Chapter 94
SOPHIA’S POV
The next morning, I drove to Stone Villa with a heavy heart. My wolf was restless. Part of me wanted to believe Ashley really missed me but another part – the part that had been hurt too many times – knew better.
I let myself in with my key. Ashley was in the living room, and when she saw me, her face lit up with genuine joy.
“Mommy!” She ran over and hugged me tight. “You came p>
I hugged her back, breathing in her scent. She smelled like vanilla and something else – Tiffany’s perfume. Even when Tiffany wasn’t here, her presence stayed with my daughter.
“Of course, I came,” I said, pulling back to look at her. “I promised, didn’t I p>
“Yes!” Ashley grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s make the pie together! I want to help p>
We went to the kitchen, and I got out all the ingredients. Ashley pulled a step stool over to the counter. Her eyes were bright with excitement. She really did seem happy to see me.
Maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe she really had just missed her mother.
We spent the next hour baking together. Ashley talked about school, about her friends, about a book she was reading. She was sweet and helpful, measuring ingredients carefully and listening to my instructions. For a little while, I let myself believe this was real.
The pie went into the oven. Ashley insisted on helping me clean up, wiping down counters and putting away bowls without being asked.
“You’re being such a good helper today,” I said, ruffling her hair.
“I just want to make you happy, Mommy,” she said with a smile.
My heart melted a little. Maybe things could be different. Maybe we could rebuild our relationship.
We had dinner together at the kitchen table. Ashley kept up her cheerful talk, telling me about her day, asking about mine. She was the perfect picture of a loving daughter.
After dinner, we cut the pie. Ashley took a big bite and closed her eyes with pleasure.
“It’s so good, Mommy! Way better than the bakery one.” She said.
I laughed “I’m glad you like it, sweetheart p>
Ashley was quiet for a moment, pushing blueberries around her plate with her fork. Then she looked up at me with those big dark eyes – Damien’s eyes.
“Mommy? Can I ask you something?” she asked.
I took a bite of my pie “Of course, baby. Anything p>
“Uncle Simon’s mommy is really sick.” Her voice was small “Daddy says she might die if she doesn’t get surgery p>
My stomach dropped.
“Yes,” I said “I heard about that p>
“And Daddy says Mr. Lance is the only doctor who can save her.” Ashley’s eyes were fixed on her plate now. “But Mr. Lance won’t answer Daddy’s calls p>
Oh no. Was this the reason Ashley called? What the p>
“Ashley p>
“Can you talk to him, Mommy? Can you ask him to help Uncle Simon’s mommy?” She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “Please? I don’t want her to die p>
My wolf whimpered. My wolf was torn between my daughter’s sadness and the wrongness of what she was asking.
“How do you know about all this, Ashley?” I asked quietly. “Who told you to ask me p>
“Nobody told me!” She said it too quickly. “I just… I heard Daddy and Tiffany talking about it. And I thought maybe you could help p>
I was her mother. I knew when she was lying. I could smell the nervousness in her wolf’s scent.
“Ashley, look at me.” I waited until she met my eyes. “Did Daddy or Tiffany ask you to talk to me about this p>
“No! I just p>
“The truth, Ashley…please p>
Her lower lip trembled. “Daddy said that if Uncle Simon’s mommy dies, he’ll be really sad and if he’s sad, he won’t want to play with me anymore. Aunt Tiffany said that if you helped, then Daddy would be grateful and might let me see you more often p>
The words hit me like someone punched me in the stomach “So they did ask you to do this p>
“They didn’t ask! They just… they said that it would be good if you helped. And I thought-” Her voice got smaller. “I thought if I was really nice to you and you helped Uncle Simon’s mommy, then Daddy and Tiffany would spend more time with me. They’re always so busy and I’m always alone and I just wanted p>
She was crying now. She had real tears rolling down her face but I couldn’t tell if she was upset about Simon’s mother or about being used as a pawn in this game.
“Ashley, do you understand what Uncle Simon did to Mr. Lance?” I asked gently.
She shook her head.
