“I’m not,” I swallow thickly. “You already made a choice. It’sjust that it isn’t me. And for the record, I’ve had a few hours to think about this entire situation, you know…” I pause, and he lifts his head to look at me. “I promised Astrid I’d make her life a living hell. It was mainly said in anger, but now? Oh, Sawyer, I’ll fucking ruin her just to spite you. I’ll fuck her up so badly she’ll start to resent you. And in a few months’ time, maybe even years, you’ll come to realize she was never worth it.”
His jaw clenches, anger flashing in his eyes. “Sophia—”
“Get the fuck out of my sight, Sawyer. You just lost your only sibling. Hope you don’t come crawling back, you fucking bastard.”
???
The morning is tense.
Avalon, Grace, and Lila left earlier this morning. Their belongings are still upstairs, and they just knew that I’d be having a family meeting, hence they ran off before they could get caught in the crossfire. It’s not going to be pretty.
Even Elliot isn’t present. Mom sent him to run a few errands, and I don’t think he’ll be back before noon, which means I’m fucking doomed.
The dining table is deadly silent. It’s suffocating, and I can’t eat. I’m playing with the food on my plate, pushing it around with my fork, and taking the smallest bites, just so I don’t draw attention to myself.
Mom’s sitting across from me, not even looking at me. She’s not the one to keep silent, and it’s killing me on the inside. However, it’s far worse that Dad hasn’t uttered a word since we sat down to eat.
Mom’s always been the strict, stern parent. Although Dad didn’t let us just run around and wreak havoc, he was always the one to sit us down, have a conversation until we realized where we went wrong and why, and Mom would ground us as punishment.
Seeing my father with such a look of disappointment in his eyes is shattering me on the inside.
“We have to address the elephant in the room,” Mom says, putting her fork down on her plate softly. She looks at me, and more than anything, she seems tired. “What in the world were you thinking, Sophia?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, looking down in shame. They’re both aware of what led me to beat up Astrid, and I know for a fact that Mom’s referring to the elevator scene with Soren, rather than the fact that I put Astrid in the hospital.
“I’m sorry.”
Dad slams his glass against the table, and I flinch a little, looking up at him with tears in my eyes.
“Tears won’t work. Not this time, Sophia. What in the world were you thinking, getting involved with the Ford boy? After everything you two have done to each other?”
I keep silent. There are no words that I can say, nothing to justify my actions. Sawyer is sitting next to Dad, and he isn’t saying much. He knows that one wrong word from his mouth, and I’m throwing him under the bus immediately.
“Is the image deleted?”
I nod immediately, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Yes. I had Aria help me.”
“You asked for help from a criminal?” Mom hisses under her breath, then starts rubbing her temples, eyes closing. “You’ll send me into an early grave, child.”
“But she did make sure it’s deleted. She sent me a follow-up message this morning. It’s gone. Whoever saw it can’t prove it. It’s been deleted from the security camera footage, too.”
Dad sighs in relief. “Good. That’s good. But, Sophia, just how involved are you with the Ford boy?”
“It was just… casual. It’s nothing serious.”
“Good. You’d better end it immediately. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
He looks at me with narrowed eyes, trying to find any trace of dishonesty. When he doesn’t find any, he nods in return, sighing deeply. The disappointment lingers in his eyes, and it’s like a knife to my chest.
“I’m disappointed in you, Sophia,” he says, and tears swell in my eyes. “It will take a long time for me to forgive you for this.”
“You’ll forgive her?” Sawyer chimes in, blinking in confusion. “Wouldn’t the next step be to take her out of your will, and give me all the business?”
Dad lifts a brow. “Now, that’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
“Yes,” I clear my throat. “Especially since what Soren and I did was very, very casual, with no romantic feelings involved.” I turn to Sawyer, and he pales. “Tell our parents who you’ve been dating for a year, Sawyer.”
