Weeks had passed since where we last left Oscar and Sofia, redeeming the terms of their contract marriage after what seemed to be a mistaken and drunken one night stand on her twenty third birthday. Not much had happened since then besides working her ass off at Coffees 'n Cream and barely ever seeing him amidst busy schedules at the office.These past few weeks, it was safe to say that Sofia had fully settled in the Salem residence and the Baron household. If there was one person she had said the most words to, then perhaps it was Cynthia. She wished to meet Ronald from the things she'd heard but it was more unlikely and honestly, she wished more to meet Annie again.She seemed to be the one person she had really clicked with——for someone that wasn't big on friendship and alliances, Sofia felt Oscar's cousin was the only one who truly understood after their conversation that night. She thought at some point that it was Theodore but because of the events that came to light, Sofia dec
The paintings that hung across the lustrous walls were bright and vibrant—enough to catch a passerby's attention. There were many of them, cramped up in the corner of the famous Boston museum. The scintillating scent of art and design and the freshness it brought filled the air and it was then Damien heaved in a deep breath of it.He opened his eyes to see his favorite work on exhibition right in front of him but alas, he looked to it felt nothing. He felt nothing because he thought about what he'd done to get this that it seemed almost meaningless. The fact that having this one day was a lifelong dream of both Sofia and himself and now, she was not by his side when it finally happened. She was not there as he sauntered to the many designers present that night. She was not there at all, and although Damien knew quite alright how much of his fault this all was, it was still somewhat difficult to admit it."Hey" Someone tugged the back of his arms, catching him in his breath and he tur
Never had Sofia Winters come in contact with as many buildings with so many albeit similar intricate designs. The air of Sicily, Italy was as gentle as a warm hug, serenading the curtains of the window she looked through.The sheer fabric danced across her face and she realized if she heaved in so much of a deeper breath, the dust would hover into the entrance of her nose. The back of her throat itched but her eyes were full. The Barons were staying in a tall villa, from where she could see the rest of Italy—the beautiful structures, the narrowest streets and even the ocean.She wondered why Paris was the city of love in a world where was Sicily. “Hey” A sharp voice instantly drifted her out her thoughts and out of surprise, Sofia was faced with Francesca. She’d already changed into a leopard skin bikini but she retained her heart. Across her face was an inviting smile which forced a crinkle between Sofia’s brows.“Come on” Her hands stretched out.“We said we were going to explore?”
“This way” An arm struck out to her as they headed towards the exit of the beach. “The Cefalù isn’t a far off from here” The guide echoed in a very distinctive Italian accent. Sofia had excitement bulge her eyes and it was truly a mesmerizing experience yet to come.The cefalù was very picturesque place, surrounded by a deep blue sea and even more colorful boats which led them to the other end of town. Theodore was thrilled to fish and Sofia was just captivated by the endless sights and attractions she was able to catch on her new phone. Sat by the ledge of the boat, she was able to take a few pictures of herself and then Theodore.They headed down the sandy shores and medieval alleys after an hour and a half to a place known as the Pearl of Sicily. A tricycle away was the magnificent town of Taormina whose legends were as enticing as they were absolutely terrifying. From a distance they could see Isola Bella and the Greek Theatre. Several medieval churches and even mount Etna.The c
The walk up the stairs was excruciatingly awkward but perhaps it was because of the tensive silence between Theodore and Sofia. Upon reaching the very doors she was to pass through, she halted and allowed her head to lean into the wooden frame."Sofia" Theodore's shoulders gnashed against the callous walls and a sharp breath escaped her lips. "Don't." She muttered before throwing her head upon her shoulders to look back at him. But only for a second did her mustered courage last."I'm sorry" She whispered."I never should have—it was a complicated scenario and we never should have" She stuttered, only for him to inch closer to her. Sofia avoided him like a plague, running her hands through her hair. Her lipstick was rubbed off and her hair seemed like it had electricity run through it. It was because of how harshly he'd groped unto it in the dark alleyway. She was taunted with the repulsive flashbacks as his hands met hers."Theodore" Sofia called."It was in the intensity of the mome
The moment the icy liquid squirted unto her stomach, a chill crawled up Emma's spine and she immediately slipped her hands into Damien's. His attention was grasped as he looked down to her and then to the monitor right beside them."Are you ready?" The doctor asked in a shrill whisper as she reached for the ultrasound device. "From this angle, you would be able to tell how big the fetus already is. May i know how many weeks?" She asked and Emma rattled her brain for a figure."Seven?" Her tone wasn't sure until Damien nodded. "Seven. Almost eight" He confirmed only to be met by an affirmative nod from the doctor. "Well that's on the cusp of time when we'll be able to tell the sec of the baby" She replied and Emma flashed a grin."Are you both interested in knowing it?" She asked before placing the device to her stomach and Emma and Damien each gave themselves a nervous look before a chorused nod of agreement.The doctor cleared her throat, moving the monitor closer before examining th
