Page 177 of Checkmate
Sophie wasn’t sure she wanted to know who the hell Anna was, or why she needed to look out for her. But she couldn’t deny the awful feeling of being watched.
God, she wanted to leave.
She couldn’t afford a hotel, not for how long she’d have to stay, and she’d burned all her bridges with her friends. Alex was obviously not an option, and her mother lived too far away for them to be a viable option.
It suddenly occurred to her just how lonely she was.
“Never alone though, am I?” She said, tracing patterns across her bump. Odette squirmed beneath her fingers, nudging back against her. “Yeah, you’re always here, aren’t you nugget?”
Maybe her mother was the only choice. What else could she do?
She just couldn’t imagine rocking up on her doorstep pregnant, divorced and homeless. Why hadn’t she told her about her marriage ending?
Well, because she knew dear ol’ mum would blame her. Even without knowing the details, they would automatically assume she was at fault.
Nope. Forget that.
Her mother was out of the question. As far as she was aware, she was still in wedded bliss with Marcus, and Sophie had no intentions of correcting her. Much easier to keep her distance from her and keep her business to herself.
That really only left Alex.
Was that a possibility? He had that big house, after all. They didn’t have to continue sharing a room. But he did promise he’d do his duty as a father and surely the very basics of that were providing a roof over his child’s head.
It wouldn’t be too bad.
Back at that house, she’d have support. The maid, the chef. A nanny. She wouldn’t have to lift a finger and all would be well. They would care for Odette better than she ever could. Sophie could be there for the important stuff. Like make-up advice! And fashion choices.
Oh! And boys. She’d love to help her daughter with dating advice.
Reaching for her phone, she frowned at the picture of Marcus and Erica smiling back at her.
Shit.
This wasn’t her phone, after all. It was Erica’s and the stupid bitch had left it unlocked. Glancing around, her fingers hesitated, poised above the messaging app. Cries still came from somewhere above her, and the unmistakable squeak of bedsprings. No one would ever know.
Again, the feeling of being watched overwhelmed her. Scoffing, she opened the app defiantly. “Fuck off, Anna, you judgmental bitch.”
There was only one person Sophie was interested in seeing texts from. She didn’t care that Erica’s mum had wished her a happy birthday. Or that her dumb brother sent pictures from their night out. She ignored the soppy I love you from Marcus and rolled her eyes as her father expressed how proud he was.
All she wanted to see was Alex’s name.
With a sinking feeling, she realised she didn’t have to scroll too far. In a message completely ignored, Alex wished her a happy birthday and expressed his love for her. When did he have time to send that message?
Scrolling further back through the messages, she blinked past the tears as, over and over, he tried to contact Erica and begged for her to come home throughout the year.
“... constantly miss you…”
“... nothing is the same without you…”
“... come home…”
“... she really means nothing to me. She’s nothing compared to you…”
She paused and reread that message again, Odette kicking her as though sensing her pain.
“You can keep ignoring my messages. It won’t stop me from sending them. And if you block me again, I’ll get a new number. I can’t believe you’re being this stubborn over some slut that was so desperate she spread her legs for a married man. Yeah, I was weak, but so what? She really means nothing to me. She’s nothing compared to you. No one is.
Have your fun with dickhead, but you’ll be back in my bed before the year’s out.“
