The lawyer was happy to meet them. After days of going through the proposal and contract that Jake had shared with them, he finally had something to tell them. Rhys noted that Sophie was still quiet, and he still regretted asking her that question. For the next few hours they had to spend in the city. He would make sure she forgot all about her mother. “Well, I must say, this proposal is superb.” Mr. Bradley, who had been their lawyer for the past three years, commented. Rhys nodded. If Bradley said it was good, then it was good. “I have gone over every line and even between the lines, and I assure you that I missed nothing,” he continued. “No business person in his right mind who was looking to make profits would draw up a proposal such as this one.” Rhys frowned. “What do you mean?” “It is very good. I cannot say you should do it because, in the end, they might come up with a way to snack on you, but I also cannot tell you not to do it because it is too good to resist, and, in
“Now that I have gotten you guys on board, I will start renovations.” Jake told them as they stood outside the restaurant, ready to leave. They had spent the last two hours together exchanging ideas on how the entire company thing should go. Jake was delighted to have Sophie as his partner; he could already see how everything would go. Smooth as the surface of a mirror, and he looked forward to doing business with them both. “It’ll take some time before we are done.” He continued. “Maybe six months. Maybe more. The construction company I hired says it’ll take less, just to be on the safe side. You know? Things happen.” Sophie and Rhys both nodded. “Please, if there’s anything we need to do during that time, don’t hesitate to let us know.” Rhys commented. Jake waved his hand dismissively. “Your land and your services are already enough for me. I can take care of the rest myself.” Then, just to make them happy, he added. “But, as you said, If I need anything in the future, I’ll l
Rhys burst out laughing. “That was kind of cheeky, but I like it.” He marched to their ride, which had arrived five minutes earlier, and held the door open for her. “Let’s make this night romantic.” He whispered as she got in. *** Veronica was psyched with anxiety. Sophie was returning today, and she wanted to make everything perfect. She woke up quite early, and this time she tried not to remain in bed sulking for another two hours. She took her bath first and prepared herself, then went to prepare food and make the house appear presentable. Of course, she knew Sophie would not notice all of her hard work when she laid eyes on her; she only needed something to take her mind off what would soon be happening: meeting her daughter again for the first time since she was born. Eliana stayed in her room the whole time, not bothering to come out and help with anything. But that was okay; she didn’t need her sister, and she did not need a confrontation either. Yesterday, when she storme
The ride on the train was longer than Rhys and Sophie expected, but this was a good thing for them. If the ride could go on for longer, they would have been happy. For some reason, they both felt reluctant to return to her aunt’s house. Spending those few days in the city reminded them both of the life and happiness they were giving up to be here. Why did they need to come back anyway? It was very obvious that they were happier away from this place. Closure. It was what brought Sophie back home. The need to heal. The urge to let go of the past and move on with her life. Rhys—this man whom she was beginning to love even more than life—to finally let herself be happy and free. She took out her aunt’s journal and began to read. They still had about an hour before the train would make its final stop in the town. She opened the book to the page on which she had stopped and began to visualise the images in her head. Eliana, her aunt, was infatuated by the boy, Adrian. From the first p
A part that might have looked back. It was why she read the journal. Not for the sake of her aunt, but for her mother too, because if she really wanted to get the closure she so desired and move on with her life, then she needed to be able to forgive her mother, and to forgive her, she needed to know and understand why she did what she did. She took a deep breath as the train chugged to a stop. They were back again, and Sophie was not sure if she was ready just yet to return to this life. She would have loved to remain on the bus and follow it back to the city, maybe visit the museum, and look at the stars again. The stars had been so beautiful yesterday when she and Rhys went to see them—twinkling and bright. Now everything looks so bleak. “Hey!” Rhys tapped her. “We are here.” She stood to her feet and waited as he pulled their luggage from the overhead compartment. “Are you ready?” he asked once he was done. Sophie shook her head. She could never be ready because she had no ide
Everything was a blur for Sophie. From the moment she stepped into the house and laid eyes on the woman. Her mother? It could not be that she was really here in flesh and blood. It could be that she was imagining things. Yes, that was probably what it was. She was thinking about the woman so much that she was beginning to see her as if she was really there. She was going to ignore this apparition that looked so much like her mother and focus on why the therapist was there. Why was Vivienne here? In the home of her aunt? Had she spoken to her aunt? Did she say anything which would hint at anything which would make her aunt have an idea of what was going on? “Sophie.” The woman – her mother – called breathily and Sophie’s eyes snapped up to her face. She looked almost the same as the photos Sophie had of her. If not for some wrinkles here and there, you would think that she had only aged five years instead of twenty-four! “Sophie.’ Her mother called again, her voice was shaky. That v
The air was refreshingly cool, and Sophie decided this was the best time to rest under the fig tree, which stood proudly at the center of the park. Families and couples arrived some minutes after the sunset, and they sprayed mats on the grass or lounged on the benches that the park provided. Sophie watched the kids squeal and giggle as they ran around each other. The parents were engrossed in their discussions, and once or twice she heard them laugh at something someone was saying. The park was a quiet place during the day, and it was here that Sophie spent most of her time, and the rest of it she spent behind the oven doing what she loved most. She turned her face up to the sky, allowing the cool breeze to romance her face and play with her long hair. She felt at ease with life; it was like the world paused and all her worries were gone.Her notebook, her only companion, rested on her lap, together with her notepad. She had gotten the notebook about twelve years ago, immediately
Sophie raised a perfectly carved brow. She took the letter from his outstretched hand, wondering what it was about that Rhys could not just handle it alone. Usually, Rhys did stuff like this. He prepared all the documents she needed and made sure their accounts and tax books were up-to-date; basically, everything was his unit. She looked at the letter, noting the agency’s logo and their name spelled out in fine, meticulous prints behind the envelope. Her eyes went back to Rhys, who, as if understanding her unspoken question, quickly shrugged his shoulders. Sophie tore the letter open and ran her eyes through its content, then looked up to Rhys and then to the shop across theirs, whose shutters were sealed shut. “What does it say?” Rhys asked impatiently. She handed the letter to him and placed her notepad on the table. “Apparently, the laundromat and the restaurant have been bought, as has the land around them, and the new owner will start renovations as early as next week.” She