Family Portrait (Demi Lovato) COMPLETE

Chapter 42

Demi's POV

The car ride home was silent. After I had given Carlie the news about her mom, she didn't say another word. She didn't fight me anymore on leaving the train station. We just quietly walked back out to my car. I wasn't going to try to force her to talk. She has a lot to process.

I felt awful keeping it a secret for so long, but I just didn't know the right way to tell her. Ella for sure would've understood, but Carlie has had her heart set on living with her mother since her father died. So when the police called me explaining that their mother was giving up her parental rights, I immediately starting working on the adoption process in secret. I was going to wait until everything went through to tell them.

We got back to my apartment, and as soon as I opened my car door, Carlie spoke up. "I don't get it." I paused for a second before closing the door again and waiting for her to continue speaking. "Why doesn't she want us?" She looked up at me with glossy eyes.

I sighed, not really knowing the best way to answer. "I don't think it's about not wanting you, but more about what's best for you."

"Does she know Dad's dead? She won't have to see him."

I nodded. "Yeah, she knows." Silence filled the car again.

"Is it because I didn't fight for her when she left?" Carlie asked as a tear finally fell.

"Honey," I said as I leaned over to embrace her in a hug. She didn't fight it, but started freely sobbing as she wrapped her arms about me. "This isn't your fault."

"I should've begged her to stay. I shouldn't have let her leave so easily."

"Carlie, it wouldn't have done any of you good if she stayed. Her and your father would've just been arguing still. You didn't want that, did you?" I questioned.

"They could've gotten better. She shouldn't have given up. I could've made her stay. Then she'd still love me." Carlie's words were breaking my heart.

"She loves you, Carlie. She loves you and Ella so very much. But so much has happened, I doubt she's in a position to take care of you two. She knows that."

"I ruined it for Ella."

"Please listen to me," I said softly as we both pulled away from our long hug. I placed my hands on her shoulders as she wiped her face. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing you could've done would have changed any of this. You can't control people's actions or choices, just your own." 

She looked down at her lap as she fought back more tears. "She doesn't care where we end up."

"Yes, she does," I assured her.

"How do you know?" She asked as she looked back up at me.

"If she didn't care, she wouldn't be signing her rights over to me," I replied. "She knows I've been taking care of you and your sister. She knows I've been taking good care of you two. She wants it to stay that way. Carlie, if she didn't care, she wouldn't have taken the effort to talk to sign them over to me specifically. She's the reason you've been able to continue staying with me rather than a random foster home."

I could tell she was trying to process everything all over again. "So..." she trailed off.

"Sweetheart, I'm adopting you and your sister." She looked at me in slight disbelief. "I was going to tell you when everything was finished processing, but it takes time."

To my surprise, Carlie hugged me again. This time, she didn't say anything. She just sat and cried, and I did too. We sat in my car in each other's embrace and let out all of the emotions we both have been holding in since the conversation at the train station started.