CHAPTER LXXXVII
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“Stop! Stop!” Sophia hugged her knees and covered her ears tighter with her palms. “Stop!”
Immediately, the door busted open and Chase rushed in with Lucas behind him.
He sat beside her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling him closer to her.” Gattina,”
{“Kitten”}
“You’re a betrayer,”
“You’re a bitch,”
“Come to us,”
Her shoulders shook violently and she didn’t raise her head up. “No! No! Go away,”
Chase pulled her onto his lap and hugged her protectively. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’m here. It’s just a nightmare,”
“Let them go,” Sophia cried. “Make them stop. Make the voices stop. I don’t want to hear them,”
“They’re not here,” Chase cooed, pecking the crown of her head. “They’re not here. It’s just me. You have nothing to worry about,”
Sophia murmured. “Make then stop. I can hear them,” She looked up at him and gripped the collars of his shirt. “They are upset with me. They hate me. They called me a betrayer. They said I betrayed Roman. They- they want me to join them,”
“Your friends would never wish you death,” Chase cupped her cheeks and stared into her teary eyes. “They love you. No matter what, they would never hate you. It’s all in your head. You’re overthinking. Did you think about them before going to bed?”
“I-I don’t know,” She shook her head, more tears falling down her cheeks. “You don’t get it. They- they looked real. Roman was- he was tied up to the similar chair and- there- there was blood on his throat. Alessia looked-she had blood all over- I- I- they hate me. They want me dead. They- I can’t live with-,”
Chase cut her off. “Shhhh. Breathe in and then, have water,” He collected the glass of water Lucas was holding. He brought it to her lips. “Drink,”
Sophia parted her lips and drank the water before Chase pulled the glass away and handed it back to Lucas.
“Are you fine now?”
She didn’t let go of his collar. “I’m scared,”
Chase turned to Lucas. “Go. We’ll finish up the work in the morning. I’ll go to bed with her,”
Lucas protested. “But, Don, she’s -”
Chase cut him off, knowing what Lucas was about to say. “We both know she’s safe with me. I won’t harm her,”
Lucas let his eyes linger on Sophia for a while. When he saw how she wrapped her arms around Chase’s torso, resting her head on his chest, he nodded, fully aware that she felt safer with his cousin. “Goodnight,”
He dropped the glass on the bedside table and left.
Chase gently laid Sophia on the bed and laid next to her after pulling off his shoes. He covered both their lower bodies with the comforter and scooped her in his arms, entangling their legs together.
Sophia had her head on his chest and her left hand on his torso, while one of his arms was wrapped around her waist with the other one wrapped around her shoulders.
Chase pecked her hair. “You didn’t go to bed in my room. Why?”
Sophia snuggled deeper into his arms. “I didn’t want to be all over you,”
“Did I complain about you being all over me?” He asked, stroking her hair.
“You didn’t need to complain for me to know I was being too clingy,” She sighed.
“Who says you’re clingy?” He asked. “In fact, I know you were trying to stay away from me for other reasons apart from what you just said,”
“I-I wanted to give you time,”
“Time for what? I don’t remember asking for time from you,”
She breathed out. “Actually, I wanted to give you time to realize your true feelings. I heard one needs to give their partner time and space in order to realize how they feel about them. I wanted the same,”
“You’d have been hurting yourself by staying away,” He sighed.
She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
Chase’s hand that was stroking her hair went to his face, and he rubbed it over the skin before letting out. “I still wouldn’t have realized anything,” He returned his hand to her hair. “I hate to hurt you like this, but you really need to understand. The more you keep on holding onto this feeling, the more you’ll get hurt, Sophia. I don’t mean to sound this blunt but that’s the truth. I don’t love you,”
Sophia’s heart sank in her stomach and tears glistened in her eyes, threatening to fall, but she blinked them back, enduring the painful lump at the back of her throat. “But-,” A tear slid down her face and she clamped down on her lower lip. “Can I -Can I still fight for you? Can’t I still fight to make you realize how you feel?”
Chase sighed again. “You’re naive and you’re bound to get hurt again and again. Don’t do this to yourself,”
“But that’s all I want,” Another tear slid down her face, soaking the fabric of his shirt. “I only want you. I only want to be with you. I want you because I love you,”
Chase shut his eyes tight and opened them back after a few seconds, staring into her doe eyes brimming with more tears. “Go to sleep. It’s late,”NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.
~~~
“Have you heard that the Don is getting married in two weeks’ time?”
Sophia’s hand that was taking the pasta to her lips shook and the fork fell into her plate with a loud sound, startling the gossiping maids that were in the kitchen.
Sophia’s heart drummed against her ribcage, and tears clouded her vision, stopping her from seeing anything.
She couldn’t breathe. She found it hard to breathe. There was no way she’d have been able to breath after hearing the little gossip from the maids in the kitchen who didn’t know she was listening to them.
Luckily for her, she was alone on the dining table. Sophia gulped down her orange juice and took the pasta to her lips again, trying to ignore what she just heard.
When she opened her mouth to slide the fork inside, her hands shook and the pasta fell back into the plate.
One of the maids rushed out of the kitchen towards her. “Are you okay, ma’am?”
Sophia’s hand clutched the fork in a tight grip and she stood up, ignoring the maid’s question. “Where’s Chase?”
“Uhh -he’s in his study with-,”
The maid didn’t get to finish because Sophia was already out of the dining area, storming towards Chase’s study.
They had been together after her nightmare the previous night but he said nothing to her. He didn’t tell her about his wedding date fixed with Saige. She would have-
What would she even have done?
A scoff threatened to break out of her lips as she remembered why Saige looked so happy when they had met. No wonder she was hell bent on rubbing her happiness on Sophia’s face.
She didn’t bother to knock on the door. Sophia pushed it open, earning both Chase and Lucas’ attentions as they stared at her with worried gazes.
When Chase stared at the way she gripped the knife in her hands, he nodded at Lucas. “Leave us alone,”
Lucas nodded and left.
“Trouble in paradise?” Chase stood up and walked around his desk.
Sophia walked closer to him, craning her neck to be able to look at him. “You’re getting married,”
His face remained indifferent. “I know,”
“To her,”
“It has always been her,” He replied bluntly. “Saige has always been the one I’m getting married to,”
“And me?” Sophia’s voice shook as she tried to hold in her tears. “What will happen to me and my feelings then?”
Chase wrapped his large palm around her wrist and gently opened her palm, making the fork fall on the floor.
Sophia shrieked out. “Say something!”
Chase’s face morphed into that of anger and annoyance. He tightened his hold on her wrist and headed towards the door, dragging her with him.
“Where are you taking me to?!”
Chase stopped and turned to her, eyes blazing with anger. He leaned in and snarled on her face. “You want to be with me, right? Fine then. Stop asking questions and come with me,”