Chapter 22

Rock Creek, Nebraska

June 1872

She threw her hastily packed belongings onto the bed of the hotel room and crumbled into a ball next to them. The life she had briefly glimpsed, so perfect and promising, now seemed like a cruel mirage, taunting her just out of her reach.

With a deep breath, she sat up, determination reigniting within her. She couldn't afford to dwell on what could have been. Her focus needed to be on finding her brother, not on the fleeting emotions of love.

As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, a mixture of apprehension and resolve washed over her. The unexpected invitation to dinner with her father presented an opportunity, a potential tool in her quest. Was she ready to face him again, to confront the demons of her past? Could she summon the strength to see this through?

It was a surprise encounter that had caught her off guard, but now she was prepared to seize the moment, to delve deeper into the secrets that had haunted her for so long and get the truth. She continued to get dressed for dinner, bracing herself for the confrontation that lay ahead.

She felt a wave of relief wash over her as she entered the restaurant and saw that it was bustling with patrons. The lively atmosphere provided a shield, muffling any potential confrontation between her and her father. Amidst the chatter and laughter of the crowds, their conversation would be tempered and cordial. She knew that he wouldn't risk causing a scene in front of so many people. She felt relatively safe in this crowded space.

"Laralie I'm so glad you came." Her father embraced her quickly then pulled out the chair for her to sit.

"Thank you." She took a deep breath and smiled at him, masking her true emotions.

"Your mother would be proud of you girl." He smiled. "She would have wanted you to travel, and see the world before you settled down."

As the pair ordered their food, Lara's father began to regale her with stories of his battles. However, Lara found herself sitting in silence, her thoughts consumed by Buck and his treachery. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to focus on her father's tales.

"You know your mama was a good woman. I know you don't remember her well. You were just a young girl when she passed."

"It's nice to hear you speak so kindly of her," Lara remarked, caught off guard by her father's unexpected sentimentality towards her mother.

"You were too young to remember the happy times." His face seamed at odds with the happiness that washed over him.

"I was ten, father," she murmured, her words barely audible. "I remember it well."

"Yes, I guess you were older than I remembered. Still, you had much to learn of life and you were very sheltered."

Lara's heart thudded as her father's words stirred painful memories buried deep within her. She vividly recalled the image of her mother's bruised body, lifeless and suspended from the cellar beams. The vision that haunted her dreams for many years. The anguish of those nights echoed in her mind. She wanted to scream, to unleash the torrent of emotions that simmered beneath her calm visage, to make him understand that she remembered every harrowing detail all too well.

To the law her mother's death was determined to be at her own hand, but even at her tender age Lara wasn't sure what to believe. Her aunt believed Lucas killed her sister, she also was the only other person that knew where David was taken. It was what got her killed. Had he murdered her mother and got away with it?

"Now that you are old enough I think you should know the truth." His voice cracked with emotion. Emotion that Lara had never seen, tenderness mixed with pain and fury.

"Things were said many years ago and there were rumors I'm aware, but your mother was a faithful true wife." He shook his finger at her resolutely. "That man raped her. Her shame kept her silence. Your mother had such a kind heart she couldn't turn out the product of that event even though it was the product of a demon."

Lara's throat tightened as she finished the last bite of her cake, setting the fork down with a heavy heart. Pity washed over her for her father, a man consumed by his own blinding rage, constructing an alternate reality where he played the roles of both victim and hero. Yet, within his delusions, the bitter truth remained: her mother had sought solace and love in another man's arms. And it was the child, born of that love, who bore the weight of his hatred.

"But like you said I am much older and I understand things more clearly than I did then." She pursed her lips and tried to appear sympathetic.

"I have business that will take me out of town for a couple weeks." Lucas held out his arm and led her to the hotel. "I hope to see you when I return."

"Of course, father," she replied with practiced ease, a graceful smile adorning her lips as she planted a kiss on his cheek, bidding him goodnight.

In the depths of her soul, Lara grappled with conflicting emotions toward the man who had shattered her existence — the very monster who was her father. Despite the horror he brought into her life, there lingered a small ember of longing for him. Yet, she understood that these feelings weren't rooted in reality. The father she yearned for, the one she deserved, had never existed.