I hire the best obstetrician in the city, paying her an obscene amount to be on call exclusively for Sophia.
I install a full medical suite in the compound, complete with monitoring equipment that tracks the baby’s heartbeat twenty-four seven.
Sophia tolerates it all with increasing frustration.
I see it in the way she watches me, in the careful distance she maintains even when I hold her.
We’re sleeping in the same bed, but there’s a wall between us that has nothing to do with pillows or blankets.
Melinda tries to mediate, to help us find common ground. She organizes movie nights and game sessions, anything to break the monotony of bed rest.
But even her presence can’t fully bridge the gap that’s growing between Sophia and me.
I’m in my office reviewing security footage when Melinda knocks on the door. Her expression is serious, and my stomach drops.
“Is Sophia okay?” I’m on my feet instantly.
“She’s fine. Physically.” Melinda closes the door behind her. “But Mikhail, we need to talk.”
I sink back into my chair, suddenly exhausted. “About?”
“About the fact that you’re driving her crazy with all this security. About the fact that she feels like a prisoner in her own home.” Melinda sits across from me. “About the fact that I need to leave.”
The last part catches me off guard. “Leave? Why?”
“Because I have a life too. A job, an apartment, friends.” She leans forward. “I can’t stay forever.”
“Sophia needs you.” The words come out more desperate than I intend. “You’re the only person who can reach her right now. The only one she talks to.”
“That’s exactly the problem.” Melinda’s voice is gentle but firm. “She shouldn’t need me to be her only connection to the outside world. She should have you. But you’re so busy building walls and hiring guards that you’ve forgotten how to just be with her.”
Her words hit harder than any physical blow. “I’m trying to protect her.”
“I know. But you’re also pushing her away.” Melinda stands. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I’m out my job if I don’t back. And you need to figure out how to be what she needs, not just what you think will keep her safe.”
After she leaves, I sit in the darkness of my office, her words echoing in my mind.
Tomorrow Melinda will go, and Sophia will be even more isolated, even more trapped.
And it’s my fault.
I should feel relief that I’m keeping her safe.
Instead, all I feel is the growing certainty that I’m losing her in a completely different way.
39
SOPHIA
I stand at the window of our bedroom, watching Melinda’s suitcase being loaded into the black SUV.
My hand rests protectively over the small swell of my stomach, a gesture that’s become automatic over the past few weeks.
The baby flutters inside me, as if sensing my melancholy.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say, turning to face my best friend. “You could stay longer.”
Melinda zips up her carry-on bag and gives me a sad smile. “Sophia. I’ve used all my paid time off and all my unpaid protected time off. I can’t pay rent if I lose this job.”
