Chapter 26

Sophie

I expected Andrew to follow me. When I slammed his bedroom door, I was certain it would fly open again within seconds. It didn’t. Instead, I made it all the way to my room without interference. Either Andrew was too shocked by my anger, or he simply didn’t care how upset I was.

The door to my bedroom fell closed with a soft thud. My energy was zapped. I couldn’t even bring myself to stomp around the room and vent my anger. All I could do was collapse onto the bed and stare at the ceiling, hot tears streaming down my cheeks and falling with soft plunks onto the comforter.

Andrew was wrong.

That was all I knew for sure. My father was not a thief. I’d known him my entire life. I knew him better than anyone, and what Andrew accused him of wasn’t possible. My father didn’t need to steal. He and my mother collected so many priceless antiques all on their own. It didn’t make sense for him to steal from the Hopper’s collection.

But then, why would Andrew lie?

I squeezed my eyes closed and tried to calm down. Crying over this horrendous situation was only going to make me feel worse. There wasn’t anything left to do except leave. I didn’t know the full truth, but I did know one thing, the Hopper mansion was the last place I wanted to be.

Before I could think better of it, I was on my feet and moving toward the closet. I threw open the doors and grabbed my suitcase off the floor. I’d only just unpacked after my trip with Andrew to Africa. There were still stray tank tops and panties floating around the bottom of the suitcase. I didn’t bother to pull them out before throwing all my belongings on top. I shoved the suitcase closed and yanked the zipper around, eager to get out of there as fast as possible.

It wasn’t until I reached the door that I realized the stupidity of my behavior. If I left, what would Andrew do to my dad?

I sighed and tossed my suitcase to the floor. My eyes moved between the door and the bed as I considered my options. I could leave now and never look back. Andrew would be furious and take his anger out on my father. He wouldn’t hesitate to have him arrested. Or I could stay. I could finish the work I set out to do and then leave guilt free.

Neither option seemed to work for me.

My entire body was begging me to flee. I was so angry with Andrew for his accusation that I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near him. Just knowing he was on the other side of the house was enough to make my blood boil. In that moment, I regretted everything that happened between us. I felt like an idiot. How could I have let myself believe he would change?

As I sat back down on the bed, a soft knock landed on the door. I jerked my head up, a glare already forming on my face. I jumped to my feet and marched across the room, ready to face off with Andrew one more time. When I opened the door, though, it wasn’t Andrew staring at me. It was Liam.

“Miss Sophie,” Liam said kindly. “I don’t mean to intrude. I heard yelling in Mr. Andrew’s room, and I thought I should check on you.”

“I’m fine, Liam.”

Liam blinked. My tone was much harsher than I intended. I sighed and shook my head, quickly getting ahold of myself. Liam wasn’t the enemy here. He simply worked for Andrew.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice softer now. “I’m just upset right now, Liam. It’s probably not the best time to talk to me.”

“I understand,” Liam said. “If you need anything at all…”

“I won’t hesitate to ask.” I tried to smile, but it felt forced. My lips were pulled tighter across my face than ever before.

Liam nodded and slowly turned around. He’d only taken a couple steps down the hall when I realized there was something I needed from him.

“Wait,” I called out. “I do have a question.”

“Yes?” Liam turned back around with a frown.

“What happened that night?” I asked. “From your perspective.”

Liam sighed and moved toward me. I knew I should invite him inside the bedroom to talk, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I was too eager to hear his answer.

“It was all very confusing, Miss Sophie.” Liam shook his head. “Mr. Andrew caught your father in his office. The crates were open, and Mr. Rick was, well, he was digging through them.”

“For what?” I demanded.

“I wouldn’t know,” Liam said.

“Didn’t Andrew ask him?” I asked.

“No.” Liam shook his head. “He was too angry to think straight. I don’t think I’ve ever been more afraid than I was that night. Mr. Andrew was livid. He wasn’t himself.”

