Page 20
Story: Sophie’s Second Chance
“Wow, this house is really beautiful.”
“Not many people say nice things about it, but designing my own house means a lot to me. I’m very proud of it. Thank you.”
I cursed when I saw the clock. “Shit! I’m going to be late for the meeting!”
I got up quickly and went out without eating breakfast when she yelled. “Who the hell makes plans for a meeting on a Sunday?”
“Me!” I yelled before fleeing out of the home.
The meeting took longer than I thought it would, so I had to remain for a few more hours to do some vital work.
When I got home, it was almost dark.
When I walked in, I spotted Sophie seated on the couch with her back to me. She had pulled her legs closer together and rested her chin on her knees.
As I got closer, I gently said, “Sophie?”
She turned her head towards me, and although her nose was red and her eyes were swollen, she still managed to smile at me, which crushed my heart.
I sat next to her. “What happened? Did you see Blake again?” She shook her head. “N-no…”
“Then? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
She tilted her head, glanced at me, and pondered about something. Very profoundly.
I was confused and didn’t know what to say or do. “Sophie, say something. You’re making me scared.”
She was about to cry, and then she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck and gripped me hard.
I was shocked and exclaimed, “Sophie…” with my hands in the air, thinking about what to do. And my body got stiff.
As she wailed, she put her head in the crook of my neck.
I threw away all of my silly ideas and hugged her fiercely, wrapping my arms around her body.
Her tears made my heart hurt even more.
I wanted to take away all of her agony, and I vowed that if Blake did anything, I would murder him with my bare hands.
I kissed the top of her head and held her arms tightly.
We stayed like that for a few minutes while she wept her heart out.
Her cries eventually faded away, and she sniffled and carefully pulled her head away from my neck. I carefully wiped away the last of her tears and kissed her forehead softly while holding her cheek.
“I’m sorry…I…” She attempted to talk but couldn’t. With my finger, I raised her chin. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I’m tired,” she eventually said in a low voice. “I’m scared, Liam. I’m tired. This is too much for me.” More tears dropped from her eyes.
I put her head on my chest and wrapped my arms around her again.
“I will always be there for you, Sophie,” I told her. “Tell me, Sophie, and I’ll take away your pain.”
She raised her head. “Blake…he said…t-that…you will leave me, Liam.” “And you believe him?
“He—”
I put my finger on her lips to shut her up. “Don’t care what he says. He’s trying to break you, so don’t let him.”
“He…”
“What else did he say?”
She took a big breath and dried her eyes. “When we were in the orphanage…he…”
“That’s fine, Sophie. You don’t have to tell me.” She shook her head. “No. I want to.”
I nodded my head to tell her to keep going.
“We grew up in the same orphanage. When I was seventeen, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes.
He used to be nice and loving, but then he “took away my virginity.” My jaw clamped shut. “Did he do that against his will?”
Right away, she shook her head. “No, I let him… but… I… um…”
She took a big breath. “I got pregnant, and even though I was only seventeen, I wanted that child. I had always wanted a child. But when I told him about it…”
I softly stroked her face with my thumb. “What did he say?”
“I found out I was pregnant a month later. We were standing at the top of the stairs when I told him about the baby. Of course, he didn’t want it. I tried to convince him, but he got angry and pushed me hard without realizing we were near the stairs. I fell down the stairs.”
I don’t like how this tale is heading.
She went on. “I passed out. When I woke up, I was in the hospital, and the doctor told me I had a miscarriage. I lost my kid. It was a mistake; I know when he pushed me, but he didn’t regret it. He wasn’t sorry at all.
He insisted it was for the best. I couldn’t handle it all, so I went away from that area and those people.
“I…I…” She broke down again and put her head on my chest.
I was so angry with Blake that I couldn’t even begin to describe it. My body was shivering with rage.
She grabbed my shirt with her fists. “Please, Liam… don’t go. Please… I need you…”
“I promise I’m not leaving you, honey. Not now, not in a million years.” “Pinky promise?” She raised her hand and held out her pinky finger.
I giggled quietly and crossed our pinky fingers. “Promise me,” she said, and she smiled through her tears. “Thanks.”
I kissed her on the forehead. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”
She put her palm on her belly and glanced down at it. “Do you think I can do this?”
“I believe in you, Sophie. You are a strong woman. You can do this.”
“Thanks,” she said with a smile.
I slowly raised my hand to put it on her stomach. She realized that I was unsure, so she took my hand and put it on her tummy.
