Chapter 6 - The Reunion
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I knocked on apartment 4B. The paint was peeling off the wood.
For a long moment, there was no answer. Then I heard the deadbolt slide back. The door cracked open, chained from the inside.
A tired, pale face peered out into the dim hallway.
Sophia.
She looked older, the youthful glow replaced by dark circles of exhaustion, but her green eyes were exactly as I remembered them.
When she saw my face, she gasped, stumbling backward. She tried to slam the door, but I wedged my heavy leather shoe in the gap.
“Sophia. Wait. Please,” I begged, my voice cracking.
“Go away, Dominic! You promised she’d leave us alone!” Sophia cried, her voice muffled through the wood.
“I didn't know,” I said urgently. “Sophia, I swear to God, I didn't know anything about the contract. Look.”
I stepped back slightly, adjusting the coat in my arms to reveal the sleeping toddler.
Sophia let out a choked sob. She fumbled with the chain, her hands shaking violently. The door swung open, and she practically fell forward, grabbing Lily from my arms. She sank to the floor, burying her face in Lily’s hair, crying uncontrollably.
I knelt beside them on the worn linoleum floor. I didn't touch her. I didn't think I had the right to.
“Clara brought her to my house,” I explained softly. “My mother has been lying to me for four years. She made me believe you left because you hated me.”
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Sophia looked up, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and fury. “She told me if I ever contacted you, she would have Lily taken away and put into the system. She showed me photos of me walking to work. She had me followed.”
A murderous rage spiked in my veins, but I pushed it down. “I’m here now. Pack your things.”
