Page 88 of The Bitter Rival

“Yes. Of course,” she answers, walking past me into the den. Thank heavens I broke from my grief long enough to straighten the place up this morning. Had she come yesterday and found the Ben and Jerry’s containers and pizza boxes strewn about, I wouldn’t be able to mask my current mood.

“Have a seat.” I point toward the den. I’d offer her a drink, butfuck no.

“My name is Sophia. Sophia Barnes,” she says knowingly. Still unsure why she’s here or if I need to prepare myself that Sebastian was upset about my questioning children because he already has one on the way with her, I clasp my hands tightly in my lap and wait for her to continue.

“I’ve known Sebastian a very long time. We’re friends. Nothing more.” She stops as if this is supposed to mean something to me. I cannot picture that suave Sebastian Lee could simply be friends with any woman, much less one that looks like Barbie.

“Sebastian is a proud man. I don’t know all of the details, but he’s been hurt before and hasn’t let himself get close to any woman since. Hell, I even tried at one point. When he called and asked me to meet him at his place to pretend to be going away with him, I thought he’d acquired a clinger he couldn’t get rid of.”

My face starts to heat at this conversation. How dare she come into my home and accuse me of being a woman that would degrade herself to such tactics. Sure, I was there when they left, but not for the reasons she’s describing.

“Please, don’t get upset. It wasn’t until I was in the car, and he explained, that I understood fully. He cares a great deal about you. In his own ridiculous way, he was doing what he thought was best.”

I look at her, completely baffled by this conversation. How could this charade have been for the best, particularly if he really does care for me? Is this where she drops the bomb about their love child?

“Sebastian has MS. Multiple sclerosis. He was told the day before he left. He immediately quit his job for fear of hurting someone during surgery because of his condition. And he ran out on you for fear of hurting you.”

My eyes immediately well with tears. “I don’t-”

“I don’t know much. He was headed to the Mayo Clinic the day you saw the two of us. I’ve reached out a few times to check on him. His symptoms have progressed, but he has a private-duty nurse with him to help. The last I spoke with him, he was in Europe. I think he’s trying to figure out how to deal with all this.”

Sitting silently, I stare down at my hands, trying to picture my larger-than-life man so weak he’d require the help of a nurse. I can’t help but remain a little skeptical about this news.

“He’s a good person, Isabella. I had the definite feeling he was leaving to protect you, not to harm you. He’s having to face a lot of changes. His career was everything to him. I’m sure, knowing Sebastian, he’s doing a lot of soul searching over there.”

A tear tumbles down my cheek. I’m still angry with how he’s handled this. That he couldn’t talk to me. But my heart breaks for all he’s struggling with on his own. “Why did you come here? You didn’t have to tell me any of this.”

“I know. It’s self-serving on my part. I need to make some changes in my life. I need my karma cleaned.” She laughs. Putting a more serious look to her features, she continues, “I’ve struggled with this. Sebastian is my friend, and I feel like I’m breaking his confidence coming here. But he’s only hurting himself. It’s none of my business, but I felt like you needed to know.”

“Mom?”

I jump from my seat, startled at Austin’s intrusion.How much has he heard?

“Austin, honey. I’m sorry if we disturbed you. This is Sophia. She was just leaving.” I hate that I’m being rude, but I don’t have it in me to pretend we’re friends. Even if she didn’t have to go out of her way to share this information with me. Karma cleanse or not.

“Yes. I have to be going. It was nice to meet you, Austin.” Sophia holds her hand out to him, and Austin awkwardly grabs and shakes. Her eyes give away a questioning glance as she lets go of his hand and smiles back at me as if this has shed more light on things for her. She gracefully glides to the door like a Hollywood starlet and turns back as she grasps the handle. “Thank you for seeing me,” she says as she closes the door behind her.

“Is everything okay?” Austin asks.

“Yes. It’s fine. You finish up what you’re doing for the night and head to bed. I have a long day tomorrow.

“You have to work?”

“Yes, I’m working a lot this week. And with the snowy weather, I need to leave extra early to make it on time. Have you got everything you need for the week? With me working so much, I left some extra food in the fridge for Margaret to help you heat up. Do you need more pencils or sketch pads?”

“I’ve got two more, but I’d like to order some more.”

“Okay, Austin. I’ll order two more packs of pencils and a three-pack of your favorite sketch pads from my phone before I go to bed. They’ll probably be here in a day or two. Don’t start checking the mailbox until then.” I laugh, knowing he’ll wear out the carpet if I don’t give him a very distinct time frame for delivery. “Good night.”

“Good night, Mom.”

Heading to my room, I decide to take a hot shower before bed. I need to let my tears fall in a safe place, so Austin won’t see. I may be mad at Bas for leaving us the way he did, but not enough that I don’t need to acknowledge the sorrow I feel for all he’s going through. Whether I’ve fallen in love with him or not, I don’t think I could ever trust him enough to let him in again after pulling a stunt like that.

Sebastian

Home sweet home.Or is it?This place feels emptier than it did before I left. I feel more alone here than when I was out there, watching the world move on without me. There’s something about knowing how close she is that has me feeling raw. Looking out the glass doors onto the pool deck and snow-covered grass beyond, I concede it could be the abrupt change in weather that has me feeling this bleak. But I know it’s her.

Gene and Sarah Beth had been great company for Nancy and me as we returned home to the states. They kept my thoughts distracted from Bella and focused on the positives. After all these years, I had these amazing people in my life that I considered stand-in parents for the ones who’d let me down. I had found the perfect combination of ballbuster and benevolence in Nurse Nancy. And Boomerang was the companion I needed to teach me I was capable of managing at least one relationship successfully.

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