CHAPTER LIII
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SAIGE HALTED ON her steps the minute her eyes landed on Sophia, who was seated on the rug in the middle of the living room, a pencil behind her earlobe while all her attention was fixed on the laptop in front of her-Chase’s favorite laptop to be exact.
Saige stared as Sophia tucked a strand of her brown hair that was blocking her view from the laptop behind her other ear without taking her eyes off the screen of the laptop on the coffee table opposite her.
It’s been almost three weeks after Sophia’s kidnap, and she had already continued her normal routine in the house. Chase had even allowed her to continue studying, but on the condition that she had to do it online. Sophia knew it was either agreeing to his condition or living the rest of her life half-educated, so she agreed immediately she realized she couldn’t lose both her freedom and future like that. The moment Sophia had agreed, Chase got her a new laptop and when she declined it, surprisingly he let it go but gave her his favorite one.
Sophia was innocent, and Saige knew that very well. Sophia wasn’t the reason Chase got attracted to her and used his actions to hurt both herself and Saige, but it still hurt her. Thinking about it hurt badly. It hurt because she knew Sophia was much prettier than she was. It hurt because instead of her, the man she dreamt of saw something in an innocent eighteen-year-old girl. But then, the pain was much worse any time she realized she couldn’t do anything to stop Chase or make Sophia disappear from his life.
Since Sophia arrived, Saige had even travelled out of the country to take her mind off things, but nothing ever worked. Chase filled her thoughts and she wasn’t able to blank those thoughts out. Sometimes, she wondered how she fell for someone as heartless as he was but all her questions remained unanswered. Her heart, body and soul wanted Chase but he wanted someone else. He wanted someone who was oblivious to the world. He wanted someone who wanted nothing but to be away from him.
He wanted someone who only wanted her freedom.
Saige blinked back her tears before making her way to move further into the mansion.
Sophia heard the clicking sound of heels and looked up. That was when her eyes met with Saige’s sad green ones. She passed her a small smile and a wave. “Hey,”
Saige plastered a fake tight-lipped smile on her face, then nodded her head. She made her way to leave.
“S-Please, can I speak with you?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Saige halted and dug her nails further into her palms as she heard Sophia’s soft footsteps behind her. She didn’t hate Sophia. She couldn’t hate the innocent girl. The girl wasn’t at fault for her heart being broken. She was always going get heartbroken by Chase and his nature but a part of her hoped she could change him. Now that Sophia was around, Saige was scared Sophia would be the one to change him while she would stand and watch from the side-lines. She was already seeing those signs. Chase’s sudden attitude showed her that.
Sophia gently placed her hand on Saige’s shoulder, tensing the latter. “S-Sai-,”
Sophia was cut short when Saige turned abruptly and snapped. “What?!”
Sophia flinched at the harsh tone, shutting her eyes tight and biting down on her lower lip. She gently opened her eyes, scared that Saige would snap at her again. When she was sure Saige wouldn’t do anything, she took a step back, then another.
“I-I’m sorry. It’s-it’s okay if you don’t want to talk to me. I’m sorry,”
That was what Saige was frustrated with. She badly wanted to hate every single fiber Sophia was made of; her innocence, her gentleness, her nativity, her pretty face, her angelic voice and every other thing. But then, she couldn’t bring herself to even think bad about the girl. It was as if Sophia had captivated her the way she did to others.
Saige closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and opened her eyes back. They held nothing but softness in them. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that, or to come off rude. I just had a lot on my mind,” She wasn’t lying. She really didn’t mean to sound as she did. She was just upset with everything. Every single thing. And it burnt her to see the girl who had the attention of the man she loved being all nice and innocent-oblivious to everything.
Sophia nodded her head and looked down. “I-,” She then looked back into Saige’s eyes. “I’m sorry,”
Saige frowned. “For?”
“Chase,” Sophia bit down on her lip again, and her eyes dropped, tears blurring her vision. “I-I’m very sorry about everything. He-he’s your fiance, but he’s-he’s cheating on you with me and all. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean for all that to happen, I swear. I’m sorry,”
Saige stepped closer to Sophia, resisting the urge to turn on her heels and ignore the girl. A woman whose fiance was doing what Chase did shouldn’t be doing what Saige was about to do. She knew that very well, but she did it nevertheless. She gently placed her hands on both of Sophia’s shoulders, making the girl tense.
“It’s okay, I promise,” No, it wasn’t. It was anything but okay to her. She was lying about that. Her fiance lusting, and she dared to think, falling in love with someone else wasn’t okay. It would never be. “I understand that you don’t want this type of life. I don’t want it either. But we have to live with it. That’s how our world works,”
Sophia looked up, and in an instant, she hugged Saige tight, tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking Saige’s dress. “You’re such a nice person, please don’t hate me. I’m sorry I’m the cause of your pain. I’m very sorry I didn’t mean for whatever happened to happen. I’m sure you’re hurting. I’m sorry for the pains I’ve caused you by showing up in your lives. I didn’t mean it,”
Her hands were shaking. Saige could feel her hands shaking beside her, and she struggled to raise them. She was raising them to either push Sophia away or hug her back.
A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and the ache in her heart increased. Before she could comprehend anything herself, Saige was hugging Sophia back.
That instant, she made up her mind to help the poor girl. Helping Sophia was like helping herself too, right?