I smiled when I realized that our child was developing within.
“Can I…k-kiss it?” I said, pointing to her stomach.
She paused for a second, then nodded and carefully lowered her shirt to show that I could.
I bent down and softly kissed her stomach. She took a quick gasp. For a long time, I wanted to accomplish this.
I wanted to kiss her passionately, but I held back. Instead, I kissed her forehead again.
We both heard a glass break and as we turned to look, we saw Helen standing in the kitchen doorway, shocked. A dish had fallen from her hand and broken on the floor.
I shook my head at her and got up to aid her.
As I went down to pick up the bits of glass, I told her, “You need to stop getting so shocked so easily.”
“And you need to stop shocking me,” she replied in a fun way.
I laughed, and she kept asking me in a hushed voice. “What happened to the rule about not touching?”
I said, “What rule?” as if I didn’t know what they were talking about. She shook her head and smiled, saying to herself. “Very much in love.”
Liam’s point of view:
I saw “The Silent Patient” on my bookcase and recalled that Sophie was reading it but didn’t complete it since I was so obsessed.
I sighed and took it from the shelf. I went out of the study, but not before taking down the caution I had put on the door.
Sophie was downstairs late at night, and I put the book on the nightstand for her to read.
I left the room and went down the stairs to the kitchen to eat. I hope Helen doesn’t shatter any more dishes or glasses.
“I love you so much,” I remembered her saying. That made me sigh. Do I adore her?
If I do, wouldn’t it be too early for it?
It’s never too early to adore someone.
I thought of something out of the blue and shook my head to try to clear my brain.
When I walked into the kitchen, I found Sophie sitting there and talking to someone on the phone. After she broke down this evening, it was nice to see her smiling.
I walked past her to Helen, who was cooking something on the stove. I questioned her, “What are you making?” as I looked over her shoulder. “Chicken Palava,” she said.
I hummed back, and she replied in a whisper. “You’d better do something if you don’t want to lose her.”
I frowned. I murmured back, “What do you mean?”
“She’s talking to Levi, and he’s been flirting with her since they started talking. Either she’s too innocent to see it, or she likes it.”
My jaw tightened, and I looked back at her to see her laughing at something he said. My jaw was becoming tighter and tighter.
“Not many people say nice things about it, but designing my own house means a lot to me. I’m very proud of it. Thank you.”
I cursed when I saw the clock. “Shit! I’m going to be late for the meeting!”
I got up quickly and went out without eating breakfast when she yelled. “Who the hell makes plans for a meeting on a Sunday?”
“Me!” I yelled before fleeing out of the home.
The meeting took longer than I thought it would, so I had to remain for a few more hours to do some vital work.
When I got home, it was almost dark.
When I walked in, I spotted Sophie seated on the couch with her back to me. She had pulled her legs closer together and rested her chin on her knees.
As I got closer, I gently said, “Sophie?”
She turned her head towards me, and although her nose was red and her eyes were swollen, she still managed to smile at me, which crushed my heart.
I sat next to her. “What happened? Did you see Blake again?” She shook her head. “N-no…”
“Then? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
She tilted her head, glanced at me, and pondered about something. Very profoundly.
I was confused and didn’t know what to say or do. “Sophie, say something. You’re making me scared.”
She was about to cry, and then she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck and gripped me hard.
I was shocked and exclaimed, “Sophie…” with my hands in the air, thinking about what to do. And my body got stiff.
As she wailed, she put her head in the crook of my neck.
I threw away all of my silly ideas and hugged her fiercely, wrapping my arms around her body.
Her tears made my heart hurt even more.
I wanted to take away all of her agony, and I vowed that if Blake did anything, I would murder him with my bare hands.
I kissed the top of her head and held her arms tightly.
We stayed like that for a few minutes while she wept her heart out.
Her cries eventually faded away, and she sniffled and carefully pulled her head away from my neck. I carefully wiped away the last of her tears and kissed her forehead softly while holding her cheek.
“I’m sorry…I…” She attempted to talk but couldn’t. With my finger, I raised her chin. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I’m tired,” she eventually said in a low voice. “I’m scared, Liam. I’m tired. This is too much for me.” More tears dropped from her eyes.
I put her head on my chest and wrapped my arms around her again.
“I will always be there for you, Sophie,” I told her. “Tell me, Sophie, and I’ll take away your pain.”
