로그인Sophia's POVMrs. Thomas came home after five days.Not to her apartment. To ours."She needs monitoring," David said. "Round-the-clock care for at least two weeks. We have space. We're doing it.""I'm not arguing.""You're doing the face you do when you want to argue but know you shouldn't.""This is just my face.""It's your 'I have concerns but I'm being supportive' face."He knew me too well.My concern wasn't about her staying. It was about David.He'd barely slept in five days. Spent every waking moment at the hospital. Came home only to see Isabella, then immediately returned.He was running on fumes and adrenaline.And now his mother would be here. Which meant he'd hover constantly instead of resting.But I didn't argue.Because his mother had almost died.Hovering was the least destructive coping mechanism available.---We set her up in the guest room.Hospital bed delivered and installed. Medications organized by Mr. Thomas with military precision. Cardiac monitor that woul
Sophia's POVThe call came at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday.David answered because I was deeply asleep. Isabella had been up three times with nightmares—unusual for her—and I'd just gotten her back down an hour ago."Hello?" David's voice, rough with sleep. Then sharper. "What? When?"I sat up immediately. Something was wrong.He was already out of bed, turning on the light."We're coming. Give us thirty minutes."He hung up. Looked at me with an expression that made my stomach drop."That was the hospital. My mom had a heart attack. She's in surgery."Everything stopped."What?""Heart attack. Dad's there. They don't know—they said it's serious."He was moving. Getting dressed. Hands shaking.I moved too. Autopilot. Jeans. Sweater. Shoes."Isabella," I said."Call Emma. Or Maria. Someone."I called Emma first. She answered on the third ring, groggy."Sophia? It's two in the morning—""Your mom's in the hospital. Heart attack. We need someone to watch Isabella.""I'm coming. Twenty minutes."S
Sophia's POVThe engagement party was supposed to be small.Emma had promised. Forty people maximum. Intimate. Family-focused.I arrived at the venue—a private room at a restaurant downtown—to find at least seventy people."This is not forty people," I said to Emma."It's forty-ish.""It's seventy.""Some people brought plus-ones. I couldn't say no.""You absolutely could have said no.""Where's the fun in that?" She adjusted her dress—pale blue, elegant, very bride-to-be. "Come on. Help me greet people before I panic."Jake stood near the entrance, looking overwhelmed but happy. His parents were there—nice people, slightly intimidated by our family's intensity.My grandparents held court near the bar. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were introducing themselves to Jake's extended family. David had Isabella, who was dressed in a small party dress and already trying to escape his arms."Bella down!" she demanded."Not yet. Too many people.""Down! Down!""She's very assertive," Jake's mother observ
Sophia's POVIsabella turned eighteen months old on a Friday.Not a milestone anyone celebrated officially. No party. No cake. Just another month in the steady march toward two.But eighteen months felt significant.She was talking now. Real sentences. "Mama, juice please." "Dada, read book." "No want nap."That last one was her favorite."She's so verbal," Maria observed, watching Isabella lecture her stuffed elephant about proper sitting behavior. "Most eighteen-month-olds have maybe twenty words. She has at least fifty.""She gets that from Sophia," David said. "Never stops talking.""I'm selectively verbal.""You talk constantly. To me, to Isabella, to yourself when you're working—""That's different. That's processing out loud.""That's talking to yourself."Isabella looked up from her elephant lecture. "Dada silly.""See?" David said. "She agrees with me.""She called you silly. That's not agreement.""It's toddler agreement."---That afternoon, Dr. Patterson called.Isabella's
Sophia's POVOur fourth anniversary arrived on a Tuesday.Four years since the contract. Not the real wedding—that was three years ago. But four years since David signed the papers that started everything.I woke up to find him already gone. Note on the pillow.Had to run to the site early. Emergency. Sorry. I love you. —DI tried not to be disappointed.It was just a date. The contract anniversary didn't even matter anymore. We'd amended it. Made it permanent. The original date was just trivia.Still.I'd hoped.---Work consumed the morning. Video calls with the Asia division. Contract reviews. Emma calling to finalize engagement party details because apparently we were throwing an engagement party now."Small gathering," Emma insisted. "Just family. Nothing excessive.""Your definition of small and mine are different.""Forty people is small.""Forty people is a wedding.""Forty people is intimate. Trust me on this."I didn't trust her on this. But I agreed anyway because saying no
Sophia's POVMonday morning, Emma called."I need to ask you something. In person. Can I come by?""Of course. Everything okay?""Yes. No. Maybe. I need advice."She arrived an hour later, looking nervous in a way I'd never seen her.We sat in the living room. Isabella was with Maria in the nursery. David was at a site visit."What's wrong?" I asked."Nothing's wrong. Something's... happening. And I don't know how to handle it.""Emma. You're spiraling. Just tell me."She took a breath. "Jake proposed."I blinked. "Jake? Your boyfriend Jake?""That's the one.""You've been dating for... six months?""Eight months. But yes. It's fast. I know it's fast. That's why I'm here."She looked at me with wide, uncertain eyes."Do you love him?" I asked."Yes. Completely. Ridiculously. He's smart and kind and makes me laugh and supports my career ambitions and genuinely likes that I'm smarter than him.""Okay. So what's the problem?""I'm twenty. Twenty, Sophia. People don't get married at twent







