Page 102 of Nemesis
“Umm… it’s actually Sofia,” I confessed, giving her a weak smile.
Anxiety filled my veins as the seconds passed, her expression unreadable.
“Come in,cariño,” she finally said, breaking the silence that had been surrounding us.
His mother opened the door wider, motioning for me to come inside. The door clicked shut behind me as warmth wrapped around my cold body, the smell of bread baking filling the air.
I followed her into the living room and plopped down next to her on the cream couch, staring anywhere else but at her.
I fidgeted, playing with my hands as I glanced around the room, my gaze landing on a picture with all of them.
They all looked so happy, sonormal. My heart squeezed at the memory of a similar picture I had safely tucked in my wallet. Maybe one day I’d have that.
Have that with him, my heart hoped.
“Sofia.” The use of my real name jolted me out of my thoughts, and I twisted to the side to face her.
“Is,” she hesitated, concerned. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?” she finally asked.
I looked up, her question taking me by surprise. It had been a long time since someone had asked me if I was okay.
“Yes.” I sighed, feeling guilty that she was concerned about me when I was the one who broke her son’s heart.
“I’m looking for Theo,” I mumbled under my breath. “I went to his house, but he wasn’t there, so I thought he might be here.”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen my son in two weeks. We talked on the phone briefly last week and I could tell something was wrong, but I didn’t want to push him. My son has a stubborn tendency to shut down when he’s hurt. I’ve learned the hard way to let him come to me on his own.”
My throat tightened, guilt filling at the thought that I was the cause behind why she hadn’t seen her son in a while.
This was all because of me. All because I’d kept secrets from him, pushed him away.
I looked down, focusing on my hands to try and keep my tears at bay. “He’s mad at me. Honestly, I can’t blame him,” I whispered, my voice slightly breaking at the end, my eyes glistening with unshed tears.
She cupped my cheek with one hand, her gesture filled with affection that I’d missed, reminding me of when my mother would comfort me.
“Ah,cariño, if there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that my son could never hate you.”
The term of endearment pushed a tear to escape, her thumb coating with the salty mixture. Before I could stop it, another tear fell, and another. She swiped her fingers over my cheek, brushing them away.
“I don't know what happened between you two, but I know my son loves you. I saw it the first time you came here with him. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you. And I can see that you love him just as much.”
Eleonora’s statement resonated deep inside my rib cage, igniting hope within my soul.
Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope. Maybe I hadn’t lost him completely.
I swallowed the knot in my throat as more tears slipped down and nodded weakly. Her arms wrapped around me, and I mimicked her gesture shortly after.
I still wasn’t used to being hugged, but this felt good. We sat there, fixed in an embrace. I closed my eyes and for a brief moment pretended she was my mother, holding me to her while giving me advice on how to go after the man I’d spent years loving.
My face was pressed against her chest as the illusion slowly faded away.
I finally cleared my throat, pulling away from her embrace. “Do you know where I could find him?”
“There’s only one place I know my son would go if he was trying to escape.”
The cabin.
She tucked a loose curl behind my ear, softly tugging at my chin for me to look at her.
