Chapter 254

Chapter 254

Clarence replied quickly: [Go ahead.]

Sophia bit her lip, her hands trembling a little as she typed.

[Natalia... when did she die? How did she die?]

There was a long silence on the other end.

Finally, Clarence's message appeared.

[Sophia, maybe you should just let this go.]

Sophia's heart sank.

[I know what you're thinking. But Nicholas has been keeping this from you for a reason. He doesn't want you to know any of this.]

[Some things, once you know them, you can't go back. Are you really ready for that?]

Sophia stared at those words, and her eyes started to sting.

She turned and looked at the person sleeping quietly in the bed.

Nicholas's brow was furrowed slightly, like even in his dreams, he couldn't find peace.

Sophia's tears hit the phone screen.

She looked down and typed, one word at a time.

[I've been in the dark for too long.]

[Clarence, I can't keep living like this.]

[Please.]

There was a very long silence on the other end.

Then Clarence sent a single word.

[Okay.]

Sophia closed her eyes, set her phone aside, and took a slow, deep breath.

She turned and looked at Nicholas's face.

Asleep, he didn't look so cold.

Sophia reached out and gently touched the crease between his brows.

Nicholas stirred slightly in his sleep, like he sensed something, and slowly, his brow relaxed.

When Nicholas opened his eyes again, the space beside him was empty.

He sat up sharply.

"Sophia?"

No answer.

The covers were pushed back, the pillow still held the shape of her head, and the sheets were still warm. She couldn't have left long ago.

But his heart was already in his throat. He threw off the covers and got out of bed, didn't even bother with slippers, grabbed his crutch, and walked out barefoot.

At the bedroom doorway, he heard sounds drifting up from the living room downstairs.

"Mommy, did I put this in the right place?"

Sophia's voice, warm and gentle: "Yes, Eloise did great."

Nicholas stopped.

He gripped the door frame and slowly leaned out to look downstairs.

In the living room, Eloise was sitting cross-legged on the rug with a big box of building blocks spread out in front of her.

Her tiny hands carefully pinched a triangular block, trying to balance it on top of a lopsided little house.

Once it was in place, Eloise let out a long breath and clapped her hands, then turned and grinned at the person beside her.

"Mommy, look! The house is done!"

Sophia smiled, her eyes crinkling, and reached over to ruffle Eloise's hair.

"Eloise is so clever. It's a beautiful house."

Eloise lifted her chin proudly, then seemed to remember something. She dug through the pile of blocks and pulled out a small pink one, setting it down carefully beside the house.

"This is the garden," Eloise said, very seriously. "Eloise's house has to have a garden, with lots and lots of flowers. Mommy likes flowers."

Sophia tilted her head and looked at the little garden, then smiled.

"Does Eloise like flowers?"

Eloise thought about it, then shook her head firmly. "Eloise doesn't like flowers. Eloise likes Mommy."

Sophia blinked, then melted completely. She scooped Eloise into her arms and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

Eloise burst into giggles, her little hands flailing. "Mommy, it tickles! It tickles!"

The evening light fell across Eloise and Sophia, and laughter floated through the living room — warm and full, like something had come in and filled every corner of the house, lighting it up until there wasn't a shadow left anywhere.

Nicholas felt something in his chest light up, too.

He realized that waking up to an empty bed didn't have to mean the person you loved was gone.

She might just be downstairs, playing blocks with their daughter.

In that moment, Nicholas felt, for the first time, like he was truly alive.

Before he knew it, most of autumn had slipped by.

Sophia had two weeks left until her due date.

Her belly was so big she couldn't see her own feet anymore. When she walked, she had to press both hands into the small of her back.

Every time Nicholas watched her come down the stairs, his heart leapt into his throat. He wanted to glue her feet to the floor and tell her not to move.

But he didn't dare say it.

The one time he'd started to, Sophia had given him a single look, and he'd shut his mouth immediately.

"I'm not made of glass," she'd said, giving him a pointed look.

Nicholas had thought to himself: You're not made of glass, but you're made of my heart.

He hadn't said that out loud, though. He figured he'd probably get hit.

Sophia woke up from her afternoon nap, stood at the window, and looked outside. The weather was so nice. She turned around.

"Let's go buy some clothes for the baby."

Nicholas looked up. "Now?"

"Now." Sophia was already heading to the closet. "The weather's perfect. We should go out and walk around. If we don't do it now, it'll be too late — the due date is only two weeks away."

Nicholas almost said he could just have Chase take care of it, but Sophia looked so eager that he closed his folder, picked up his crutch, and stood up.

"Alright."

Nicholas carried Eloise to the front door, crouched down, and put her shoes on.

Eloise chattered away at Sophia. "Mommy, what colors do you think the baby will like?"

Sophia thought for a moment. "Mommy's not sure either. That's why we need Eloise to help pick."

Eloise nodded hard, her little face filled with a sense of purpose.

Nicholas smiled and patted his daughter's head.

"Okay, let's go."

Before the words were even out, Eloise had already bounced into the yard and was crouching on the ground picking up ginkgo leaves. She found the biggest, yellowest one and held it above her head, calling back into the house.

"Mommy, look! It looks like a fan!"

Sophia smiled, her eyes soft.

Nicholas walked down the steps on his crutch and bent down to pick Eloise up.

Eloise was still clutching the ginkgo leaf, wriggling happily in his arms — and the leaf ended up pressed right against Nicholas's face.

"Daddy turned into a fan!" Eloise dissolved into giggles.

Nicholas tilted his head on purpose, and the leaf floated down. Eloise quickly reached out to catch it and cradled it carefully against her chest.

The baby store wasn't far — just a ten-minute walk.

Nicholas lifted Eloise into the shopping cart, and she immediately stood up like a little commander, both hands on the rim, steering the way.

The store walls were covered in tiny clothes, row after row of them.

Sophia stopped in front of one, reached out, and touched a dark green onesie. The fabric was so soft it felt like cotton candy.

"This one's pretty," she said.

Nicholas glanced at the little onesie, then at Sophia's belly. "It's too small," he said.

Sophia looked at him. "What do you mean by too small? This is a newborn size."

"I mean..." Nicholas paused. "It's too small. They'll grow out of it before you know it."

Sophia looked at him for a moment, and then she understood.

He was afraid the baby would grow too fast.

Afraid he wouldn't get to hold them long enough before they were already big.

Missing the first three years of Eloise's life had always been something Nicholas carried with him.