Sophia “Oh, my God!” I screamed in happiness, tears cascading down my cheeks. “Look at you!” I stepped back a little to take a proper glance at my sister. “You are glowing!” I pulled her into my embrace and said it in a lower tone. “I missed you so much, Ellie.” But then I felt her bump as it prevented me from pulling her closer, and I moved back again, bending to get on the same level with it. “Hey there, buddy!” I gushed blissfully. “I missed you too, sweetheart. I can’t wait to meet you.” I sensed Ellie stiffening, and without guessing, I knew Kieran was behind me. So, I straightened up, but I didn’t step away from my sister; I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Hi,” she squeezed through a tight smile, and watching from this point, I understood her reluctance. The last encounter she had with Kieran was months ago, and she for sure didn’t remember him as the best brother-in-law. “Hello. You look well, Ellie.” Kieran greeted her. “Welcome back, little brother.” He smirked at Ph
Sophia When you are happy living the life you never thought you would get to live, you don’t even notice how fast time flies by. When you enjoy every moment of your day with the people you love and who love you back, nothing but them matters, and no problem in this world seems too complicated. When you love someone with love born out of hate, a love that grew from a single spark into a full-blown wildfire, you have a hard time grasping reality. You’d often catch yourself thinking your life was a dream you would soon wake up from, and everything would disappear. The fear of losing what is most important to you would come in waves, and you would pinch yourself to make sure you were awake. It’s been more than two months since Kieran and I started living like the married couple we were, and Ellie and Philip returned from their extended honeymoon. Except for Nora being an occasional pain in the ass, everything else was perfect. Each day I would spend time in the office, have lunch with
Sophia “Don’t worry, dear. I’m perfectly all right.” The woman spoke before she swiftly turned around and left, leaving me behind frozen in place, unable to move even when my eyes couldn’t find her anymore. It was over. It was all over. She’s found me. The life I built here was falling down like a house of cards, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I looked through the crowd frantically, trying to spot the grey bundle of hair, but I failed to locate her. Did that mean I only imagined her? Was she really here? She didn’t come after Ellie and me? But her voice was too vivid in my head, too real. Aunt Moira was here. “Hey, Sophia, are you OK?” Clara’s hand on my shoulder snapped me back to reality, and I pulled all the strength I had to nod and fake a smile. Yes. Sorry. Let’s go.” Not knowing how my legs carried me forward, we entered the building, and the elevator took us to the 21st floor. As we rode up, so did my lunch, and I barely held it in until I heard the char
SophiaAs the taxi pulled in front of the inconspicuous diner located on the questionable outskirts of the city, I genuinely thought I was going to have a heart attack. But the reflection of my face in the tinted window was perfectly composed, with no signs of the turmoil that was wracking me from within. Good. At least Aunt Moira wouldn’t have a way of knowing how I really felt... how scared shitless I was.I paid the driver and stepped out of the vehicle, enjoying the temporary relief the fresh breeze brought. Reluctantly, I forced my legs to take me towards the entrance. With a deep sigh, my hand wrapped around the handle, and I pushed the door forward. Almost immediately, the smell of rancid oil invaded my senses, and I felt like throwing up again. However, my never-ending nausea had to wait.Stepping inside, I looked around, trying to find a familiar face, but besides an elderly couple in the booth and a middle-aged guy wearing a denim jacket and baseball hat, there was no one el
SophiaThe ride from the diner where Kieran ‘picked me up’ to home was silent. Dreadful.All along, Kieran was squeezing the steering wheel of his SUV; his knuckles were white from the pressure. It was more than obvious how mad he was. Mad at me.And I? I cried throughout the long ride from one side of the city to the other. Silent tears couldn’t stop running down my cheeks; only a yelp from time to time would break the silence in the car. However, they made Kieran even more enraged, so I tried to swallow each one of them.We were passing the gate of the estate when I muttered: “I’m sorry.”I wasn’t sure if he had heard me at all, but the way the car accelerated and halted in front of the house told me he didn’t miss what I said.Because of a rough ride and a bitter cocktail of emotions mixing up in me, nausea that hadn’t really left me since lunch culminated, and I barely opened the door before I started gagging. But my stomach was already empty; I had nothing to throw up. The next t
Sophia“What is your plan now?” he asked, pulling me into his strong embrace, giving me a place to rest my aching soul.I nested my head in the crook of Kieran’s neck and inhaled the scent of his cologne deeply. God, how I loved his smell!His arms were wrapped around my body, and I wiggled a bit to find the most comfortable position, which earned me a loud groan. I muttered ‘sorry,’ but otherwise didn’t move.“Are you going to leave me now?” I had to know, no matter what his answer would be.“What? Why would I do that?” Kieran tried to move back, but I clung to him with all my might. “Tell me, what are your plans for the current issue? What did Moira ask from you?” he pressed again.“A million dollars,” I admitted reluctantly.“I hope you didn’t consider paying for the blackmail.”“No… because I don’t have that kind of money. I considered offering half the sum and hoping she would accept it.”“You cannot negotiate with the extortionist, Sophia! Once you play by their rules, there’s n
SophiaI had trouble sleeping that night. Or it would be more accurate to say I didn’t get a minute of sleep. I tossed and turned and woke Kieran a few times, but he would pull me closer to himself before he drifted away.Ever since Kieran and I started sharing the bed, my nightmares were gone and my dreams were blissful. Something about his embrace gave me a sense of security and belonging, but not this time. My mind was overwhelmed by the constant rush of thoughts, and I could do nothing to turn off the reruns of yesterday’s events.Bill Marlow wasn’t dead. I didn’t kill him.That changed everything!The last six years of my life were based on the fact that I was a murderer. It painted the background of each and every day of my existence; it influenced my decisions and basically determined who I came to be.This made me ask myself the same question over and over again: Would I be who I was today if things hadn’t played out the way they have? Would I be where I am if my life wasn’t d
Sophia “Where is she?” I woke up with one thing in mind – I wanted to wrap my hands around Moira’s neck and look her in the eyes as I squeezed the life out of her. I was lying on the sofa, the comforter covering me lightly. Kieran was sitting beside my feet, and I moved them to make more space for him. “Police took her away half an hour ago.” He said quietly, confirming my unspoken questions. It was true. I didn’t dream it; I didn’t imagine it. Once again, I couldn’t hold back the tears. I let them fall freely for all the years I spent grieving the loss of my parents, thinking it was some higher power that decided Ellie and I should suffer the greatest pain children could live through. At one moment, I felt Kieran shift in his place, moving closer to me and pulling me into his embrace, offering me what I needed the most – a shoulder to cry on. “Do you know why?” The voice sounded strange and distant, perfectly reflecting how I felt. A part of my soul detached, numbing me. “You