How could I go home and tell my father what was happening when I hadn't even told the father of the unborn baby I was carrying?

I couldn’t.

Daryl had a right to know.

I couldn’t keep this from him.

It made me feel dirty.

I wasn’t strong like Mercy. I couldn’t keep life-altering information a secret from the person it affected.

I couldn’t do this on my own.

I couldn’t cope at all.

I felt like that lost little girl again, desperately hunting for daylight in a world of darkness and pillowing flames.

It was for all of those reasons that I found myself standing at Daryl's front door, shaking like an ivy leaf, and willing myself to have a little courage, as I reached up and knocked on the door.

The loud screams and hollers coming from the other side of his family's front door weren't anything new, but lord did they put me on edge, tonight more than ever.

One minute ticked by.

And then another.

Anxious, I knocked again, a little louder this time.

The voices inside of the house grew louder until I was pretty sure everyone inside was screaming at the top of their lungs.

Anxiety gnawed at my gut.

You need to leave, Molly.

You need to leave right now.

But before I could oblige my gut feeling and run, the front door opened inwards and I was faced with Sophie Chambers; Daryl's little sister.

I opened my mouth to say hi, but quickly stopped short when Sophie pressed a finger to her lips, willing me to be quiet.

Confused, I stared at her tear-stained cheeks and felt my heart start to gallop wildly in my chest. "Daryl?" I mouthed, panic stricken now. "Is he okay?"

Sniffling, she shook her head and gestured for me to come inside.

Only god himself could explain what possessed me to accept her offer and step inside, but I did.

Quietly closing the door behind us, Sophie lunged straight for me, throwing her small arms around my neck. I could hear Wretched, Daryl, and his mom all screaming and shouting at one another from inside the kitchen.

And even though I hadn't spent time with Sophie since she was a little girl, I enveloped her in my arms, desperate to comfort and shield her from the awfulness that was spewing from her kitchen.

"He loves you," she sniffled, sobbing into my neck. "My brother loves you so much, but you need to know."

"Know what?" I whispered, confused. "Sophie? What do I need to know?"

"It's all they talk about. All the time. It got better for a while, but now you're back, and Daryl won't let you go, but I can't take it anymore. I can't take the fights. I'm so sorry, Molly," Sophie sobbed before bolting for the staircase. "But you need to hear the truth."

Hear the truth?

45 Daryl

"Well done," I sneered, glaring at my so-called stepfather. "Keep it up and your daughter is gonna end up hating you almost as much as I do."