43. Chapter 43
Iwas so excited for the weekend that Sophia agreed to spend with me. I”d asked Aurora to stay at my house, but she”d told me that I needed alone time with my daughter.
Since the day that Sophia had dropped the bomb on me about living with her mother full-time, I”d spent every night with Aurora. She”d stayed at my place, not complaining about it. She”d brought several of her things along so she could go to work straight from there.
I didn”t want to be too far, worried that Sophia would need me. She called me every night but continued to be withdrawn.
I was hoping that Sunday lunch with my parents and Aurora would help open her up. She”d been polite and reserved. She was close to my mother but even Mama with her infamous interrogation techniques couldn”t get anything much out of Sophia.
She spent time with Aurora. Went for a walk by the river with her. I could feel Sophia”s agony, so I put on a front of being okay and madly happy that she was willing to spend the weekend with me.
”Aurora can stay the night even if I”m here, Daddy,” she said to me when Aurora went back to her place after lunch at the Rhodes estate, and we were driving home.
”She feels that since you and I don”t have a lot of time together, she wants us to have it one-on-one,” I explained.
”I like having her around.”
”I”m glad, Sweetpea. How are things at school?”
”Okay. Fine.”
Our conversations that used to be easy were now stilted. She didn”t annoy me or nag me, she was sweet and fucking withdrawn.
I called Aurora that night after Sophia went to bed. ”How did she seem to you?” I asked.
”I asked her what was going on, and she asked me to promise her that I wouldn”t leave you because of this,” Aurora told me. ”I”m convinced Iris is emotionally blackmailing her.”
”Dr. Ryan thinks the same thing, and I agree. But unless Sophia opens up…there isn”t much we can do.”