Page 67 of Love From the Ashes

Reid stared at Armand, the color draining from his face.

“Armand, you’ll have to excuse us. Reid and I have some family business to discuss. Please do not fill Sofie’s position,” Reid’s mother said.

“I understand. Please get back to me with any information you deem important.” Armand stood and quietly left the room, seeming to understand that Sofie’s email was a surprise, and it wasn’t a good one.

“Reid?”

He jumped up from his chair and paced the floor. “Christ, what did I do?” he said, his face crumbling. “I need to call home.” He rushed to the chair and pulled his mother’s desk phone toward him. He dialed his home number and put the call on speaker.

“Morgan residence. May I help you?”

“Anderson, I need to talk to Sofie.”

There was a pause on the line, then Anderson said, “Sir, she’s not here. I’ve been trying to call you.”

“What do you mean she’s not there? Where is she?” Reid scooted to the edge of the chair.

Reid’s mother got up and closed the office door. She returned to her desk, worry lines creasing on her forehead.

“I don’t know, sir. She left. She was still crying on the stairs when I retired for the evening, and she hadn’t moved an inch since you left. I woke up at two this morning and thought I’d check on her. I found her in the same spot. I asked if she needed anything, but she wouldn’t answer me. It was like she wasn’t hearing me. I got a blanket and put it around her. Then I called you. I got your voice mail and left a message. I checked on her again at six o’clock, and she was gone. I searched the house and couldn’t find her anywhere. The suitcase she brought with her is missing, and I found her engagement ring on the blanket on the stairs.”

“Thank you, Anderson. If Sofie shows up, I want you to call my office phone immediately.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get a hold of you if I see or hear anything.”

Reid hung up the phone and sat there with his elbow on the desk, his forehead resting in his palm.

“Reid, talk to me.”

“This is my fault. I did this.” He looked up, suddenly feeling lost and broken. Sofie was the world to him. He loved her, and she was everything that mattered. And he’d sent her away.He’ddone it.

“We can’t dwell on that right now. We have to think. Where would Sofie go?”

“I don’t know. Sofie wouldn’t go to her family, that’s for certain. She clearly has a deep-seated hatred for her mother, and she seemed afraid of her brother, especially since he threatened her.”

“What about Della and Adam? Would Sofie go to either of them?”

Reid stared at the floor, wondering if that was a possibility. He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. This is all too personal, and Sofie is too private. She talks to them about some things, but nothing on this level. If she went to either of them, it would be like opening the door to her secrets. I don’t think she’d do that.”

There was a knock on the door, and then it slowly opened. Mavin peeked her head inside the office. She looked worried. “I’m hearing something happened to Sofie. Can I be of any help to either of you?”

“Yes, you can,” Reid’s mother said, appearing relieved at the offer. “You might have some knowledge that could help us.”

“In what subject area?” Mavin said, entering the office and closing the door.

“Sofie has left, and we need to find her. As you and I suspected, she’s endured years of abuse, and I’ve learned what she suffered through was far darker than anything I could have envisioned. Based on your experience and the things you’ve seen at the shelter where you volunteer, where do you think she’d go?”

Mavin looked alarmed for a moment, then said calmly, “It depends on what happened to make her leave.”

Reid turned to Mavin, ashamed to admit what he’d done but knowing he needed to put the situation into the proper perspective for her. “Sofie and I got caught in an awkward situation last night that got ugly. I was furious and called her out for lying to me and keeping secrets, although I see now that she had a reason.” Reid paused and ran his hand across his face. He took a deep breath. “I turned her away. I said horrible and cruel things to her to make her think I didn’t want her, that I couldn’t stand to be near her.” Reid hung his head, hating himself for what he’d done to her. He desperately wanted to take it back, every word, every raised tone of voice, every touch pushing her aside.

“She’s going to blame herself.”

“Why? I did it. I said those things. I was the asshole, not her,” Reid said.

“Self-esteem. It sounds like Sofie’s been beaten down her whole life and had to find her way back to the top. I have to believe she’s developed some self-esteem issues as a result. And what happened last night may have crushed her successes at overcoming them. Right now, I’d suspect she thinks she didn’t deserve you or to be happy. In her mind, it’s her fault, and she didn’t do enough to make it work.”

“But it’s not her fault. That’s crazy.”

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