The feel of the cold methylated liquid against the side of her face forced her eyes to part slowly and painfully. Emma narrowed her blurry gaze unto nothing in particular in front of her until Damien came in full focus with his hands framing her jaw."It's okay" He whispered and jerking from the chair, Emma looked around. "There was—" Her words were slurpy as she let out a shaky breath. "There was a man here, where is he?" She asked upon the realization that she had blacked out next to the counter and next to a man that had a gun in his hands. She turned to look to Damien who had a head wound of his own tendered to but he just fastened his gaze tighter around her."He's gone" His voice was reassuring and convincing but not enough to make her relax back into the chair just yet. She still stole callous glances around her and there was a sharp silence to breed between the both of them—one that was broken by her very own sigh of relief."What did he want, Damien?" She asked him and he ro
Sofia ran her hands through her wet hair, with the water from the shower gracing along her frame. Turning the temperature up, her skin glossed a bright red color and the heat of the water calmed her nerves for tonight.“We’re going to be late” Oscar’s voice forced her to withdraw from her subconscious and the bathroom was thick with steam as she stepped out.“Oh i won’t take so long to get ready” Sofia brushed past his shoulders as she reached for the robe around her body. “Said every woman ever” Oscar sarcastically remarked and she batted her eyelashes. Except Sofia Winters was not like every other woman—she barely wore makeup at all. Maybe just a lip liner or a gloss. The most, a mascara. All her life there was nothing that fancied her about coloring her face.It was not as if she was so confident on her own because there were instances where she would look the unrecognizable figure in the mirror and she’d come so close to tears. Growing up, it was so difficult to accept she was th
FIVE YEARS LATER.“Aunt Annie!” A child’s scream reverberated through the halls before a little girl of about five years scurried into the room in a bright yellow dress and the first thing she did was embrace Ann who was waiting with her usual open arms.“How are you, Mia?!” She lifted the girl into her arms, adorning her flustered face with kisses. “Where is your mommy?” And just as she asked that question, Sofia scurried right after, Oscar by her right hand. “Have you got the keys?” She asked, panting from her lips and looking around the room perhaps for anything they might’ve been forgetting. But just for a brisk moment, Oscar reached out to her hands.“You look beautiful.” He didn’t fail to compliment her whenever she did, in the last five years at that. Oh how time flies, truly. And to say a lot had changed would be a massive understatement but then again, not so much, I mean Oscar and Sofia were still so madly in love with each other.“Mommy, aren’t we running late?” Mia called
SIX MONTHS LATER.The sun was out on this chill Saturday evening and the winds filled the trees around the magnificent canopies. There were flowers of every kind and colors and balloons scattered across the garden fields. Everyone was seated with their eyes turned to the couple, the main reason they were here in the first place.“Theodore Baron and Victoria Freya Winters” The officiator called both their names and it was hard for a tear not to well in Sofia’s eyes in that moment. Her sister looked beautiful in that flowing white dress and it was exactly how they’d both envisioned everything since they were kids.Including her as her maid of honor and the same could be said about Theo who by his right hand side had Oscar beside him as well. In that moment, his eyes met Sofia ever beaming with a smile. Six months had passed since his very first surgery and all the events that came after. So did the second and the third, and now that the trial was over, there was only one final test left
Sofia was the never one to believe in miracles.Well that was until today. Three hours had passed since everything that happened, Dimitri’s arrest as the everything in context. And as she sat there, she kept replaying it all behind her eyes. She was wrapped with a blanket and Theo and Damien were right beside her.Of course they knew now of what had happened to Oscar and how Annie had dived in front of a bullet to save Sofia, falling off the building in the process. They were just as shocked as the person who unfortunately had to witness it all. It was no wonder she stayed quiet for those three hours, reeling in the aftershock and post trauma. However, the silence had to come to an end as the doctor came out of the room just then. She stood with aching feet, feeling like she’d always spent weeks in these particular hallway. Her lips parted but her eyes said the most words as the doctor heaved a sigh.“It was a success. You can go in now” The doctor broke the news and in that moment,
