Chapter 27 Sophia
Sophia
Iwas exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally.
Sleep should have come easily given how drained I was, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Henry and the terror I felt, and how sick and twisted he had revealed himself to be.
Even with Gabriel by my side, I was too scared to sleep.
I wanted nothing more than to sleep as deeply as he did.
After he came home with my things last night, he pulled me into bed, wrapped himself around me, and started snoring as if he were completely free of concern, as if Henry wasn’t even on his mind.
His strong arm still held me close, and his soft, rhythmic breaths tickled my neck, but I kept staring at the door, terrified that Henry would appear around the corner with his wide eyes and twisted smile.
It was an irrational fear, but after being blindsided, I found it hard to trust myself to know what was rational to fear.
I would have tossed and turned as I battled my own mind, but Gabriel's grip on me tightened whenever I shifted even slightly.
The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the early morning light began to trickle in through the window. Close enough.
“Gabriel, wake up,” I whispered, my voice barely louder than a breath. He stirred, pulling his head out from under the pillow with a low groan, his eyes heavy with sleep.
“Did you sleep well?” I asked, craving the comfort of his voice, something to anchor me, to distract me from my mind.
He blinked slowly, then rolled onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Like a baby, you?”
“As well as I could, considering everything,” I replied, trying to inject some confidence into my voice, though I felt anything but.
Gabriel yawned, stretching until his body took up nearly the whole bed. “You seem better this morning. I was worried about you last night.” He said.
I forced a smile, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I’m okay. Just trying not to think too much.”
"Sometimes that’s the best approach," he murmured, his voice thick with lingering sleep.
We lay there in silence, the weight of the day ahead pressing down on us both. Eventually, I couldn’t keep my worries in any longer, but I didn’t want to talk about Henry.
“So… what if your family doesn’t like me?”
Gabriel’s arm tightened around me, his voice firm and steady. “They don’t have a choice. You’re not just some girl, Sophia. You’re mine. And if anyone has a problem with that, they’ll have to deal with me.”
His confidence was infectious, and I found myself smiling despite the anxiety twisting in my gut. “You sound so sure.”
“I am,” he said, his blue eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. “And besides, you’ve already won over the families toughest critic.”
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh? And who might that be?”
“Me,” he replied, his fingers tracing a gentle path down my arm.
I laughed, nudging him lightly. “The way I remember it, you were pretty easy to win over.”
A grin spread across his face as he pulled me closer. “Only because you bribed me with coffee and breakfast. I was starving, Sophia. Starving.”
I laughed again, the sound lighter than it had been in a long time. Gabriel’s arms wrapped around me, his embrace warm and secure.
“You’re different, Sophia. Different from any woman I’ve ever known.”
“Maybe I just seem different because to you, normal is different.”
He shook his head, his expression serious. “No, that’s not it. There’s something about you that makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.”
His words sent a warm flutter through my chest, but the anxiety gnawed at the edges of my thoughts.
“Tell me about your family,” I asked, wanting to know more about the people I would be facing.
Gabriel’s expression softened as he began to speak.
“I have two sisters, Caroline and Isabelle, and you know Damien. My father’s a force to be reckoned with, but my sisters.
.. Caroline is quiet, loves to read, and always notices things others miss.
Isabelle is the wild one, full of energy, always pushing boundaries.
” He paused, a fond smile playing on his lips.
“Damien can talk his way into or out of anything; he thinks he’s a charmer, but he’s terrible with keeping women. Damien is very protective, like me.”
“And your father?” I asked hesitantly.
Gabriel’s eyes darkened slightly. “He’s a man of few words unless you’re alone with him, but when he speaks, you listen.
He commands respect without ever having to raise his voice—well, that’s how it used to be before he started deteriorating.
He raises his voice now to compensate. But still, you’ll feel his presence before you even see him. Meeting him will be… an experience.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and was about to ask more when Gabriel cut me off.
“I can tell you’ve been up all night. Get some sleep, you have nothing to worry about, trust me.”
I smiled weakly as he tucked stray hair behind my ear and leaned in for a kiss.
“I’ll watch over you, get a few hours of sleep.”
I nodded, then laid down, sinking into the comfort of the soft bed.
“Hey, I pushed up the schedule. The jet’s landing at noon.”
My eyes flicked open. Damien stood in the bedroom doorway, shirtless, a towel wrapped around his waist. I couldn’t help but notice his chest and biceps were peppered with countless small scars, He looked at me like I was rude for noticing, then disappeared down the hall.
The little comfort I’d started to feel evaporated instantly. “Noon? We’re leaving at noon?” I echoed, trying to keep the rising panic out of my voice.
Gabriel nodded, running a hand through his hair as he climbed out of bed. “Yeah, looks that way. Let’s get up.”
Packing only took a couple of minutes for me. I only had the essentials—clothes, documents, paintbrushes, and a few keepsakes. Gabriel loaded everything into the trunk of his car, which, to my surprise, was where I thought the engine was. But I was too preoccupied to question it.
The mostly empty two-lane highway stretched out in front of us, long and empty under the clear sky. The coastline to our left and a wide-open grassy plain to our right. Gabriel seemed to be at ease with himself, but I couldn’t shake the tension coiled in my stomach.
“Gabriel,” I found myself saying, finally feeling ready to talk about Henry.
“Mm?” he responded, his thumb absentmindedly tapping the steering wheel.
Before I could continue, Damien pulled up alongside us, his car in the wrong lane of traffic. My heart leaped into my throat as I turned to Gabriel, realizing what the mischievous glint in his eyes meant as he revved the engine.
“Don’t. Gabriel, don’t even think about it,” I warned, but my words were drowned out by the sudden roar of the engine as he floored it, the car surging forward at a terrifying speed.
My heart pounded as the world blurred around us. The wind whipped past, and the car’s roar filled my ears.
“Gabriel!” I screamed, my voice barely audible over the engine.
He laughed, his hand squeezing my thigh as if that could calm me. “Relax, Sophia,” he called out over the noise. “I’ve got this.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the crash that seemed inevitable. But just as quickly as it started, it was over. Gabriel eased off the gas, the car slowing down to a more manageable speed, as if nothing had happened.
I opened my eyes, the fear quickly morphing into anger. “What the hell was that? You could’ve killed us!”
He shrugged, his grin unapologetic. “That was nothing.”
Damien’s car caught up to us, and he rolled down his window, flipping us off with a wide grin before speeding ahead.
I huffed, sinking back into my seat, my heart still racing. “You and your brother are… ugh,” I muttered, too frustrated to find the right words.
Gabriel chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction. “Crazy? Reckless?” he offered, the teasing glint still in his eyes.
“I was going to say idiots,” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest.
The rest of the drive passed in tense silence, the adrenaline slowly fading from my system.
When we finally pulled up to the airport, we were escorted directly onto the airfield to a hangar where a sleek white jet waited for us.
As we boarded, I couldn’t help but feel out of place in the luxurious interior, with its plush leather seats and polished wood accents.
Gabriel, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease, pouring us both a glass of champagne as the plane took off.
“To new beginnings,” he said, raising his glass to me. His eyes held that same confidence, the certainty I wished I could share.
I clinked my glass against his, trying to muster up some of that same confidence. “To new beginnings,” I echoed, taking a sip of the crisp champagne.
As the plane climbed higher, I leaned back in my seat, watching the clouds stretch out beneath us.
Despite the luxury and Gabriel’s reassurances, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was in over my head.
But when I looked at him, his blue eyes steady and unwavering, I knew that whatever lay ahead, I wouldn’t be facing it alone. And for now, that was enough.