Chapter 121
Sophia
Turning to the other side of the bed, I found Alex still awake, propped against the headboard rubbing his temples. He looked like absolute shit—bruises circling his eyes, swollen lip, and an overall aura of exhaustion that seemed to weigh him down like concrete shoes.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, keeping my voice deliberately neutral while my mind screamed, Look what you've done to yourself, you idiot.
Alex sighed deeply. "I feel worse than pulling an all-nighter, my head is killing me."
"That's what happens when you drink too much," I said, sitting up and crossing my arms, a surge of irritation bubbling up inside me. Another man thinking alcohol solves problems. Fucking brilliant. "I don't want to see you like that again, Alex. Especially now when Lily needs us to stay clearheaded."
"I know, I know." He turned toward me, his eyes full of regret. "Drinking with Blake wasn't my brightest idea. But at least we reached some kind of... understanding."
I snorted, the sound harsh even to my own ears. "Understanding? After fighting in a hospital? Jesus Christ, Alex, you two could have been arrested. What the hell were you thinking?"
Men and their goddamn egos, I thought, a bitter taste filling my mouth. Always thinking violence solves anything when it just creates more problems.
"That won't happen again, Sophia." Alex's voice softened. "Just like those business decisions I made—those stupid things I did behind your back. That won't happen again either."
I studied him, this man who had betrayed my trust yet somehow became the only stable presence in my life. The irony wasn't lost on me. My chest tightened with a mixture of resentment and reluctant gratitude that made me want to scream.
I'll never be able to fully trust him again. The thought crystallized in my mind like ice, sharp and clear. The damage was too deep, and no matter how well he behaved now, that fracture would always exist. Every time I look at him, I'll remember how he sold me out. How he sold Lily out.
"I'll never be able to fully trust you again," I finally voiced it aloud, feeling a strange relief wash over me, like lancing a festering wound. "But I hope we'll always be friends. Nothing more."
Alex lowered his head and nodded, accepting my boundaries. "I understand."
I contemplated whether I should forgive him. Among everyone, Alex at least seemed genuinely remorseful. But I was tired—so fucking tired—of being controlled, of having my life dictated by other people's decisions. Never again —not with Alex, not with Blake, not with anyone. The days of Sophia Green being a doormat were over.
"About Lily," I began cautiously, my mother's instincts flaring protectively, "I'm thinking we might need to reconsider the custody arrangements. I'm not sure you can take care of her properly in your current state."
Alex was about to answer when the doorbell rang. I grabbed my phone and saw Caroline's face on the smart doorbell app, her expression unusually animated.
"It's almost ten o'clock already," Alex frowned at me. "What urgent business could your lawyer have at this hour?"
"I don't know," I said, quickly getting out of bed and straightening my clothes and hair, my pulse quickening with anxiety. Please don't be more bad news. I can't take any more shit right now. "But it must be important."
My heart rate accelerated as I walked to the door, my palms suddenly sweaty. Caroline wasn't the type to make late-night visits without good reason. This meant either very good news or very bad news, and in my experience, it was rarely the former.
I opened the door to find Caroline clutching her briefcase, her face animated with an excitement I rarely saw.
"I think we finally have crucial evidence against her," she announced the moment she stepped inside, not even waiting for us to sit down.
"Against who? Amanda?" I asked, a surge of adrenaline shooting through me as I closed the door and gestured toward my home office. Alex followed closely behind, headache notwithstanding, clearly just as curious about this unexpected visit.
"Yes." Caroline set down her briefcase and began pulling out documents with rapid efficiency. "I just got off the phone with Blake's lawyer, Atticus. We need to move quickly to have Amanda detained."
My heartbeat skipped, hope and skepticism battling within me. Could this nightmare finally be ending? "What happened?"
"I spoke with your father, Sophia," Caroline's voice suddenly turned more cautious. "And with Emma."
Hearing those two names sent a chill up my spine like ice water being poured down my back.
"The experts believe they're telling the truth," Caroline continued.
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks. "What exactly is the evidence? I need to know specifically."
Caroline took a deep breath and began explaining her discoveries in detail...
---
The next day, I sat in an interrogation room at the police station, my heart hammering against my ribs like it wanted to escape. The cold metal chair was uncomfortable, but I barely noticed the discomfort. All my attention was focused on what was about to happen—I was going to face my father, Soren Green.
The man who once made my mother and me live in fear. The man who taught me what monsters look like. The man I swore I'd never see again.
But now, I needed him. Needed his testimony to prove my innocence, to prove that Amanda had fabricated so-called evidence. Ironically, the person who had once hurt me might be the only one who could help me now. Life has a sick sense of humor sometimes.
I'd been told that Amanda was being taken to another room for questioning by the prosecutor. The thought that she might finally pay for her lies gave me a bitter satisfaction that tasted like metal in my mouth.
The door suddenly opened, and I looked up, expecting Caroline to return. Instead, Blake walked in.
My heart nearly stopped, then filled with a mixture of anger and fear that hit me like a physical wave, making me momentarily dizzy.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I stood up abruptly, my voice shaking with emotion, my hands trembling. "Are you here to finish destroying me?"
Blake closed the door, his expression unreadable—was it guilt or determination? He looked just as exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes that matched the hollowness I felt inside.
"Sophia, please listen," his voice was low and urgent. "I approached Amanda to gain her trust and gather evidence. I knew what she did to you, and I needed to prove it."
"Oh, so now you believe me?" I let out a cold laugh that sounded more like a sob, feeling tears threatening to spill, but refusing to let them fall. I will not cry in front of him. Not again. Never again. "You've broken my heart, Blake. And this isn't the first time."
"I know." He stepped closer, and I instinctively backed away, my body reacting before my mind could. "I should have trusted you unconditionally. I failed you again."
"You didn't fail me, Blake," I responded calmly but firmly, despite the fire burning inside me that threatened to consume everything. "You hurt me. You made me feel worthless to you. Like I was nothing but garbage you could throw away whenever it suited you."
Blake's eyes flickered with pain, his voice catching. "I'm sorry, Sophia. Truly sorry. I'll do whatever it takes to make this right. I'll prove to you every day that you matter most."
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to remain composed when what I really wanted was to scream until my voice gave out. "This isn't just about you and me, Blake. It's about Lily. About her safety and her future."
In that moment, we both fell silent, the air heavy with unspoken words and complicated emotions. The road to reconciliation would be long, but perhaps—just perhaps—we had finally taken the first step in the right direction. Though God knows we've both fucked up enough for several lifetimes.