Forty-One
FORTY-ONE
SOPHIE
I ’ve been pacing for about three hours, the nerves making my stomach twist in knots. As I walk back and forth, my apartment feels too small, too suffocating. My hands wring a dish towel so tightly that it might rip. I knew this would happen when I let go—I just knew it.
Every few steps, my eyes go to my phone, sitting in a bowl of rice on the counter, mocking me with its silence.
I wanted to call Liam the second I got home, but the stupid phone took a dive with me. Perfect timing. Now I’m stuck replaying everything in my head: the fall into the pool, Lucas’s voice cutting through the moment, and Jared’s face.
Lucas. God, I can’t believe he walked in on us. Heat rises to my cheeks again just thinking about it. Of course, he’s going to tell Leora—they’re the kind of married couple who tell each other everything. How do I explain it now? Lucas is going to tell her before I even get the chance. He probably already has.
I move on to Jared. What if he says something? But then I remember how Lucas glared at him, the fear in Jared’s eyes as he scrambled away like a chastened puppy. No, he won’t do anything. Not after seeing what Lucas is capable of when he’s pissed.And not after everything we’ve gone through.
Still, the nervous energy keeps building, and I’m pulling at my hair now, trying to calm myself. I head to the counter and grab my phone, testing if it’s working. Please, please work. I press the power button, and the screen lights up. Thank God. I let out a sigh of relief.
As the phone boots up, messages flood in all at once.
Liam
I’m on my way.
I’m so sorry for Lucas.
He’s an asshole.
I’m stuck in traffic, but I’ll be there soon.
Fuck, there’s been an accident. Traffic’s barely moving.
I barely have time to process those before more messages appear.
Adeline
Sophie! Liam called me. I’m on my way home. I’ll be there soon.
Have you seen this?!
Don’t freak out, okay? We’ll handle this.
There’s a link attached. My stomach twists tighter as I tap on it, and a website loads. A picture of me clinging to Liam in the pool appears, my hands gripping his shoulders, my mouth fused to his in what looks like the most passionate kiss imaginable. My body goes cold as I read the headline:
Ayoub D'or Heir Caught Red-Handed: Mixing Business with Pleasure in Scandalous Poolside Moment
Dread coils in my stomach, tightening with every word I read.
The Ayoub D'or Group's golden boy, Liam Ayoub, has been spotted getting very up close and personal with his Sophie Anderson, the interior designer working on their latest luxury hotel.
Forget professionalism—this steamy poolside moment, captured exclusively, shows the bachelor billionaire passionately locking lips with his ”talented” employee. It’s got everyone asking: is this her main project?
While Sophie Anderson has made a modest name for herself with smaller projects, it seems she’s found a shortcut to the top, courtesy of Liam Ayoub’s attention. The kiss captured in this exclusive photo speaks volumes, but so does the timing.
The whispers have started: Is this a genuine romance or another classic case of power dynamics gone wrong? Either way, the optics are anything but flattering for the Ayoub D’or Group’s youngest heir.
Stay tuned—because when billionaires mix work and pleasure, the fallout is rarely pretty.
The phone trembles in my hands, my vision blurring. I’m going to be sick. My knees give out, and I collapse onto the couch, staring blankly at the screen.
This can’t be happening.
Leora
What is this Sophie?
She sends a screenshot from another gossip page—this one French.
I can’t breathe.
The words blur, shifting, tilting. The room feels too small, too tight, like the walls are pressing in on me.
What’s happening? How is this spreading so fast?
My vision tunnels, narrowing to the glow of my phone screen.
I can’t get enough air.
I try to inhale, but it’s like I’m breathing through a straw. Shallow. My fingers tingle, numbness creeping up my arms. The phone nearly slips from my grasp.
I squeeze my eyes shut. Try to ground myself. But the spiral has already taken hold.
My heart feels like it’s about to beat out of my body. Tears sting my eyes, hot and fast. I try to stand, but my legs feel like they belong to someone else. My phone buzzes again, another notification. I flinch, dropping it like it’s physically burning me. I don’t even want to look, but I know I have to.
