Chapter 71: The Weight of Truth
Sophie’s POV
"Hello?" My voice sounded foreign to my own ears, hollow and small.
"Sophie? Oh, thank goodness." My mother’s voice was thick, as though she’d been crying. "I got your message. Are you alright? You sound terrible."
"I’m fine," I lied automatically, then reconsidered. "No, actually, I’m not fine at all. But that doesn’t matter right now. What’s wrong? You sound like you’ve been crying."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, a hesitation that made my heart beat faster with dread.
"Never mind about me," she said finally. "Your message worried me. You said you needed me, that you were sorry. What’s happening, Sophie?"
I’d pulled into a side street now, just a few minutes away from Liam’s mansion. I parked, suddenly unable to drive while having this conversation.
"Everything’s falling apart, Mom," I admitted, my voice breaking. "The whole world knows what I did to Diane. The interview... She told everyone about me and Liam. People were waiting outside my apartment. They vandalized my car, threw things at me. They hate me."
Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks as I continued, "And they should hate me. I hate myself. I’ve ruined everything. I betrayed my own sister, my family. And now I’ve found out Liam is dangerous—he’s planning to hurt Diane. I’m trying to stop him, but I don’t know if I can, and even if I do, it won’t undo what I’ve done."
The words poured out of me in a torrent, months of guilt and shame finally breaking through the walls I’d built around them. "I’m so sorry, Mom. I’m sorry for ruining our family, for being such a disappointment, for hurting Diane. I never meant for any of this to happen. I’m trying to make it right, but I don’t know if I can."
There was silence on the other end of the line, broken only by the sound of my mother’s steady breathing. Then, when she spoke, her voice was thick with emotion.