Chapter 19

I adjust my hoodie, trying to look somewhat put together instead of like I just survived a battle with death itself.

"Why are you wearing a beanie, Mommy?" Liam eyes me suspiciously through the screen.

We were finally Skyping after I'd postponed our calls multiple times. Mostly because I could barely keep my eyes open for more than five minutes. Today, though, I felt slightly better.

I lean back against my headboard. The beanie hides the bandage. Liam still doesn’t know what happened to me, and I intend to keep it that way.

"It's a little chilly in here," I lie.

Guilt gnaws at me, but I know it's necessary. There's no reason to worry him.

"We have a heater, Mom. You could just turn it on."

"It's broken, and I forgot to call someone to fix it."

Damn it. I hate lying to him. Part of me feels like a terrible mother—like all I’ve done since his father died is deceive him. The other part knows it’s for his own good.

"Okay…" he mumbles, clearly not convinced.

"So, what did you do today?" I ask, changing the subject.

Even the smallest details of his life excite me. His happiness is mine, and I’ll protect it at all costs.

The frown on his face vanishes, replaced by a bright grin.

"I saw dolphins today! I even swam with them. It was so fun!" His excitement is contagious.

"I wish I could’ve been there with you."

"Don’t worry, Mommy. Grandma recorded it. She said she’ll send you the video."

I nod. I’d reluctantly accepted the new phone Ethan had gotten me. Turns out, he didn’t just replace the phone—he even transferred my SIM card.

I’ve been avoiding Ethan as much as possible. He calls occasionally to check on me, but I keep those conversations short and impersonal. I want peace, and Ethan’s involvement in my life guarantees anything but. Especially with Isabella in the picture.

"Mommy, why was Isabella at Dad’s house?" His question yanks me back to reality.

"What do you mean?"

"I Skyped Dad yesterday, and she was there, sitting really close to him, holding his hand… I didn’t like it." His frown returns, so much like his father’s.

The words sting more than I want to admit. Knowing Ethan is already playing house with her brings back the pain I’ve tried so hard to bury.

Why do we convince ourselves we’ve moved on, only for one trigger to shatter that illusion?

"I don’t know, sweetheart. You’ll have to ask your dad." My voice wavers, and I hate how affected I sound.

I won’t explain this to Liam. If Ethan wants to flaunt his relationship with Isabella in front of our son, then he can be the one to answer the hard questions.

"I want you and Dad to get back together. So we can be a family again." His sadness cracks my already fragile heart.

"Liam, your father and I are just too different to make it work."

We’d pretended for his sake—acted like we loved each other, like we were okay. But it was all a lie. Ethan could barely stand me, though Liam never noticed.

Looking back, I wish I’d refused when Ethan proposed after I got pregnant. I was naïve, thinking I could make him love me. That one day, he’d feel for me what I felt for him.

But he never did.

His heart belonged to Isabella. Even when we were intimate, it meant nothing to him. It was just biology. For me, it was love. For him, it was just sex. And he was always careful—never risking another "mistake."

"Don’t you love him?" Liam asks, the same question he’d demanded of Ethan weeks ago.

I want to lie, but I’ve done enough of that.

"I do. But sometimes, love isn’t enough. You won’t understand now, but one day, you will."

I pray he never experiences this kind of pain. I want him to love and be loved in return. As much as it hurts, I hope he finds the kind of love Ethan and Isabella share—one that lasts.

A knock at my open door pulls my attention away.

"There’s someone here to see you, Sophia," Charlotte says.

I’d finally convinced her to drop the formalities. Thank God Letty talked me into letting her stay—she’s been a lifesaver, even helping with chores.

"Who is it, Mommy?"

I tell Charlotte to let them in before turning back to Liam.

"It’s a nice lady named Charlotte. She’s helping me around the house." My mind races, wondering who’s here.

Probably Letty or Daniel. Both have visited a few times to check on me.

"Why do you need help? You’re Super Mom—you never needed help before." His suspicion is back.

He’s right. I’ve always done everything myself—even when I lived in Ethan’s mansion. I thought if I proved I wasn’t spoiled like Isabella, who couldn’t even boil water, he’d see me differently.

How wrong I was. It didn’t matter. I was stupid to think he’d hate me less if I cooked all his meals, if I balanced work and home perfectly.

"Mommy?"

I’m saved from answering when Nathan walks in. He’s the last person I want to see, but at least he’s a distraction.

"Liam, I’ll call you back. Your uncle just got here, and I need to talk to him."

He sighs. "Okay, Mommy."

We say our goodbyes, and the moment the call ends, my smile drops.

"I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again," I say flatly, locking my emotions away.

He shifts nervously. "You’re my sister. I wanted to check on you."

A humorless laugh escapes me. "Sister? Really, Nathan? Because as far as I remember, I stopped being your sister nine years ago. Hell, longer than that, if we’re being honest. You had one sister, and you never let me forget it."

It still hurts. Rejection from my husband, my in-laws, even my own family. It’s a pain I’ve had enough of to last a lifetime.

"Sophia—"

I cut him off. "I stayed away from Isabella and Ethan like you asked. Now I’m asking you to stay away from me."

"We’re family."

I raise a hand. "No. You, Mom, and Isabella are family. I was never part of it, and you all made sure I knew that."

The words burn, but they’re true. They excluded me from everything, made me feel like an outsider.

"You gave Letty a chance. Why not us?" His temper flares.

"Letty has been kind to me. Unlike all of you, she didn’t treat me like garbage for a mistake I made at eighteen when I was stupidly in love with someone who’d never love me back."

Amelia had told me Nathan confessed the truth when their relationship got serious—after she noticed I was left out of family gatherings.

"Leave, Nathan. And don’t come back. Consider me dead. Forget you ever had a sister named Sophia."

I turn away, lying down on the bed. He’s silent for a moment before I hear his footsteps retreating.

Tears soak into my pillow. He asks too much. I gave them everything—love, even when they hated me. I kept hoping, praying, that one day they’d accept me.

Instead, they trampled that love and broke my heart over and over.

Now he wants to be part of my life? Doesn’t he realize it’s too late? They shattered me. There’s nothing left to give.

When it comes to them, I’m empty.