You know, I can’t find her book. Uncle had gotten two of the same kind of books and given us one each. I can’t find hers. Ever since she went missing,. Rhys shut the book and laid it to one side. He hated how the book made him feel, but he was thankful for the things the book showed him. Sophie’s past, which he now feels connected to in some way. Eliana had been wrong; his relationship with his mother had been strained, especially towards the end of her life, but her family, the one she tried to hide from the world, was the absolute worst. He could not imagine a father who killed his own daughter, scared his wife’s niece so much, and a mother who tried to protect that man. It was obvious that she did not love him. Then why did she do it? Why was she so bent on making everyone believe her family was okay? Why did she not report him for his crimes? Was the opinion of society and how she appeared to them all that mattered to her? How could it be all that mattered? He got out of bed
Rhys drove. It was the one thing he found himself doing more often these days, and he was beginning to enjoy it. I was getting better at it. How did he know? Sophie did not mind his driving anymore, and she was beginning to complain less and less. Although Rhys felt he’d have to stay this one out and remain in the car for the duration of time that the homecoming lasted, he was not a fan of crowded spaces. And this crowd was very foreign to him. He pulled the car to a stop in the driveway that Sophie had directed them to. Sophie got out first, then rose and bowed at him. “Aren’t you coming?” She signed from outside the car. “No. I think for tonight, I’m just going to be the chauffeur. Let me know once you are done, Madame.” He smiled, but Sophie did not think he was funny. She pulled her notepad out of her bag and scribbled into it. Sophie: You are supposed to be with me tonight! Rhys rubbed his head. She looked like a pouting princess. And he thought he resembled a frog. He
“There's nothing like that now. Before then,” hiccup, “we broke up. She didn’t want to be distracted in medical school. Now she’s back, and she only has a doctor in her name.” “Raul bro.” Rhys said, taking the glass from Raul’s grip. “You’re wasted. You need to stop drinking.” Sophie was the first to notice the woman who approached their circle. Her heart stopped, her breath hitched, and suddenly she was feeling too hot. Agatha’s daughter was their therapist. How did that happen? Was Agatha’s daughter not studying to become a lawyer? What was this sudden twist? She grabbed Rhys’ arm and pulled him back into the house and then into their car. “We need to get out of here!” she signed. “I did try to warn you.” Rhys said that and started the ignition. Sophie saw Vivienne walking out of the house—perhaps to stop them—as Rhys pulled the car out of their driveway. What are the odds that she thought that her therapist was Agatha’s daughter? *** The guests began to arrive one by one, a
The car slowed to a stop outside the mansion, and Sophie jumped out of it immediately. Rhys settled the car, then followed her into the house. Her aunt, Eliana, stood at the doorway and eyed them as they approached. “You guys are back so early!” She remarked, then glanced at Sophie. “Is she alright? Rhys? Sophie, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Rhys stepped up. “Uhh, she’s fine. I mean, she’s sick. She had a little migraine, so we had to leave the party early.” She moved to one side and ushered them in. “Come in, come in. I’d prepare a soup for you, Sophie. It should help with your headache.” She tapped at one of the couches. “Here, Rhys. Make her sit here. She was never a fan of crowds. I thought the city would have changed her by now. Hmmm, but I guess somethings never change.” Sophie smiled nervously and blinked her eyes at Rhys. “Uhhh… I mean, you really don’t have to outdo yourself, ma’am. It’s just a slight headache. I’m sure a little sleep will help
Rhys tilted his head. “Why did you take it?” Sophie shrugged. “I may have lied when I said I was not curious about my mother. Veronica. I want to know what she’s like. Why did she leave and abandon me? What was so important that she had to leave me behind? Her reasons—that’s what I want to know.” Rhys could not help but notice that her hand shook slightly as she wrote. He placed his hand over hers and drew her into his body. “It’s alright, Sophie.” He said that and placed a kiss on her head. “I'll be here every step of the way.” He took the book from her, and Sophie snuggled into his arms. “I’ll read; you listen.” She opened the book to the package, which she had stopped, and relaxed into him. Her eyes closed as the hum of his deep voice started at the first words. In her brain, he droned out his voice and imagined visual images of the words Rhys read out. In this one, her aunt was sitting in her room, brushing her hair, and Veronica was balanced lazily on the window sill. T
Sophie tied up her red hair and looked at herself in the mirror. The resemblance between herself and the women in her aunt’s journal was uncanny—Veronica, her aunt’s sister, and her mother. The woman had been so beautiful, but so carefree? She did not care what happened to her or her sister. She just wanted to live in the now and be happy. Her mother had known Adrian first and then brought him home, despite the fact that her father would punish them if he found out. She turned slightly as she heard the knock on her door. Rhys may have finished by now, and it was time for them to go. She smiled as she thought of him knocking; he was silly sometimes. She heard the door creak open. “You look beautiful.” Her aunt said, and she turned around. “Ah, you must have thought I was Rhys.” Sophie smiled and looked back in the mirror. “You know,” her aunt began. She picked up the necklace from the table and wrapped it around Sophie’s neck. “You look exactly like her.” Your mother, she was
Eliana found herself waiting for it sometimes, but when she waited for too long and none came, she began to stop caring. She was sorry to have to lie to Sophie like this, sorry for all the other lies she had to tell in the past, but she had convinced herself that she was doing what she needed to do. “I must go now, Sophie. I think Rhys is waiting outside for you, and I have to check on your uncle.” Sophie sat on her bed after her aunt left and cradled her notepad close to her chest. The tears she had been hiding ran down her face and stained the white dress she had put on. How could a woman so uncaring be her mother, and what wrong had she done in her past life to be punished with such a family? When the door opened again, it was Rhys who entered, and he was fully dressed. He sat by her side on the bed and took her hand. “You are crying.” He noted. “I saw your aunt leaving here. Did she say something to you? Sophie drew him closer and buried her face in his chest. She had be
The noise of the city rushed to embrace them like a mother who had missed her children, and Sophie smiled as the noise filtered through her ears. Everything seemed to move faster here—the people, the cars, her emotions, her eyes—as she tried to follow the winding buildings as their cars sped by. They were to meet Jake in a restaurant, and Rhys had called beforehand to confirm the reservation. But she did not think of him. She thought of how much she missed this place, her small shop, her home, and everything here. The freedom she felt here, the simplicity of life she had begun to enjoy, the memories she had made—everything suddenly made her feel like this was where she belonged. Home. Everything was totally different from her aunt’s small village. This place was bigger. Not everyone knew everyone. No one had their noses in other people’s businesses, and it was a place where everyone was for himself. She realized why she had stayed there. It was the freedom that it allowed her—t