It’s an email from one of the big development firms that had expressed interest in working with me.
Subject: Collaboration postponed
Dear Miss Anderson,
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have decided to postpone the upcoming project. We are still finalizing our direction and may revisit the interior design requirements later. Thank you for your understanding, and we will contact you if the project resumes.
Best regards,
Lock & Key Development
My heart plummets as the words blur before me. Unforeseen circumstances. I know exactly what that means. They’ve seen the articles. The photos. They’ve seen me. I don’t have time to process the sting before another email comes through. This time, it’s from Lion Co. , the second big project I had lined up. It’s almost identical to the first one. Everything I’ve worked for and just like that. They both dropped me.
The tears spill over. The humiliation, the frustration, the sheer unfairness of it all—it crashes down on me like a tidal wave. I stare at the screen, willing the words to disappear. How many more messages like that are coming? How much of my future has this ruined?
My phone buzzes again, and I almost scream. It’s Leora.
Leora
Adeline knew, right? Of course, I’m the last one to find out. I already feel alone enough on the other side of the earth, and now you’re hiding things from me
She’s right. She’s so right, and that’s what makes it worse. Leora’s always been my constant, my steady, and here I am, failing her just when she feels farthest away.
My fingers hover over the screen, what do I say? How do I even begin to explain? My thoughts are too jumbled, my emotions everywhere.
Me
Leora, I’m so sorry. I was going to call you.
Everything happened so fast, and I didn’t know how to say it.
I pause, staring at my words. They feel inadequate, like they can’t possibly convey how much I wish I could teleport to her side and explain everything face-to-face.
Leora:
Are you serious, Sophie?
You’ve never had trouble telling me anything before. This isn’t just about me being your best friend. I thought we were family.
The lump in my throat swells, and I feel the weight of her disappointment pressing down on me. Of all the things spiraling out of control, this—the thought of losing Leora’s trust—hurts the most.
Me
We are family. Please believe that. Can I call you?
Her response takes longer than I’d like, and I hold my breath until my phone buzzes again. A photo of me and her on her wedding day lights up the screen. She's calling me.
My thumb hovers over the screen, trembling, and my pulse races as I hesitate for a fraction of a second before answering.
“Leora?” My voice cracks.
“Listen, I’m actually upset this time and—” She stops abruptly, her tone shifting. “Wait, are you okay, Soph?”
I shake my head, even though she can’t see me, and choke out, “No.” The word comes out broken, and so am I.
Her voice softens instantly, the irritation melting into pure concern. “Talk to me, babe. What’s going on? I’m not really mad—I just want to understand.”
Hearing her say that, the fragile walls I’ve been trying so hard to hold together crumble completely. Many more tears are falling down my cheeks.
“Leora, I’m so sorry. I should have told you. I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark. And now it’s everywhere. It’s just…everything is such a mess right now.”
“A mess?” she repeats, the concern in her tone growing sharper. “I saw the article, Sophie. Is it true? Are you and Liam…?”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I feel like the worst friend ever. I didn’t know where to start, and then I just kept pushing it off and off until?—”
“Okay, okay,” she says gently. “Slow down, honey. Take a breath. Let’s do it together. One in,” she says soothingly, and I follow her, breathing in deeply. “And one out.” I exhale shakily, the tension in my chest loosening just a fraction.
I wipe at my eyes, my voice barely a whisper as I confess, “He’s the guy from Barcelona.”
There’s a pause, heavy and full of realization. “Ten years ago?” she finally asks, her voice barely above a breath.
“Yes.”
“The one who broke your heart?”
“Yes.”
Leora’s silence feels loaded, but when she finally speaks, her tone is steady, strong. “Oh, Soph.” She lets out a long sigh, the kind that carries years of shared history and every bit of love and exasperation she has for me, “Tell me everything.”
