Chapter 6

Sophia

Three years have passed.I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at myself, the fine lines around my eyes like medals forcibly etched over the past three years. Not from worry, but from the exhaustion of life. I sighed, wiped my face, and tried to make myself look less haggard.

Boston had become a sanctuary for Lily and me. The Green-Morgan Consulting firm that Alex and I founded was developing better than our most ambitious expectations. And Lily? She was two years old now, growing every day like a little sun. As for me... I was finally starting to crawl out of the abyss of heartbreak.

"Mommy! Breakfast!" Lily's voice called from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of her spoon hitting her high chair, like she was conducting a small symphony.

I walked into the sunlit kitchen, warmth filling my chest. Lily's chubby face was covered in oatmeal, her sleepy curls as disheveled as a bird's nest. But those deep blue eyes, almost consuming everything—every time they looked at me, my heart raced.

"Well, someone has quite an appetite this morning," I smiled, kissing her forehead.

Elizabeth, my Harvard mentor who had become our family's closest "grandmother," pushed a cup of coffee toward me. "This little one has been up since five, discussing numbers with her teddy bear," she said with a laugh.

"Honey, I've got to go," I glanced at my watch and told Elizabeth. "I promised Alex I'd be at the office early."

"Go ahead, Lily and I will be fine," Elizabeth dismissed with a wave, expertly wiping Lily's face. "I'll cook tonight. Should we invite Alex too?"

I paused, catching that matchmaking gleam in Elizabeth's eyes. "I'll ask Alex," I said vaguely. "But you know, we're just friends."

Elizabeth sighed, wiping oatmeal from Lily's little face, her voice as gentle as if soothing a child. "You need to give yourself some space to love again."

"I'm fine," I said, my tone a bit harsh, tinged with defensiveness. "I have you, I have Lily, and the company is thriving. I'm even saving for Lily's college—"

"College is still years away," Elizabeth interrupted, her tone light, as if coaxing me. "Sophia, don't forget your own heart. Don't let the past trap you."

I didn't love Blake the way I used to—at least that's the bullshit I tried to tell myself. But every time I looked into Lily's deep blue eyes, my heart wrenched.

"Sophia," she said softly, her eyes full of sympathy, "you didn't do anything wrong. Whenever you're ready, you can tell him the truth. But don't close your heart off because you're afraid of getting hurt. The way Alex looks at you... it's not just as a business partner anymore."

"I don't want to disrupt Lily's life," I said, my fingers nervously tapping the table.

The real reason was: I was too fucking scared. Since Blake threw me aside like garbage, my heart had been like shattered glass, impossible to piece back together. I was afraid to love again, afraid of abandonment, afraid of pain so deep I could barely breathe.

For the past three years, Alex had been my biggest pillar. From starting from scratch to building Green Morgan Consulting into a thriving company, he had always been my friend, my comrade.

Lily adored Alex; every time he came to see her, she would cling to him, making him play with her blocks. Maybe when I finally escaped Blake's shadow, I would consider taking things further with him.

Last night Alex texted that we had a big contract—the client was a multi-billion dollar subsidiary of Sterling Group, and executives would come personally to sign. I knew it was Sterling Group, but would someone as busy as Blake personally come to a small company like ours?

---

"My palms are sweating, it's ridiculous," Alex paced back and forth in the conference room, as nervous as a novice about to give a speech, his tie slightly askew from fidgeting.

"Relax, you've got this," I smiled, straightening his tie, my fingers inadvertently brushing his chin, the warm touch making my heart skip a beat. Pull yourself together, Sophia. His nervousness was actually quite endearing. I hadn't told him this was my ex-husband's company. Why complicate things?

"You're right," Alex squared his shoulders, forcing a smile. "I can do this."

We high-fived, our traditional pre-meeting ritual, like some kind of pre-battle ceremony. Alex suddenly grabbed my hand, his gaze so intense it made me nervous. "Sophia, I don't know how to thank you, I..."

"Don't say that," I cut him off, smiling as I pulled my hand back, trying to keep the atmosphere light. "Your brain is sharper than anyone's. You earned this deal yourself."

"I just... feel like without you, I wouldn't be here," his voice lowered, his eyes flashing with dangerous light, as if about to confess.

I forced a smile, quickly changing the subject. "Elizabeth is making a special dinner tonight to celebrate our victory. Would you like to join us?"

A spark flashed in his eyes as he gently pulled me closer, close enough for me to smell the faint cologne on him. Elizabeth was always trying to set us up. "Sophia, I'd love to come."

I quickly waved it off, my tone still casual. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just asking if you want to come for dinner, as friends."

"But I know you have feelings for me too," he stared at me, his voice low like a whisper in my ear. "I know what you're afraid of, Sophia."

I sighed, being honest: "Alex, I do think you're great. But I'm afraid of getting hurt again. Can we deal with the contract first, then talk about other things?"

"I want you and Lily in my future," his voice softened, like making a wish.

Then he kissed me, as gentle as a feather, the warm touch stirring wounds in my heart that had yet to heal. I froze for half a second, my mind blank, my heart pounding like a drum.

His lips were warm and sincere, with a hint of coffee and mint, but... fuck, they weren't Blake's. I gently pushed him away, my fingers still feeling the texture of his shirt, my heart a jumbled mess as if thrown into a blender.

"Now's not the time, Alex," I said softly, my voice trembling slightly. "The client could arrive any moment."

"I'm sorry, I got carried away," he rubbed the back of his head, his face flushed red like a caught child. "I just... have wanted to do that for a long time."

"It's okay, just..." I turned my head, trying to find the right words to push him away, my mind a mess.

Just then, my gaze fell on a figure outside the glass door. My heart suddenly stopped, as if someone had grabbed my throat. Blake stood there, impeccably dressed in a suit, his blue eyes cold as ice, burning with anger, staring directly at Alex and me. Fuck, what was he doing here?