Chapter 10 - The Price of Two Lives
“Michael.”
Sophia's brother had lied.
Again.
Police arrested him.
This time the truth came apart completely.
Eleanor had never ordered him to poison Sophia.
Michael had acted independently after discovering the life-insurance policy.
He believed Sophia's death would trigger a chain of trusts from which he could eventually profit.
His gambling debts had become desperation.
He had convinced himself Sophia would merely become ill.
Not die.
Sophia listened to his confession once.
Then turned it off.
There are betrayals anger can survive.
Some leave silence instead.
She refused Michael's calls.
She did not attend his arraignment.
Her focus became Grace and Noah.
And herself.
For the first time in years, Sophia began imagining a life that wasn't organized around Daniel's needs.
She reopened the design studio she'd abandoned after marriage.
She hired three employees.
Then seven.
Her first collection sold out online.
Adrian invested nothing.
Sophia had expected him to offer.
He didn't.
When she asked why, he smiled.
“You don't need another billionaire owning part of your life.”
She laughed.
It was the first full laugh she'd had in months.
Daniel heard about the company.
He sent flowers.
Sophia returned them.
He sent a handwritten note instead.
Congratulations.
No request.
No apology.
Just congratulations.
She kept that.
Daniel continued therapy.
Continued supervised visits.
Continued rebuilding the company he'd nearly lost.
He and Adrian remained rivals.
But something had changed.
They no longer hated each other blindly.
One afternoon, Daniel watched Adrian hold Grace while Sophia prepared Noah's bottle.
Daniel's face tightened.
Sophia noticed.
“You can leave if this is too difficult.”
“No.”
He looked at Adrian.
“I spent years thinking he wanted everything I had.”
“And?”
Daniel swallowed.
“He wanted nothing I had.”
Sophia understood.
Adrian had never wanted Daniel's wife.
His children.
His home.
He had simply stepped into a moment Daniel had abandoned.
Daniel looked at Sophia.
“I keep trying to find the sentence that fixes what I did.”
“There isn't one.”
“I know.”
“You'll always be their father.”
Daniel's eyes lifted.
“But?”
“You may never be my husband again.”
Pain crossed his face.
He nodded.
“I know that too.”
That evening, Adrian walked Sophia to her car.
“You handled that well.”
“I don't need a performance review.”
He smiled.
Then his expression became serious.
“Sophia.”
“Yes?”
“I've been offered London.”
Her smile disappeared.
“For how long?”
“Possibly permanently.”
She stared at him.
“When?”
“Three weeks.”
Sophia hadn't realized how deeply Adrian had entered her life until she imagined him leaving it.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don't know.”
His eyes held hers.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Daniel.
Adrian answered.
Daniel spoke only six words.
“Eleanor escaped during the prison transfer.”
Sophia turned toward the house.
May you like
Upstairs, a window stood open.
The twins' nursery was empty...