And I do. I tell her everything, the words tumbling out between tears that fall and stop in a rhythm all their own. I tell her about Barcelona, about how Liam and I met, the push and pull that left me raw and exposed, and how—against all odds—we found our way back to each other. I tell her about Dad, how he’s had moments of clarity, brief but beautiful, where he remembers me again. How he’s met Liam, hung out with him, and how those moments have brought both comfort and bittersweet longing. I tell her things I hadn’t even admitted to myself yet, letting it all pour out like a dam breaking.
Leora listens silently, not rushing me. Her steady presence anchors me even from thousands of miles away. When I finally stop, wiping at my face with trembling hands, she lets the silence stretch just long enough for me to take a deep breath.
She hums thoughtfully, her calm anchoring me even through the phone. “Do you love him?”
“Yes,” I whisper, the admission coming easier than I expected. “I do.”
“Does he love you?” she asks, no judgment in her tone, just a simple question.
I close my eyes, letting my mind drift to Liam’s face, the way he looks at me like I’m the only person in the room, the way he’s fought for me in ways no one ever has. “I think so.”
“Then screw the rest,” she says firmly, her voice brimming with conviction. “You and Liam can figure this out. Articles, gossip—none of that matters if you’re both willing to fight for it. And you’re a fighter, Soph. You always have been.”
I let her words settle over me, a balm to the storm raging inside. “But what about my career?” My voice cracks again. “I’ve worked so hard to build this, and now it feels like it’s slipping away.”
“Your career isn’t over, babe,” she assures me. “You’re too damn talented for that. I will always clap for you so damn loud you won’t even notice the ones who aren't. And hey, this isn’t just on you. Liam got you into this mess—he better be ready to help you clean it up.”
A soft laugh escapes despite the tears still wet on my cheeks. Is she right? Will this just fade away? Or will it haunt me forever?
“You’ve got this, Soph. And I’m here, even from the other side of the world.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, meaning it more than ever.
“Always,” she says firmly.
The door slams open, startling me, and Liam runs in first, his face etched with worry.
Adeline follows close behind, but instead of rushing to me, she stops a few steps into the room, her body going rigid. Her eyes widen when she sees me, taking in my tear-streaked face and the tension radiating from my body. Her shoulders slump slightly, as if the weight of my pain settles on her too. Her hands hover near her chest, clenched into loose fists, unsure whether to reach out or stay still. Her own eyes glisten, “Sophie…” she whispers, her voice trembling.
“Liam and Adeline just got here,” I whisper into the phone.
“Good,” Leora says softly. “Let them take care of you and let them help. You don’t have to do this alone.”
I nod, and I end the call with a quiet, “Love you.”
Liam is in front of me in an instant, his hands cupping my face, his thumbs brushing away the fresh tears. His dark eyes lock onto mine, filled with regret and a fierce determination that takes my breath away. “I’m so sorry, Sunshine,” he murmurs, his voice breaking. “This is my fault.”
I try to shake my head, but his grip is firm, anchoring me when everything else feels like it’s slipping away. My lips part to speak, but no words come out. I glance past him at Adeline, who still stands frozen near the door, one hand pressed to her chest. Her tears spill over, but she doesn’t move, as if unsure if she should step closer or give me space.
Liam leans his forehead gently against mine, his voice low and soothing. “We’ll fix this,” he promises. “I swear to you, Sophie, I’ll make this right.”
I manage to find my voice, though it’s hoarse and small. “They dropped me. Nobody wants to work with me.” My throat tightens, the words choking out as my tears threaten to fall again. “I don’t know how to fix this.”
Liam’s hands move to my shoulders, gripping me gently. “You don’t have to know. That’s why I’m here. That’s why we’re here,” he says, glancing briefly at Adeline, who nods in silent agreement.
Adeline sniffs, wiping at her cheeks. “You’re not alone, okay? We’ll figure this out. Together.”
“Whatever it takes. I’ll make this right.” The weight of his guilt and love are both evident, and it cuts through my panic like a lifeline.