - for taking someone's life, disappointing the two people I loved dearly, and watching Tristan almost die - if it weren't for the stray lighthouse keeper walking to his shift that night to help me get medical help for Tristan, him and I would not be sitting where we were whilst drinking this citrus drink.