Chapter 21
1434 Words
Darcy pulled the door open, and Eric walked in, his eyes locked with hers.
“Are you kidding me?” Sophia turned to her father and brothers. She couldn't believe her mother was doing something like this, but to have her whole family go behind her back and force her to be in the same room with the man who had broken her heart was a betrayal so deep that she had to blink a few times to stop the tears from falling.
“Soph, we needed to talk, and this is the only way I thought of you agreeing to talk to me,” Eric approached her, standing in front of her with his hands in his back pockets.
“I don’t want to talk to you!” Sopha screamed. “Why can’t you get that through that thick skull of yours? I have nothing to say to you and I don’t want to hear anything from you.”
“Soph-”
“Shut up!” Sophia bit the words out. She turned to her family with disappointment in her eyes, “So, his requests are more important to you than mine. You all brought me here because you wanted to give a cheating imbecile a chance to do what exactly? Ask for my forgiveness? The man has made a fool of me for the past three years, lying to me repeatedly. But you all don’t care about that, do you? You only want me to talk to him?” She turned to her mother. “You were supposed to be on my side,” the whisper came out with so much pain.
“All I need is to talk to you,” Eric brought the attention back to himself.
“The time of talking was three years ago, when you started sleeping with my best friend, Eric,” Sophia’s eyes shone with pent-up anger.
“And I am sorry for lying to you all this time, Soph,” Eric shook his head. His hands came up as if wanting to hold her, but once he saw her take a step away from him, he dropped them. “I-it was never meant to be like this. I love you, Soph. I don’t want to lose you.”
Sophia laughed, “Am I being pranked right now?” She looked around the room, trying to see if anyone had a hidden camera. “Or maybe you have smoked something on your way here because I sure as hell know you have no idea what the word love is! Because if you did, you would not have done what you did for three years! Three years, Eric, you kissed me with the same lips you were kissing her. You told me you loved me while saying the same things to her. You looked me in the eye, telling me that you were going on a work trip only you were going away with her! Is that the love you are talking about?” Sophia turned to her family. “Is this really the man you are all vouching for?” Shaking her head, she moved around Eric, heading towards the door.
“Soph, I can explain!” Eric moved in front of her, blocking her way.
“Maybe you should let her pass,” Seth walked towards them and stood beside his sister. “Sophia has clarified that she doesn’t want to talk to you. Maybe you should respect her wishes?”
Sophia looked up at her brother, the only one who always seemed to be on her side.
“But they have to work it out!” Darcy exclaimed.
“There is nothing to work out, Mom! Why can’t you understand that?” Sophia angrily glared at her mother. “If you love him so much, then you be with him. But I am done!”
“Sophia!” Stuart came forward. “I know you might be angry, but that is no way to talk to your mother!”
“Then how do you want me to talk to her, mh? She keeps forcing and forcing and forcing, and I am sick and tired of it!” She turned to Eric, “I am so over you. You have my full blessings to be with Emily. So take this however you want; I don’t want you, I don’t need you, and you have got to leave me alone!”
“I can’t, babe!” Eric replied, running his hands over his hair. “I-Emily was a mistake! I screwed up, and I am not ashamed to admit it in front of your family. But everyone deserves a second chance!”
Sophia looked at him thoughtfully. “Answer me this. If I never caught you that day, would you ever tell me?”
Eric was quiet, clenching and unclenching his hands.
“Ok, that was tough, I see. How about this one? How did you think things were going to play out? That we become a-what is that word-throuple? You, me and Emily all in a happy threeway relationship?”
Eric shook his head, “no, nothing like that. You and I have something special, Soph.”
“We do, ah? So what do you and Emily have?”
“Why do you keep bringing Emily into your conversation?” Darcy shook her head, “this is between you and Eric, Sophia.”
“Oh, but Emily is right smack in the middle of it, Mom, even if you somehow suffer from selective amnesia as to why I broke it off with Eric.” Sophia shook her head. “I am done. I am heading home. Eric, you come close to me again I am calling the cops on you. Do you understand me?”
“Soph-”
“Do you understand me?” Sophia bit out.
“At least tell me who it is you are seeing,” Eric grumbled. “I still care for you, and I want you safe.”
Sophia shook her head, “none of your business.” She turned to her family. “Let this be the last time you call me for something like this. Unless someone is dying in the hospital, please go back to ignoring my existence!”
“At least let me drop you home,” Seth offered, to which Sophia shook her head. She held her phone up and showed him that she had already requested an Uber.
Walking out of the house, Sophia took a deep, calming breath. She closed her eyes, counting to ten to try and get rid of the bitter taste left in her mouth. Though she shouldn’t have been overly surprised that her family would do this to her, it still hurt and cut her deeply. She walked to the Uber that was parked by the driveway. After a bit of exchange, she got in and leaned back. She fought her tears, trying to stay strong but knew it was a losing game. Reaching for her phone, she quickly dialed the number of the person that came first in her mind.
“Hello?” His deep voice answered after only three rings.
Sophia closed her eyes but did not say a thing.
“Sophia? Are you there? Are you ok?”
Clearing her throat, she swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat, “Hi, Steve. Sorry, are you home?”
“Not yet. I am at the office. Are you ok?”
Disappointment filled her as she sighed, “Oh, ok.”
Steven was quiet for a few seconds, “come to my office.” He told her.
“No, I can’t. It’s ok. I-I just-”
“Where are you right now?” Steven asked, his voice hard.
Sophia looked out of her window, “in an Uber heading home.”
“Tell the Uber you are changing destinations. I will be expecting you here soon,” Steven told her.
Sophia hung up, and after a few seconds of debating with herself, she did what Steven had told her to do. The drive to Steven’s office took another thirsty minutes, and soon enough, she was riding the elevator to his top floor. Once the ping indicated that she had reached her destination, the doors opened, and Steven was standing there in his white shirt folded to the elbows, his hands in his pockets.
Just looking at him, Sophia felt her resolve melt, and with a choking sob, she ran to him, falling into his arms and hiding her face in his chest.
- Writer
