Chapter 23: Of Cheats And Liars

When Trent left, Dahlia felt her world splinter. Every facet of her happiness shattered and fell all around her, leaving the jagged edges of her broken heart exposed.



Immediately she called her brother Camden and asked him to come over. Although she'd had the affection of all her family members at her disposal, Camden was the only one Dahlia had truly bonded with. And so he comforted her, never once saying 'I told you so' or 'you only have yourself to blame'.



But perhaps Camden's kindness stemmed from his own personal problems. Sadly, it seemed he had recently gotten divorced from his wife January : (

Out of all the relationships this generation, that was the one I really thought would last.



In light of their recent heartache(s), Dahlia decided that the best course of action would be for Camden to move back into the family home.



With her brother around Dahlia felt soothed slightly- a little bit happier perhaps. But all the siblings in the world couldn't ease the fact that she had recently lost a child and her lover had ended their affair.
No, Dahlia would just have to let time heal her wounds.



The next day Miles died.



Through watching her husband turn into a ghost, Dahlia completed her lifetime wish.
Maybe this would serve to cheer her up a bit?



As he had not technically become part of the Mars bloodline, Miles' modest gravestone was not added to the family graveyard, and was instead placed inside the house.



Miles' death was sad news in some respect, but nothing could pierce the cutting cold grief Dahlia was already experiencing because of Trent. It consumed her, and drove her to action. And so, with her husband barely in the ground, Dahlia went to the park in an effort to move on with her life.



Whilst there she came across her sister Jenna, who was on a family day out with her husband and two ghostly daughters : D

(Shame about the hair though).



Dahlia had never had much time for her twin, and so she pretty much just ignored her and made a beeline for the nearest man she saw.
She was determined to forget about Trent and push her past behind her, but it seemed fate had other ideas...







After discovering she was pregnant Dahlia all but fell apart. The loss of her son Laurent was still burning in her mind, and she knew she wasn't ready to have another child.



For a while Dahlia barely thought about the baby at all, instead choosing to hold meeting after meeting at work despite her coworkers insistence that she should rest.



Eventually they forced her to go home, and there she told Camden about her news.



He was overjoyed to hear that he was about to be an uncle. I think maybe Camden needed this- the breakup of his marriage had hit him hard, and gossip saying that his ex-wife now had a new boyfriend only depressed him further.



As time went on Dahlia's baby bump grew and grew, despite her wishes for it all to be nothing more than a lucid dream.



Before long she went into labour, with Camden by her side as always.



And, as they drove to the hospital, Dahlia felt time creaking on and begged it to stop. Every metre they drove was one step closer to motherhood, and everything she had been dreading.



Unfortunately for Dahlia there was nothing she could do. The baby was coming, and she would just have to deal with it.



And so, several hours of labour later, Dahlia and Camden left the hospital with a new baby girl- Adelaide.
(Pronounced Ah-duh-laid, in case you were wondering).

She was born with the Good and Brave traits.



As soon as she returned home Dahlia did what all unfit mothers do and just dumped her baby on the floor and left.



Camden was only too happy to take over parenting duties. When his own son had been born he hadn't been there, so he was taking this opportunity as a second chance to prove his worth.



You see, by now Marquis was a teenager, and Camden didn't see him all too often. Following the divorce he had stayed with his mother, and Camden found visiting his son too much of a torment as it meant seeing her.



Camden mostly stayed at home, always close to Adelaide and anticipating her every want.



Dahlia, meanwhile, was 'busy' with work. She was still required to take maternity leave, but she made sure to check in on the office several times a day and keep up with all the work on her computer.



Camden also had to work- at nighttime he would head out to his level 8 job in the criminal career.
You'd have thought that this absence would have forced Dahlia to spend some time with her daughter, but oh no.



Whenever Camden would leave the house Dahlia would just call a babysitter to take care of Adelaide.



Soon enough, Adelaide's birthday arrived and as usual Camden was the only one there for her.



May I present to you The World's Cutest Toddler

: D



As a toddler Adelaide busied herself playing with toys as kids do. She thought this was what life was like; she didn't know that it wasn't normal for your mother to want to have nothing to do with you.



It had been a long time since Trent had left but Dahlia still suffered his absence. Loss can stay with you forever, and it's only a matter of time before you have to find some way to deal with what has happened.

Dahlia chose distraction.



Maybe she thought that by filling her bed she could fill the hole in her heart.



Maybe she just wanted to be close to someone again; to feel that elation of knowing that someone wants you, even if it is just for one night.



Maybe she just wanted to fuck the pain away.



But no matter what, or who, she did, Dahlia just couldn't replace him. Not even a little bit. Trent had meant so much to her that when he left he had taken a part of her with him. It made her feel sad, bitter, but most of all, angry.



Whilst all this was going on Camden continued to care for his niece.



He taught her to talk.



He taught her to walk.



And, all in all, Adelaide was a happy little girl. She didn't know about her mother, all she knew was that she had a uncle who cared for her immensely, and that was enough.



Camden was happy too. The bitterness he felt over his divorce and distance from his son was still on his mind, but his relationship with his niece lifted his sprits, and that was enough.



At times he despaired for his sister- feeling both pity for the misery she endured and frustration that she had been the maker of her own demise. Most of all though he felt sad for Adelaide. She didn't deserve this.



But such things never entered Dahlia's mind. She was obsessed with pushing on in the business career and soon reached level 10.



Before long it was Camden's birthday.



I don't want him to be olde... : (



*Hmph*



And the following day it was birthday time again as Adelaide prepared to age up.



As expected, Dahlia was nowhere to be seen at this time, and so Camden brought his niece to the candles himself.



Cutest sparkly dance EVER.



Wow, she's going to be a looker when she's older, I can tell.

Adelaide gained the Loves the Outdoors trait.



So, will Adelaide ever be able to bond with her mother? Will Dahlia eventually forget about Trent and move on with her life? Find out in the next chapter of The Mars Family Legacy, coming soon.


You can find the original on the story board here- feel free to rec that if you've enjoyed this : )