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I scowl at him, and he gives me a sympathetic smile, then carries on like I am not killing him in my mind.
"You must let her breathe and take a breath yourself. If you both decide that you want to give your marriage a proper go, to start fresh together, meaning moving on from all the past hurt, lies, and infidelity, placing them in the past where they stay, and not bringing them back up again, then next Monday, at 8 PM, you meet up on the Hamptons house where Damian proposed. If one or neither shows up, you remain friends and co-parent Mila."
Sofia and I sit in silence for a couple of minutes. I'm scared to look at her; my breathing is heavy, and I don't want to do this. I see her checking her phone, probably checking on Mila, when Marvin fills the silence.
"We're out of time, and I am honored to have been a part of this journey with you. It's the family barbecue the week after, so I'll get to see your final decision then, and hopefully, it's what you both want."
He kisses Sofia on the cheek and shakes my hand as we leave, and thank him for everything. All while I try not to fucking kill him.
He just smirks at me. It's a good thing I see him as family.
Once outside, I stop and stare at my wife, who is looking at me. She gives me a small smile and places a kiss on my cheek as Alexandr pulls up. I furrow my brows. She called him? When?
Finally, she says, "We're doing this. Your brother will bring Mila to you every other day, and we will see what happens if we show up in one week. It's the only way, Damian. We have to try, for us and our daughter. We have a lot of feelings to unpack."
I sigh, nod, and say the only important thing, "I love you, baby."
She smiles, then gets in the car with my brother as I stand on the sidewalk, watching them leave with my heart in her palm.
thirty three
Sofia
I can't do this anymore.
I'm sitting in the living area with my head in my hands, happy that Mila is with my dad for the night. Once he learned what Marvin had asked us to do, he insisted on taking her tonight. It was a bit of a standoff between the men in our family, and I'm pretty sure Dimitri is with them now—all of them spoiling Mila rotten.
It's been seven days since I last saw and spoke to Damian, and seven days since we had unprotected sex. All I could think about during the ride to the therapist—in between guilt and denial—was that I thankful for the pill. We don't need more complications. I mean, it's not like the pill will fail me twice, right?
I start to panic as the time begins ticking down. I love him so much, but my mind yells at me for being a pushover. All week, I struggled with the conflicting feelings, and those feelings are in overdrive. My heart is in my throat. The meet-up is in four hours, and I still need to figure out what to do! Do I miss him? Yes, every day. You can't just forget half a lifetime with a guy you thought was your destiny and not miss him, especially when you wake up every day to his two-year-old, female doppelgänger.
Could we make this work again? I don't know. I hurt so much for so long. Mila was the only thing keeping me going, and I don't know if I can go through that again. But I also know seeing him move on would destroy me, so with my head all muddled, I decided to call in reinforcements last night. There's a knock at the door, and I squeal, running toward it, and as soon as I open it, I'm tackled to the floor, making me laugh. I look up from the huddle to see my mother-in-law shaking her head at our antics, and then she helps us all up.
"Bitch, I've missed you!" Adam cries out, hugging me tightly. My eyes water, squeezing him tight as another set of strong arms surrounds me. As Bruce leans his head on top of mine, the tears fall. In the background, I can hear April moan.
"Why do they get the first hug? I'm her number one best friend."
I chuckle.
"Bitch, please. That's my title," Adam states.
"Okay, okay, come in before you two start arguing," I say, shaking with laughter as I give April a tight squeeze before kissing Maria on the cheek. She rests her hand on mine, giving me a loving smile, then follows us inside.
"What the fuck? Why would you want to return to Texas when you have this, Soph? Oh, I am sorry, Sofia," Adam states, his eyes wide. I walk over to him, placing my arm through his.
"I'll always be your Soph, Ad, and it's not about the material things; it's about my heart and trust." He looks at me with soft eyes, pulling me into his arms tightly before April drags me out of his hug and demands a tour.
Maria has tea and coffee with cakes and biscuits ready by the time we get to the dining room after giving the three of them a tour. I had to drag April away from Damian's closet and my wedding dress in the glass case she kept trying to pry open. Apparently, she needs the dress. I laughed hard while feeling sorry for Greg all in one go; they all stated they were moving in, and I just shook my head as we all sat down.
I clasp my hands in my lap, on the verge of tears.
"Okay, baby girl, what's going on in that head of yours? Talk to us," Bruce says softly, knowing I'm ready to fall apart.
I pull my legs against my chest on the chair, wrapping my arms around them, and lean my chin on my knees. Tears start to fall from my eyes.
"Sofia?" April murmurs, and a sob bursts through.
"I don't know what to-to do," I cry. "I-I l-love him s-so much, b-but he h-hurt me so bad, I-I don't know h-how to-to forgive him, b-but I-I don't know how t-to leave h-him in the p-past, either." I'm sobbing uncontrollably, trying to catch my breath as I continue.
