His Red Carnation (Forbidden Blooms #1)

29. Sloane

29

Sloane

I had no idea if Sarah would be at work or not. It was a weekday, in the middle of the day, so I could only hope. As the Uber got closer to the rehab center, the ache in my chest grew. Callan was devastated when he told me to go. I felt incredibly guilty for luring him to Baltimore under false pretenses—pretenses that could possibly harm our relationship. I wasn’t sure what I would do if Sarah gave me a detailed account of what Callan had done to her. I prayed to every God I could think of, hoping she would admit she had made it all up. People on drugs or alcohol made mistakes, and they lied. But if Callan had hurt her…I wasn’t sure how I would feel. Would it make me love him any less? I believed in redemption, in people growing and taking accountability for their past. I knew the Callan I loved wasn’t the same person he was eight years ago—lost and addicted.

I walked into the lobby of the brick building. It was clean and homey, and the front desk receptionist immediately recognized me. She was young, and she jumped up with a smile as I walked closer. “Oh my God. Sloane Martin?”

“Hi,” I said with a smile. “I’m um…I’m hoping to see an old friend. Is Sarah in today?”

She looked surprised. “You know Sarah ?”

I nodded. “Yeah.” I shrugged.

“She never told me that! Oh my God, yeah…she’s here. One sec, I’ll go get her!” She quickly scurried off down the hallway.

Nerves swirled through my belly, and I crossed my arms as I glanced out the window, wondering what the hell I was gonna say to her.

“Sloane?”

I turned, and there was Sarah. She looked exactly like her picture, though she was much more petite than I’d realized—and even more beautiful. Her hair was styled in long braids, and an oversized knit cardigan hung low, nearly reaching the ground. She wore tortoiseshell glasses, her gaze intense. Her eyebrows were drawn together as she gave me a wary smile.

“Hi, Sarah?” I asked hesitantly.

The receptionist had returned to her desk and watched us intently. Sarah crossed her arms and took a step closer to me.

“Are you here because of Callan?” Sarah asked quietly.

Of course she knew I was connected to Callan—we were all over the internet. I’m sure anyone with a TV or phone knew that Callan and I were together.

“Yeah, um…” I glanced at the receptionist and then back at Sarah. “Can we talk?”

Sarah regarded me for a moment, staring me up and down. I suddenly felt uneasy under her gaze. “Okay.” She turned and began down the hallway, and I quickly followed her.

We ended up in a room down the hall, and she closed the door behind me. I guessed it was her office; she had a desk with a nameplate on it, with touches of plants, bohemian decor, and some certificates and diplomas on the wall.

“Why are you here?” she asked coldly as she sat behind her desk, cutting straight to the chase.

I swallowed hard as I sat down, trying to wrack my brain for words.

“I, um…I heard about your past with Callan. About when…you two were together,” I began.

Her expression hardened and she crossed her arms as she sat back. “Okay. And?” She was already defensive.

I shook my head slightly. “I just want to know what happened that night,” I answered honestly.

She stared at me for a moment before her expression softened, and she looked down at her desk in front of her.

“I was a drunk too, you know,” she began as her gaze lifted to meet mine. “I was young. Not as young as you but…” She raised her eyebrows, as if she was judging me—there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she thought the age difference between me and Callan was weird too. “But I was young and fucking stupid. And Callan was all I had, you know? I didn’t have any family, no friends—no one. And even though our relationship was toxic, I was in love. And when he told me he was going to leave me, that he was gonna get clean and get far away from me, I panicked.”

My stomach dropped.

“I was drunk, and I started screaming at him, hitting him, pushing him and egging him on. I wanted him to do something, you know? But he didn’t budge. He pulled me off of him and I kept going. I was so fucking mad when he locked himself in the bathroom, that I fucking drove to my friend’s house and called the military police.” She lowered her eyes again. “We were on base, and I thought they’d kick him out of the military, and he’d be stuck with me. I fucking lied because I was scared. I was terrified of being alone.” She glanced back up at me, tears welling in her eyes. “And since then, I’ve been scared to tell the truth, because I fucking ruined his life. It kinda ruined mine too.”

I didn’t even realize tears were streaming down my face.

“I got clean a few years later, and I wanted to reach out to him, but it seemed like it was too late. And I didn’t know how to get in touch with him anyway.” She sighed and uncrossed her arms, clasping her hands together on the desk. “Is he doing okay?”

I nodded, still shunned by her confession. “Yeah. I mean, we’re dealing with…all of this,” I said, waving my hand in the air, searching for words. “But he’s good. He’s gonna be okay.” I nodded.

She sighed heavily, letting her shoulders fall a little. “Good.” She nodded back. “Um…I can’t face him. Not right now. But…would you give him a note from me?” She pulled out a notepad and pen and let the pen hover over the notepad as she waited for me to answer.

“Of course,” I answered gently.

She began to write and I pulled out my phone, hoping I didn’t miss anything from Callan. But there was nothing. I put my phone back in my pocket as Sarah finished up, folding the paper and then handing it to me.

“It’s an apology. Long overdue,” she said with a small smile.

I nodded as I took the note. “Thank you for your honesty, Sarah. I’m sure that wasn’t easy.”

Her eyebrows twitched as her lips curled into a smile. “You’re eighteen?”

I laughed and nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. You just seem older. Too smart for an eighteen year-old.” She shrugged, opening up her office door.

“I hear that a lot,” I admitted.

She gave me a small smile. “I’ll see you later, Sloane.”

I was still shaking as I walked down the hall, relief flooding through me. I had to call Callan right away. After I stopped for a selfie that the receptionist requested, I exited the building and pulled out my phone. My phone vibrated with a text, and as I stared at the message from an unknown number, a wave of anxiety surged through my chest. What the fuck?!

You’re just as bad as your dad, keeping dirty little secrets. Better tell him to confess everything, or I’ll ruin your whole family.