Chapter 82: Goodbye Old Life
Sophie’s POV
As the minutes ticked by, a strange calm settled over me while I waited for the knock on my door. Whatever happened next—with my father, with Diane, with Liam—I would face it. I’d spent too long running from difficult truths and situations, too long taking the easy path.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway outside my apartment sent my heart racing. This was it. The moment that would change everything.
I stood, smoothing my hands down the front of my shirt, and moved toward the door. Behind it stood a man I’d never met but whose blood ran in my veins. A stranger who was also the most familiar person in the world.
I took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob, terrified and hopeful all at once. I was about to see the man who was my father, and I had no idea if I would even recognize him—or if I would want him to be my father when this was over.
The door swung open, and there he was.
Our eyes met, and something inside me shifted. Recognition bloomed in my mind, followed quickly by disbelief. It was the man from the parking lot—the one who had offered to help clean my vandalized car. My breath caught in my throat.
"Sophie," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. The same deep voice I’d heard on the phone, but now accompanied by eyes that mirrored my own.
I stood frozen, unable to speak, unable to move. This man—my father—had seen me at my lowest moment, witnessed my public humiliation, and offered kindness without judgment. Before I even knew who he was.
"It was you," I finally managed. "At the parking lot. With the cleaning supplies."
He nodded, tears welling in his eyes."