Novels by sylvee writes

Sophia was already dialing before I could stop her."Don't," I said."Too late." She pressed the phone to her ear, jaw set like concrete.I watched her pace the length of the living room. Three steps to the wall, three steps back. Her free hand curled into a fist at her side.Alex picked up on the second ring.Even from across the room, I could hear his voice. Smooth. Unbothered. The voice he used when he already knew how a conversation would end."Sophia." Just her name. Like she was mildly inconvenient."You sent men to break into my apartment." Her voice was ice. "You had them steal a laptop. We have you on security footage, Alex. Marcus Chen's face is right there on camera."A pause.Then he laughed.Not a nervous laugh. Not a caught laugh. A real one, low and easy, like she'd told a joke that wasn't quite funny enough to be impressive."Security footage of two men in dark clothing," he said. "That's what you have. Marcus Chen is a common name, Sophia. Good luck proving anything."

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.My mother had responded. Within minutes of my email, she'd written back."Sophia," I breathed. "She answered."Sophia rushed over, reading over my shoulder as I scrolled through the message."My darling girl, I've been waiting twelve years for this message. I check this email every single day, hoping that somehow, someway, you would find my letters. Your father's lies broke my heart, but knowing you never stopped wanting me has put it back together. We have so much to talk about, so many years to make up for. I'm in Milan right now, but I can be on a plane to New York by tomorrow if you want to meet in person. Or we can take this slowly, whatever you need. I love you, and I never stopped. Always, Mom."Tears blurred my vision as I read the words again and again.She'd been checking this email for twelve years. Waiting for me."Write her back," Sophia urged. "Tell her you want to talk."My fingers flew across

The letter shook in my hands as I read it again, trying to make sense of words that didn't make sense.My mother was alive. She had been alive for twelve years while I mourned her death, while I grew up motherless."Krista?" Sophia's voice pulled me back to the present. "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost.""My mother." The words came out strangled. "She's alive."Sophia crossed the room in three strides and took the letter from my trembling hands. I watched her face change as she read, shock giving way to confusion and then anger."Your father told you she died in a car accident when you were twelve," she said slowly."That's what he said." I pulled the shoebox closer, dumping its contents onto the coffee table. "But if there's one letter, there might be more."There were. Seven letters total, spanning six years, all from Elena Laurent in Milan. All unopened, hidden away by a father who'd lied to me my entire adult life.I tore through them with shaking hands, reading frag

Alex climbed the stairs slowly, each step deliberate, his eyes never leaving mine.I stood frozen in Sophia's doorway, my hand gripping the frame for support. Every instinct screamed at me to run, to hide, but there was nowhere to go."Krista." His voice was soft, almost pleading. "Baby, please. We need to talk."Baby. He'd never called me that before, not in four years of marriage."Get out," Sophia said, positioning herself between us. "You're not welcome here.""I'm talking to my wife, not you." Alex's tone hardened, a glimpse of the man I knew beneath the pitiful mask. "Krista, this has gone on long enough. You've made your point. Now come home."The audacity of it stole my breath. Made my point, like I was a child throwing a tantrum."She's not going anywhere with you," Sophia snapped."I wasn't talking to you." Alex tried to push past her, but Sophia held her ground. "Krista, be reasonable. You can't just leave our marriage because of one little argument."One little argument. H

The morning light hurt my eyes when I opened them, streaming through unfamiliar curtains in a room that wasn't mine.Sophia's guest bedroom was small and cramped, nothing like the spacious master suite I'd left behind. But it felt like a cocoon where nothing could reach me.I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through my ribs, reminding me that I was still broken in more ways than one."Stay down." Sophia appeared in the doorway carrying a tray with pills and water. "Doctor's orders, remember? Complete rest for at least two weeks."I took the medication she offered, swallowing the bitter pills with lukewarm water. Everything tasted like ash anyway, so what did it matter?"How long have I been asleep?" My voice came out rough and scratchy."Fourteen hours." She sat on the edge of the bed, her expression a mixture of relief and concern. "Your body needed it. You've been through hell, Krista."Hell. That was one word for it.I looked around the small room, taking in

Chapter 4Soft light filtered through the curtains when I opened my eyes, and for a moment, I couldn't remember where I was.Not the floor. I was on the bed, covered with a blanket I didn't remember pulling over myself.My head throbbed with a dull, persistent ache, and my cheek felt swollen and tender where Alex had struck me. Every breath sent sharp pains through my ribs, reminding me that I should still be in a hospital bed, not lying on the floor of my bedroom bleeding.The door creaked open, and I tensed, expecting Alex's fury or Tyler's contempt.Instead, Sophia appeared, carrying a bowl of something that smelled like chicken and ginger. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face pale with worry."You're awake." Her voice cracked with relief. "Thank God, you're awake."She set the bowl on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle me. Her hands were shaking as she reached out to touch my face, her fingers ghosting over the bruise."How long?" I croaked, my thro