Chapter Twenty: The Questions I Couldn't Answer

Sophia's POV

Mimi stood frozen in the doorway. Her eyes moved from me to my mother, then back to me again.

"So..." she repeated quietly. "It's true."

The smile on my face disappeared. Mom looked between us before laughing softly.

"You two look like you're about to interrogate each other."

Neither of us laughed. Mimi finally walked into the room, carrying a small bouquet of white lilies. She handed them to my mother with a warm smile.

"These are for you, Mrs. Hart."

"Thank you, sweetheart."

After chatting with my mother for a few minutes, Mimi turned toward me. "Sophia... can we talk?"

My stomach tightened. I had known this moment was coming.

"Mom, I'll be back in a few minutes."

She nodded. "Don't take too long."

I kissed her forehead before following Mimi into the hallway.

The moment the hospital room door closed behind us, she folded her arms.

"Start talking."

I blinked. "What?"

"Don't do that." She pointed a finger at me. "I've known you since we were sixteen. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about."

I sighed. "What did you see?"

"What did I see?" she repeated.

She pulled out her phone. One tap later, a photograph filled the screen. There I was. Standing beside Ethan Blackwell outside one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. His hand rested around my waist. The flash from dozens of cameras illuminated our faces. Another picture.

He was opening the passenger door of his car for me. Another. He was looking at me. Not at the cameras. At me. The headline underneath read:

BLACKWELL HEIR FINALLY FOUND LOVE? BILLIONAIRE CEO SPOTTED WITH LONGTIME SECRET GIRLFRIEND.

I stared at the screen. My heart skipped.

"So..." Mimi said softly. "Are you going to tell me why the internet thinks you're dating the richest bachelor in the country?"

I looked away. "I can't."

"You can't?"

"I promised someone."

She frowned. "Sophia..."

"I really can't."

Her expression softened. "You've never kept secrets from me."

"I know."

"Then why now?"

Because the truth wasn't mine to tell. Because I had signed papers worth millions of dollars. Because one careless sentence could destroy everything.

"I just... can't."

Silence settled between us. For the first time since we'd met, it felt uncomfortable.

She leaned against the wall. "Are you happy?"

The question caught me off guard. Happy? Was I? I thought about the contract. The penthouse. The expensive clothes. The fake smiles. Then I thought about my mother. Her treatment. Leo's school fees. Victor. The debt.

"I don't know."

She stared at me for a long moment. "I don't care how rich Ethan Blackwell is." She stepped closer. "If he hurts you..." Her voice trembled. "I'll hate him."

I laughed quietly despite myself. "You?"

"Yes, me."

"He's six foot four."

"So?"

"He's a billionaire."

"So?"

"He has bodyguards."

"I'll still slap him."

I couldn't help smiling.

"There she is," Mimi whispered. "The Sophia I know."

She pulled me into a hug. I held on longer than I expected.

"I've missed you," she murmured.

"I've been here."

"No."

She shook her head. "You've been carrying the whole world on your shoulders."

My eyes burned. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

"You don't have to know." She squeezed my hand. "You just have to remember you're not alone."

For a second… I almost told her everything. About the contract. About the money. About Ethan. About the baby growing inside me. The words reached my throat. Then stopped. I couldn't. Not yet.

"I'm sorry."

She smiled sadly. "When you're ready."

I nodded. "When I'm ready."

We returned to my mother's room together. The atmosphere immediately became lighter. Mom insisted we eat the fruit I'd brought.

Mimi entertained her with stories from work, making her laugh so hard that even the nurse passing by smiled. Watching them together made something ache inside me. This...

This was the life I wanted. Simple. Peaceful. Honest. Not one built on contracts and carefully rehearsed lies.

An hour later, visiting time ended. Mom hugged me tightly.

"Take care of yourself."

"I will."

"And don't work too hard."

"I'll try."

She kissed my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

Mimi and I left the hospital together. Outside, the evening air was cool.

"So..." she asked. "When will I see you again?"

I hesitated. "I'm moving tomorrow."

"Already?"

I nodded. She looked surprised but didn't ask where.

Instead, she smiled. "Call me."

"I will."

"And don't disappear."

"I won't."

She climbed into a taxi and waved goodbye. I stood there until the car disappeared into traffic. Then I hailed another cab. Tomorrow… I would leave the apartment I'd called home for years. Tomorrow… I would move into Ethan Blackwell's penthouse. Tomorrow… The performance would truly begin.