Con

CHAPTER 87

Sophia’s POV

+25 BONUS

I opened the door to my apartment, and was surprised to see my ex–husband standing there. My heart unexpectedly skipped a beat, and I felt a flutter of excitement mixed with uncertainty.

“Hey,” Elijah said, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Hi,” I replied, trying to sound casual. “What are you doing here?”

“Sorry to bother you… I just wanted to talk,” he said, his expression serious. “Can I come in?”

I hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside to let him in. Daniel was just heading out at that time. I saw how Elijah’s eyes narrowed when he saw him, especially when Daniel touched my hand briefly.

“Sophia, think about what I said, okay?” Daniel said before moving past Elijah. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Uh, okay,” was all I could reply. It was definitely an awkward moment, having both him and Elijah there, especially after Daniel had just confessed his feelings.

As Daniel left, Elijah turned to me, his gaze searching. “What was that all about?”

“It was nothing.” I said quickly, acting nonchalantly. “Nothing important.”

Elijah nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t convinced. Reese came running out of her room, her face lighting up when she saw Elijah.

“Daddy, you’re here!” she exclaimed, running up to him. “Play with me?”

Elijah looked down at her, a smile spreading across his face. “Of course, Reese. What do you want to play?”

I couldn’t even make myself tell her to get back to bed. She was so delighted to see her dad and to be able to play with him, so I simply watched them for a while. Seeing them together again, I couldn’t help but wonder what could have been if things had been different between us.

It wasn’t long before Reese began yawning and stretching her arms over her head. “I’m so sleepy, Mommy…” she murmured. Elijah and I tucked her into bed inside her room before we settled in the living.

room to talk.

“I went to see Serena today” he said quietly, breaking the silence.

I turned to him, not knowing how to react. I knew that she was in prison, according to Julia. “How is she?” I treaded carefully.

Elijah sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Not good. She’s not in a good place right now. But she deserves it.”

Yeah…” I agreed, listening intently. Serena’s actions had caused so much pain and confusion. “So what did she say?”

“She told me that she loves me, that everything she did was because of that love,” Elijah explained, his voice heavy with emotion.

I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. “Well, that one’s obvious,” I said. “But why was she driven to do

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+25 BONUS

CHAPTER 67

such evil just to make you notice her? It’s gone too far!”

1 know.”

Serena’s feelings for Elijah had always been evident, even when she tried to deny them. “I’m sorry, Elijah,” I said softly.

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said, looking into my eyes. “I caused all this trouble for you and our daughter, and if anything bad had happened, I would never have forgiven myself!”

“Nothing bad happened,” I told him reassuringly. “It’s all over now. Serena is behind bars, right? So we

can move on.”

He shook his head, his gaze distant. “I don’t know, Sophia. I don’t know if acknowledging Reese is the right thing to do. I don’t want her to suffer because of me… Maybe I shouldn’t have told her I’m her father. Maybe I was selfish and you were the one who was thinking of her first.”

I reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “Elijah, Reese is a part of you, a beautiful part. She deserves to know her father, to feel loved by him. Look how happy you made her feel tonight, even for just a little while. She’s never been happier, you know.”

He looked at me, gratitude shining in his eyes. “Thank you, Sophia. I needed to hear that.”

Just then, my phone buzzed. I wondered who was sending a message at this hour. I didn’t recognize the number, but I immediately opened it to check what it was about.

Hi, Sophia. This is Adrian. I need your help with something.

“Adrian,” I murmured. What does he want?