The Stranger on the Train

Chapter 31: Is it my fault?

GUYS, I GOT MY OWN BOOK IN REAL LIFE!
It's called: LGBTQ Short Stories
I have like my own ISBN number and everything, I'm so freaking excited right now, I can't!
Go check it out, please :D
ISBN (I apparently got two idk):
978-3-7108-0873-9
3710808731
I'm not sure which one is the right one but you should find it there, just try both in case. 

Pov y/n

TW: feeling guilty for divorce

I immediately open my arms for Rose, in which she seeks comfort. Sobs start to shake her body and she buries her head in my shoulder.
My arms wrap around her and I rub her back up and down while swaying us a little.

I give her all the time she needs to cry and place kisses on her hair while whispering soothing words into her ear. When her body stops shaking and she takes her head out of the crock of my neck, I hand her a tissue and she blows her nose before wiping away the tears with her sleepshirt. I cup her face gently and stroke her cheeks. Her eyes are red and puffy and it hurts me to see her this way.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offer, leaving the choice to her. She sniffles a little but nods before grabbing Mr. Mouve and hugging him.

"I think it's my fault." She whispers and looks down to her octopus before looking back up at me.
I wipe away a last tear before letting my hands sink down into my lap.

"What do you think is your fault, sweetie?" I ask in a soft voice, not sure what exactly she is talking about.

"That Mommy and Dad split up." Rose mumbles and a new tear runs down her cheek.
My heart breaks at her words and I reach out one hand that she takes. I rub my thumb over her knuckles, trying to comfort her a little bit.

"That is not true, honey. Your Mom and Dad split up because it didn't work between them." I try to explain.
It is not 100% true but I don't need to tell a 6-year-old that her father cheated on her mother, besides it's not my place to tell her that.
Rose looks at me, her eyes sad and she shakes her head.

"It didn't work out because of me." She whispers, her voice breaking in the middle of the sentence. I tug a strain of hair behind her ear.

"What makes you think that?" I carefully ask to get to the bottom of this.

"This morning, when Dad called, I heard Mommy talk to him over the phone. She was really mad at him and told him that this is one of the reasons it didn't work and that he shouldn't treat me like this. He's supposed to be reliable because otherwise it doesn't only hurt me but also makes it more complicated when she has things to do." Rose tells me and plays with one tentacle of Mr. Mouve. I think about her words and what to respond to that.

"And because of that you think you're the reason your parents split up?" I ask to make sure I understood it right. Rose nods and presses her lips together.

"It must have been hard and overwhelming to hear that and think about it the whole day, hm?" I ask softly, deciding to first calm her down before we talk further about this. Rose nods.

"But you made today fun and I forgot about it almost the whole day." Rose tells me and I am happy to hear that I was able to distract her from that thought.

"You know, it is okay to feel what you feel. Sometimes things we overhear or notice hurt us or make us sad or angry and that is absolutely normal and okay. I appreciate it so much that you talk to me about this and I will always be here if you need me to talk." I tell her and Rose's eyes look up to meet mine.

"It is not bad that it makes me sad?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No, it is not. Of course, feeling sad and hurt is not nice but it doesn't make you a bad person. Everyone has feelings and it is important to talk about them so they don't bottle up inside you." I explain and Rose slowly nods along at my words.