“We can’t let her leave” Dimitri muttered to David, whose name Sofia had only just come to know. The two of them were at a safe distance but she could hear the murmurs from their lips. They stood at the foot of the door so her only likely escape was jumping down down the five foot building and she couldn’t dare to scream because Dimitri had already assured her his non reluctance to shoot if she tried anything funny.And so she stood there, with her fingers intertwined with each other, playing it off as though she wasn’t genuinely scared for her life. Her skin was pale and her face was flushed off every color. A million thoughts ravaged her head, most especially the ones about how she could escape.She wondered how unfortunate it was that she’d walked into yet another predicament but in that moment, half the thoughts that roamed behind her eyes were about Oscar. And each time she stared at Dimitri, she was so full of vengeance that she wanted to pay him back for what he’d done.Howeve
As Sofia stood there, she couldn’t even utter a single word. Her whole mind raced with a thousand thoughts as the chaos behind the curtains echoed back to her. Her eyes were flooded with tears and there was a shooting pain that pierced up her spine.In a moment, her eyes fell to her open hands and he was all she saw. It was as though she had drifted back to the moment that she held unto him, begging him to open his eyes…to wake up. But the hardest part was she wasn’t even certain that he could hear her. She wasn’t certain that he would ever actually open those eyes again. And hers, well they darted to the piece of sandwich that laid capriciously on the hospital floor and before she could even start blaming herself for leaving, something she would have never done if she knew things would turn out this way. And for what, for food.Before she could blame herself or further immense herself into the guilt, an arm drew her back. “Hey hey” That shrill rang into her ears and Sofia had to ac
There was always something so terrifying about nightmares. Especially for Oscar and so that was why when he plunged his eyes open, only to find out that he was surrounded by an impaling darkness, the first thing he did was scream at the top of his lungs.The atmosphere was cold, sending a chill up his spine so much that he shivered. The hollow halls returned an echo of his voice as well and he was too afraid to move even an inch forward. He hated the darkness, he wasn’t scared or, although there was something quite eerie in the air.He just hated being lost and in that moment, he was.But that was until a shrill whisper crept up behind him and Oscar sharply turned around. He could swear that someone was here, was close to him but alas, when he threw his head over his shoulders, there was no one. Maybe now was the right time to get scared.His hands fell to his side, feeling the crisp texture of his scrubs and as he moved forward, the noises were all he heard. It was hard to move with
“It’s been four hours” A voice echoed from behind Sofia and it wasn’t until she turned around that her eyes fell upon Damien. His hands slipped into his pocket with an elongated gaze right next to her. She threw a look over her shoulders though she still clung to the stairwell.“It’s you” She happened to mutter plainly before he raised his hands into the air. “Well I’m no doctor,” Damien teased. “But I brought you a sandwich and a cup of coffee” He stretched out his hands and while her eyes to it, there was the ghost of a smile that made it across her lips.“I’m not hungry” Sofia heaved but by the look in Damien’s eyes, she didn’t have much of an option but to cave in, taking the food from his hands. Though she sipped the coffee, she kept the sandwich aside and for a brief moment, there were comforted by the shrouded silence between them. That was before Sofia suddenly piped up after a few minutes.“Thank you by the way” She said.Damien folded his arms with a shrill nod. “For this as
For the longest time, Ferdinand wanted to say those words to Theresa. It had even a really long time since we last saw him, rock bottom and fresh out of jail all while being handed divorce papers from his long term partner but just like everyone else, a lot had changed for him.And even more had come into perspective, like realizing how bad he’d been through the years, to Theresa, to Freya and then to Sofia. And now that he was all alone, he wanted nothing more than to finally tender his apology to those who he had hurt.But the fear that it might have been too late plagued Ferdinand, causing a few sleepless nights. There was no way he would have survived without Damien, who had come to the house to pick up some things and Ferdinand had told him everything that had happened.Damien didn’t have to do all of that including showing up at least twice a week but he did. He did because for him as well, everything had changed. Luckily, even as things weren’t as bad as they once was, he didn
The chilly rush of air breezed into Sofia’s face and through her hair, swaying it left and right across her shoulders. In case she drifted so far, the distinct scent of pharmaceuticals and the rapid beeping of the heart monitors both far and near were enough to remind her of where she was.She stood with her arms crossed in front of her, reminding herself by taking deep heavy breaths to calm down. Today was the day of Oscar’s first surgery which was a bypass graft procedure undoubtedly the most important and complex of the three he was recommended.The doctor might’ve said a million words to Sofia about how this was to repair the damaged blood vessels around his heart, both narrowed and clogged to improve his blood flow so it betters the chances of the trial working but it didn’t stomp her anxiety. It could be good but then again, she was well aware of the risks to know that it could also be terrible.So she stood still and even her deep breaths didn’t work so much. No one knew the am