Chapter 106: Letting It Out I
Chapter 23— Letting It Out
The private moment took place in the penthouse. It was beautifully lit and designed and all glittering, thanks to Jude and Kira’s efforts as we celebrated Mia’s seventh birthday. Mia looked like a princess in a stunning blue ball gown, her brown hair clipped up elegantly with a small silver crown resting on her head while she waved her matching electronic wand around.
I felt an overwhelming wave of emotion washing over me just watching her run around the living room, her face bright with happiness and laughter as she went around showing off her dress. Jude, Elena, Kira, and even Kira’s boyfriend, River, were all gathered around the decorated table, singing the birthday song for her.
Surprisingly, Marcus had tagged along with Elena today, being his grumpy self, sitting quietly on the far couch while observing the celebration. After Mia closed her eyes, made a wish, and cut the cake that Elena and I had spent hours baking and designing, I sliced a piece and walked over to offer it to him. I could have sworn I saw his eyes light up for a brief second when I handed him the plate before he quickly cleared his throat and went back to his grumpy self.
Tough love. I shook my head with a small smile as I walked back to the kitchen island to get the drinks.
As the evening was starting to roll up, the doorbell rang, pausing the dancing-around-chair moment between the birthday girl and Jude. I waved my hand for them to continue their game as I walked to the door.
We were definitely not expecting anyone. I raised a brow at Jude, and he shook his head.
I put a smile on my face as I swung the door open, and the smile on my face immediately vanished from my face as I stood on the spot, with my hand still on the doorknob. While I was face-to-face with my other sister, Sophia—Mia’s biological mother.
She was the sister who had packed her bags and ran away with her boyfriend seven years ago, leaving her one-month-old baby abandoned in my hands. She was the sister who was supposed to protect me, the sister who was supposed to be there after our parents’ deaths, and seeing her standing there caused a rush of painful emotions washing over me. Behind me, the noise from the birthday party stopped as the room went dead silent, and I could hear the footsteps of the others coming around to stand near me.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice trembling with a strain, my eyes moving to look at her again to see if she was real or my imagination was catching up to me. She looked well-kempt and okay; life must have been doing her good.
Sophia didn’t answer but just smiled while holding a small wrapped gift box in her hands, and her eyes looked past my shoulder, ignoring me. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Mia, who was standing behind Jude’s legs, tightly gripping his trousers like a shield for protection and defense.
Without saying a single word to me, Sophia stepped past the threshold and walked straight toward Mia. She crouched down on the ground to match her height, holding the small gift out with a soft smile. "Baby, Mom is here," she said, her voice warm with affection.
And my head whipped to look at Mia; I could feel bile instantly rise in my throat as I fisted my hands together at my side while Mia looked up at me with wide, confused eyes, then turned her head to look at Sophia, and then looked back at me again before she shook her head twice. "I don’t know you," Mia mumbled bluntly.
Sophia’s eyes fractured with a hint of irritation for a split second, but she quickly composed her expression, smoothing it over. "I’m your mother, Mia," she cajoled again, stretching her hand out expectantly.
"You are not..." Mia responded back, her voice steady as she looked at me briefly. "If you were my mother, you wouldn’t have left me."
Sophia inhaled sharply as she opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Jude stepped in, bending down to lift Mia up into his arms, pulling her protectively against his chest away from Sophia, who was crouched on the floor.
I walked over, my hands trembling violently by my side as I stared down at my sister. The confusion and anger were making my chest tight. "Why did you leave us, Sophia? Why are you suddenly back now?"
Sophia stood up slowly, her eyes drifting away from Mia to scan the penthouse again as she let out a casual hum, shaking her head. "I see you are doing much better now, anyway," she retorted, ignoring my question again.
Kira turned around, her face twisting in anger as she prepared to lash out at her. "This bitch—" Kira started, but I quickly raised my hand to stop her from stepping forward. As much as I appreciated Kira having my back, the situation was something I needed to handle myself.
I turned my focus back to my sister, my voice hardening. "I asked you a question, Sophia. Why are you here?" I pinned her with a look.
"I came to see my daughter," she responded casually, as if she hadn’t vanished into thin air for nearly a decade and then appeared again conveniently.
I let out a bitter, humorless laugh; the sound was hollow. "Which daughter? The daughter you abandoned with your seventeen-year-old kid sister?"
Sophia shrugged her shoulders, unbothered by the accusation. "Well, I’m sorry. But I am back now, and I’m ready to be in her life." She let out a resigned breath like she was wasting her time responding to me.
I shook my head as a pounding headache started to bang at the side front of my skull. It had been only the two of us left in the world after our parents died in a car accident. After a year of grieving, she introduced me to her new boyfriend and ended up pregnant with Mia. I still remembered the details of that day clearly; she had looked me in the eyes and told me she was just running out to the local store to get something for dinner and that she would be back soon. Three full days passed where I couldn’t get a hold of her until Josh kicked the apartment door down and revealed that my sister had run away after taking out a loan using my name and information.