What breaks us sometimes builds the bond tighter
Sophie's room was warmer than the rest of the house—maybe because she kept the curtains half-open, letting the late afternoon sun spill across the hardwood floor in soft bronze streaks. Or maybe because her presence alone seemed to warm any space, she existed in.
Right now, she was crouched beside the broken cabinet, the one she'd finally decided to get rid of. The doors hung awkwardly; the shattered edges covered neatly with folded cloth so she wouldn't cut her hands. Her hair was tied in a loose knot, strands falling over her face as she gathered the last of the old papers.
Her movements were methodical, almost gentle. But her eyes...
Her eyes were tired.
I stepped inside quietly, carrying the last of the files I'd taken from the cabinet days ago—the ones I'd meant to tell her about, but never found the right moment.
She looked up, surprised, brushing hair from her cheek. "Grey? What are those?"
I sat on the edge of her bed, feeling the mattress dip slightly beneath me. She came over, sitting across from me on the floor, like she needed the grounding feeling of solid ground beneath her.
"These," I said softly. "They were in the back of the cabinet. I found them, and their connected to the secrets of the West car fire"
Her brows furrowed. "What... what kind of secrets?"
I exhaled, steadying myself. "My dad," I began, "and Victor were friends. More than that—they built something together. MontWest Global Empire. It was supposed to be honest work. Joint, equal, family-focused."
Sophie blinked, stunned. "I knew something about MontWest Global Empire but... it's still hard to process they worked together"
I couldn't blame her—Victor never spoke about being anyone's equal.
I continued, "Everything was fine until 2016. But 2018... that's when HavenCore was created by my dad. And the gap... the thing I can't explain is 2017. I don't know what happened then."
She froze.
Then, suddenly, she stood up and hurried across the room. She yanked open her nightstand drawer and pulled out the newspaper clipping and the old photo. She rushed back toward me, kneeling.
"These were in the cabinet too," she said breathlessly. "I found them a few days ago. I guess you forgot to steal these when you took the others."
I rolled my eyes and tried not to smile. "Maybe I didn't see them."
"Mmhm," she teased weakly, pushing the items into my hands.
The photo was old—Victor on the left, smiling like a man who wanted something, and on the right was my father.
His hand on Victor's shoulder, both raising glasses, frozen forever in a moment I couldn't remember.
Then the clipping.
MontWest Global Empire Ends With Speculation Feud
Dated: 2017
"Sophie," I whispered, "this—this explains everything."
She nodded slowly, voice quiet, "Victor didn't like that your dad was successful by just being honest. Victor... he only understood power if he was the one holding it."
Her breath shook. "Victor would do anything to be the only successful one, so he—"
"He killed him." The words left my mouth before I even realized I'd spoken them.
The room felt smaller. Heavier.
Sophie nodded once. A sad, shattering gesture. "Chris must have found out about Victor's illegal dealings," she said softly. "And he wanted out. He wanted no part of it. Victor couldn't stand being exposed."
It made sense. Too much sense.
I swallowed hard, forcing the memories forward. "The day of the fire... it was Victor's anniversary party with Britney Lox. My family was invited too." I gestured to the blurry figure in the background of the photo. "That's my dad. I didn't pay much attention. I was just on my phone, annoyed I was dragged along. I remember the valet taking the car. I remember the wait."
My throat tightened. "That must be when they attached the bomb to the car. Victor must have arranged it. He probably used his men to place that stupid hedge across the road to make the car topple exactly where they wanted. And with his influence, he could've manipulated the reporters and the government that the blast came from the front, so that the reasoning of a gas leak was more believable. I can't believe how cruel someone can be-"
Sophie crawled closer, lifting her hand to my cheek. Her thumb brushed gently beneath my eye.
"Grey," she whispered, "Victor is gone. He can't hurt you anymore. He can't take anything else from you."
I closed my eyes, leaning into her touch, not because I was weak, but because she made the darkness feel farther away. "I only care about you," I murmured. "I can't afford to lose you. He can't take you from me. Not after everything. Not after... all this."
She moved into my arms before I finished speaking, curling against my chest as if she belonged there. I wrapped my arms around her instinctively, one hand on the back of her head, the other around her waist.
Her voice was quiet, but sure. "I love you."
The words hit me with more force than anything Victor had ever done.
More power than any threat, any weapon.
I pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, holding her even closer. "I love you too," I said, letting the truth settle between us like a promise. "More than anything."
Victor had ruined both our lives.
He'd taken my father.
He'd stolen Sophie's childhood.
He'd manipulated and terrorized anyone who dared exist near him.
But now... He was gone.
And Clint was gone too.
And for the first time in years, the future, our future, didn't feel like something to fear.
It felt like something we could finally build. Together.