“Uncle Simon hurt him very badly. He spread lies about him and had people break his hands. Mr. Lance can barely use his fingers now. And he did all of this because Mr. Lance was nice to me p>
Ashley’s face scrunched up. “But Uncle Simon wouldn’t do something like that! He’s good! He always brings me presents and p>
“People can be good to some people and terrible to others,” I said. “And right now, you’re asking me to force Mr. Lance to help the mother of the man who destroyed his life p>
“But she’s going to die p>
“I know, baby but this isn’t my decision to make. It’s Mr. Lance’s decision p>
Ashley’s tears stopped abruptly. She looked at me with anger in her eyes. The look on her face made me flinch a bit.
“So you won’t help,” she said flatly.
“I won’t force Mr. Lance to do something he doesn’t want to do p>
“But Daddy said you could convince him if you wanted to! He said Mr. Lance would do anything for you p>
Her face twisted with anger. “Then why did you even come here p>
“Ashley p>
Ashley glared at me “Tiffany said you’d help because you always want people to like you. She said you’d do anything to make me happy but she was wrong! You don’t care about me at all p>
Each word felt like a knife in my chest. My wolf was howling in pain, confused why our pup was attacking us.
“I love you more than anything,” I whispered. “Everything I do is for you p>
“Then help Uncle Simon’s mommy p>
“I can’t p>
“You mean you won’t!” Ashley screamed. “You’re selfish and mean p>
The final blow hit its mark. I stood up from the table, my whole body shaking.
“I see,” I said quietly. “Well, in that case, I should go p>
I walked toward the front door, leaving the pie half-eaten on the table. Ashley didn’t follow me. She didn’t call me back.
I was reaching for the doorknob when it opened.
Damien stood on the other side, Tiffany right behind him. They must have just arrived. Both of them looked surprised to see me.
“Sophia,” Damien said. “You’re leaving already p>
“Yes.” I tried to step past him, but he moved to block my path.
“Stay,” he said. It wasn’t a request. “We need to talk about Lance and the surgery p>
“There’s nothing to talk about. I already told you p>
“Please, Sophia.” Tiffany stepped forward. Her voice was soft in a way I had never heard “Please just hear us out. Mrs. Stone is such a kind woman. She doesn’t deserve to die because of… because of whatever happened between Simon and your friend p>
“Whatever happened?” I repeated loudly. “Your boyfriend’s best friend had a man’s hands broken. That’s not ’whatever happened.’ That’s attempted murder of someone’s career p>
“I know Simon can be… intense,” Tiffany said. “But his mother is innocent. She’s dying, Sophia. Doesn’t that mean anything to you p>
My wolf growled at her tone. She was practically implying that I was heartless.
“It means a lot to me,” I said. “But I won’t force Lance to risk his barely-healed hands to save her p>
“You could convince him,” Damien said. “He’d do it if you asked p>
“And that’s exactly why I won’t ask p>
“Sophia, please.” Tiffany reached out and grabbed my arm. “I’m begging you as one woman to another”
I looked at her hand on my arm and immediately, I felt my blood boil with anger.
“Let. Go.” My wolf was in my voice now, making it come out as a growl.
Tiffany flinched but didn’t release my arm. “Sophia p>
I pulled my arm free, harder than I meant to. Tiffany stumbled backward, and before I knew it, she fell. She hit the floor with a cry of pain.
“Tiffany!” Damien was beside her in an instant, dropping to his knees.
I gasped in shock. I didn’t mean to do that.
“Sorry” I said “I’m so sorry”
“I’m okay,” she said, but she was wincing. There was blood on her hand where she’d scraped it against the doorframe. Her palm was torn open.
Damien’s face went pale. He had mysophobia – a fear of germs and blood that I’d watched him struggle with for years. He couldn’t stand the sight of blood. He would turn green and have to leave the room when Ashley got a cut.
But now, watching Tiffany bleed, he didn’t hesitate.
He pulled off his shirt – his expensive designer shirt – and pressed it against her palm, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay p>
Tiffany looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “It hurts p>
“I know. I know, baby. Just breathe p>
I stood there watching. The sight made my heart shatter into a million pieces.
Damien had mysophobia. For years, I’d watched him struggle with it. When Ashley was born and there was blood everywhere, he’d had to leave the delivery room. When I’d cut myself cooking dinner once, he’d called the doctor to come bandage me because he couldn’t do it himself.
But for Tiffany, he was using his bare hands to stop her bleeding. He was ruining his shirt without a second thought.
This was love. Real love. The kind he’d never shown me.