Sophie . . I wove my way through the bustling city, holding a cup of mocha coffee. The beautiful warmth of the sun bathed the streets as the horns of passing cars and murmurs of strangers I’d never see again—all brought the city to life. I rummaged through my bag and brought out my keys. Inserting into the lock, I opened the door. I dropped my back on the large burly wood in my studio. The studio hasn’t known fresh air since I haven’t been here for a while. I opened the windows to let the stale smell that inhabited the studio out. I picked up the duster brush and removed the dust on the craftwork that settled on the shelf in the east corner of the studio. After a while, fresh air circulated the space, bringing in the liveliness of the streets. I settled on the seat. Shutting my eyes, I sipped from my coffee; its chocolatey flavor pleasured my taste buds. His cologne—a musky with a thick cedar undertone—flooded the studio. My eyes flew open, and it fell on Alex. He was d
Alex..Unlike other days I work with a grimace, today, a wide grin had stolen my lips. I tapped my foot, glancing through some papers, some were horrific as usual, but the thought of seeing Sophie today had filled my heart with warmth, making it impossible for anger to slip in.My door burst open. The thunderous thud of her footsteps filled the office. This woman never knows how to enter a place. “What brings you here?” I asked. Not that it was strange for her to show up at my office unannounced. Whenever she did, it was always for dramatic reasons. Before, it was when was I giving her a grandchild; now it's always about Mia. My mother furrowed her brows as her eyes fell on the plane model placed in the center of the table. “Why is your toy here?” She questioned with a clipped tone. “How many times do I have to tell you you’re not a child anymore? You don’t bring toys to work. Imagine a business partner walks in and sees a fully grown bearded man with a toy plane.” She began her
Sophie..My eyelids opened, and I quickly reached out for my phone. Opening it, my fingers ran across the smooth surface as I searched the web, checking the headlines. A thin thread of air escaped my lips; it wasn’t a dream. I raised my knees and pressed my forehead on it as my fingers played with my toes. I’d never felt so stupid in my life. I believed him yesterday. What was he fixing like this? My chest burned so much that tears spilled out of my eyes. The only sounds I could hear in the room were the ones in my head, my raging thoughts making sure my heart never believed his stupid words again. Another bitter sigh left my lips as I found myself drawing different invisible maps on the cotton bedsheets. The cool fabric against my skin offered no solace; instead, it reminded me of comfort I’d never find.I jolted up from my bed and dashed to the bathroom. Clenching the edge of the sink, I retched, relieving the nausea that had been brewing up.My body quivered as silent tears fo
Alex..I groaned, rolling over in bed. My eyes had opened, but my body lagged. Last night’s emotions still lingered, and I hated that. I had a company to run; the last thing I should be doing was wallowing in self-pity. Benjamin had nearly fried my phone with calls; I was too exhausted to answer. I’d probably call him when I’m at the office. With a weary sigh, I dragged my heavy body off the bed and trudged to the bathroom for my hygiene routine. I turned on the hot shower; they said hot showers relax your body and alleviate tension, but that was not the case for me. The cold water, like a thousand icy needles, pierced through my skin. The relief it brought was cellular.I dressed in my suit; thoughts still inhabited my mind. I made my way downstairs; the familiar routine of preparing for the day provided a little comfort. Reaching the bottom step, my gaze fell on my mother and Mia in the sitting room, flipping through what looked like a wedding magazine. Ignoring their presence
Luca . . From the hospital to the company was like a twenty-minute drive. Ten minutes her excitement was on the verge of exploding. I found myself occasionally smiling at her demeanor. The way her eyes sparkled, the way excitement made her fingers dance on her thighs. In the next ten minutes, we arrived at Howard’s construction firm. It was a company opening a branch here in Manhattan. Although I was handling the hotel, my father had also assigned me to this. So I had to juggle both. We stepped out of the car and headed towards the entrance of the building. I slowed my strides so Sophie could keep up. “Good morning, Mr. Brown." Tina, one of the workers, greeted us as she walked into us. I handed my case over to her. “Good Morning. Are the rest here?” I brushed the tip of my nose with a finger. “Yes sir.” “Alright then.” I turned to Sophie; subconsciously, my gaze softened, and my tone became gentle. “After the meeting, I’ll show you around. Is that fine?” The
CHAPTER 37 Sophie . . His fingers brushed against my lip, and a warm spark traveled all through my body. I froze; I shouldn’t be doing this. Was I allowed to do this? Allowed to enjoy this? I tried pulling back—moving, but only my throat did as I swallowed hard. My heart and stomach fluttered as his eyes danced between my eyes and lips, tracing every inch of my lips and observing every desire painted in my eyes. His musky cologne sedated me, the office fading into a blur. The only thing I could see was his stunning face. The only thing I could hear was my heart racing to him, and feel was his soft finger on my lips. The pregnancy hormones must have been messing with me because as his lips hovered over mine, I didn’t retreat. Instead, my heart raced, begging for more warmth. My lips prepared to welcome his. “Luca, my love.” A voice snapped me out of the sedative state. I whipped my head, and my eyes fell on a woman. She had raven black straight hair that cascaded down, a fe
Sophie..With an exasperated sigh, I collapsed on the bed. My legs were weak and tired from all the walking around. Although I didn’t walk as much as I usually do—house to car, car to the hospital. The scan room was the second door on the fifth floor of the hospital, so the walk from the elevator was a brief one. Yet it felt like I had walked from Egypt to Canaan.Different thoughts of what I could do today to break the chains that boredom had held me captive. Luca had gone to work—not Howard’s construction but the hotel. I was a jobless pregnant woman, also tired of going to my studio. Paula was at home, but we had never had a conversation. Sometimes I wanted to, but never have I ever seen a smile on her face; her cold demeanor froze me before I could start a conversation. I jolted up as a savior—a thought popped into my mind: I could play a game. Since I couldn’t decorate now, I could decorate one in a game. Settling on the seat, I opened my laptop. A mail popped up, and I click
Sophie . . Alex’s eyes bored into mine, his stare rousing conflicting emotions in me—one that felt like kicking his feet beneath the table and the other craving to rub my feet up his legs. Did he have to look that good in the black colored suit, the one that made his eyes pop? Did he know I was here? Is that why he sauntered in commanding the air to seduce me? Definitely not. Logic kicked my stupid heart, reminding me that this man had engaged who he had promised to leave. He had chosen her over for me. After promising he would never let me go , but that’s exactly what he did. My chest tightened, grounding me back to reality. But Alex’s stare was determined to send me back to the fantasyland. “Miss Sophie,” Mr. Wilson called out, flipping through the file before him as he adjusted his lenses. “Mrs Sophie.” Alex corrected, rubbing his chin, his eyes still fixed on me like I’d disappear if he took them off. Mr. Wilson’s eyes flew to mine before returning to my file before h