She raised her head. “Blake…he said…t-that…you will leave me, Liam.” “And you believe him?
“He—”
I put my finger on her lips to shut her up. “Don’t care what he says. He’s trying to break you, so don’t let him.”
“He…”
“What else did he say?”
She took a big breath and dried her eyes. “When we were in the orphanage…he…”
“That’s fine, Sophie. You don’t have to tell me.” She shook her head. “No. I want to.”
I nodded my head to tell her to keep going.
“We grew up in the same orphanage. When I was seventeen, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes.
He used to be nice and loving, but then he “took away my virginity.” My jaw clamped shut. “Did he do that against his will?”
Right away, she shook her head. “No, I let him… but… I… um…”
She took a big breath. “I got pregnant, and even though I was only seventeen, I wanted that child. I had always wanted a child. But when I told him about it…”
I softly stroked her face with my thumb. “What did he say?”
“I found out I was pregnant a month later. We were standing at the top of the stairs when I told him about the baby. Of course, he didn’t want it. I tried to convince him, but he got angry and pushed me hard without realizing we were near the stairs. I fell down the stairs.”
I don’t like how this tale is heading.
She went on. “I passed out. When I woke up, I was in the hospital, and the doctor told me I had a miscarriage. I lost my kid. It was a mistake; I know when he pushed me, but he didn’t regret it. He wasn’t sorry at all.
He insisted it was for the best. I couldn’t handle it all, so I went away from that area and those people.
“I…I…” She broke down again and put her head on my chest.
I was so angry with Blake that I couldn’t even begin to describe it. My body was shivering with rage.
She grabbed my shirt with her fists. “Please, Liam… don’t go. Please… I need you…”
“I promise I’m not leaving you, honey. Not now, not in a million years.” “Pinky promise?” She raised her hand and held out her pinky finger.
I giggled quietly and crossed our pinky fingers. “Promise me,” she said, and she smiled through her tears. “Thanks.”
I kissed her on the forehead. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”
She put her palm on her belly and glanced down at it. “Do you think I can do this?”
“I believe in you, Sophie. You are a strong woman. You can do this.”
“Thanks,” she said with a smile.
I slowly raised my hand to put it on her stomach. She realized that I was unsure, so she took my hand and put it on her tummy.
I smiled when I realized that our child was developing within.
“Can I…k-kiss it?” I said, pointing to her stomach.
She paused for a second, then nodded and carefully lowered her shirt to show that I could.
I bent down and softly kissed her stomach. She took a quick gasp. For a long time, I wanted to accomplish this.
I wanted to kiss her passionately, but I held back. Instead, I kissed her forehead again.
We both heard a glass break and as we turned to look, we saw Helen standing in the kitchen doorway, shocked. A dish had fallen from her hand and broken on the floor.
I shook my head at her and got up to aid her.
As I went down to pick up the bits of glass, I told her, “You need to stop getting so shocked so easily.”
“And you need to stop shocking me,” she replied in a fun way.
I laughed, and she kept asking me in a hushed voice. “What happened to the rule about not touching?”
I said, “What rule?” as if I didn’t know what they were talking about. She shook her head and smiled, saying to herself. “Very much in love.”
Liam’s point of view:
I saw “The Silent Patient” on my bookcase and recalled that Sophie was reading it but didn’t complete it since I was so obsessed.
I sighed and took it from the shelf. I went out of the study, but not before taking down the caution I had put on the door.
Sophie was downstairs late at night, and I put the book on the nightstand for her to read.
I left the room and went down the stairs to the kitchen to eat. I hope Helen doesn’t shatter any more dishes or glasses.
“I love you so much,” I remembered her saying. That made me sigh. Do I adore her?
If I do, wouldn’t it be too early for it?
It’s never too early to adore someone.
I thought of something out of the blue and shook my head to try to clear my brain.
When I walked into the kitchen, I found Sophie sitting there and talking to someone on the phone. After she broke down this evening, it was nice to see her smiling.
I walked past her to Helen, who was cooking something on the stove. I questioned her, “What are you making?” as I looked over her shoulder. “Chicken Palava,” she said.
I hummed back, and she replied in a whisper. “You’d better do something if you don’t want to lose her.”
I frowned. I murmured back, “What do you mean?”
“She’s talking to Levi, and he’s been flirting with her since they started talking. Either she’s too innocent to see it, or she likes it.”
My jaw tightened, and I looked back at her to see her laughing at something he said. My jaw was becoming tighter and tighter.