“Did he hurt my father?” I asked, panic coursing through my veins. I hated myself for even asking the question, but I felt like I didn’t know Andrew at all anymore.

“Not physically,” Liam said. “But I believe he hurt him to his core, Miss Sophie. You see, Mr. Rick has known Andrew for years. I think he hoped Andrew would be more understanding.”

“But instead, Andrew threatened him.”

Liam nodded. “It was all he knew to do at the time.”

“He was wrong,” I snapped. “My father wasn’t trying to steal anything, Liam. He must have been here for a different reason. He must have.”

I didn’t know what other reason my father would have for breaking into the Hopper mansion, but I knew he wasn’t a thief. I felt it in my bones. This entire thing was a misunderstanding, and it was all Andrew’s fault. If he’d only given my father the chance to explain, things would have been fine.

“Thank you, Liam,” I said. “I appreciate you telling me the truth.”

“I wish I could help you more,” Liam said.

“You’ve helped more than you know.”

Liam smiled sadly and left. I watched him until he reached the stairs. Then I pushed the door closed and made my way over to the bed.

I still didn’t know the full story, but I felt better. Anger no longer occupied my every emotion. I was calmer. My mind was no longer spinning, and yet, I still didn’t know what to do. As much as I wanted to leave, I didn’t feel like I could. Not without putting my father in danger.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I pulled out my phone and dialed Kaddy’s number. The person I really wanted to talk to was my dad, but I knew that was a conversation I needed to have in person. If I called him now, he would insist I leave for my own safety. Then what? What would Andrew do to him if I suddenly disappeared?

“Hey,” Kaddy said when she answered. “It’s late. Are you okay?”

“No,” I said. “I’m really not.”

“What’s going on?” Kaddy asked nervously.

I quickly told her everything. I explained how much I’d grown to care about Andrew. I told her all about our conversation by the pond, how different he seemed now. Then, I explained what happened the night my father broke into the Hopper mansion. I told her everything Andrew said, then everything Liam said.

“It just doesn’t make sense.” I shook my head and fought back tears. “My father isn’t a thief, Kaddy. You know him. You know he would never do that.”

“I know,” Kaddy said quickly. “It doesn’t make sense. This whole thing just feels wrong.”

“Because it is!” I said firmly. “Andrew is wrong, and he just won’t admit it. He screwed up, and now, he’s blaming my father for everything!”

“What do you think your dad was really doing there?” Kaddy asked.

“I don’t know.” I sighed. “That’s the worst part. I only have Andrew’s side of the story, and while I know he’s wrong, I can’t prove it.”

“You haven’t talked to your dad yet?” Kaddy asked.

“No.”

“Sophie, you have to call him,” Kaddy said. “You can’t just sit in that house and stew. You need to find out the truth.”

“This isn’t the type of conversation I can have over the phone,” I said. “I need to see my dad. I need to look in his eyes when he tells me.”

“Then go,” Kaddy said. “Leave now. Tonight. What reason is there to stay at this point?”

“Work,” I said simply. “My father made a deal with Andrew, remember? If I renege on that deal, who knows what Andrew will do?”

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Kaddy asked. “He’s not going to hurt Rick. Even Andrew Hopper wouldn’t stoop that low, would he?”

“No.” I shook my head. “No, I don’t think he would actually hurt him. But he would have him arrested. He would press charges, and my father would go to prison. All because of a horrible misunderstanding.”

Kaddy sighed. I could practically see her shaking her head on the other end of the line. My heart was pounding in my chest as I turned my head toward the bedroom door. I didn’t feel safe in this house anymore.

“Are you okay?” Kaddy asked. “I mean, do you think you can stay there without…”

“Without what?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Kaddy said nervously. “Without something happening?”

I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. Kaddy’s worries were well-founded. We’d just found out that Andrew was, in fact, the beast I once thought. He wasn’t the kind-hearted man I’d grown to care about. No matter what happened between us, I was wrong about him. But was he dangerous?

“He would never hurt me,” I said firmly. “I’m not sure of much anymore, but I do know that.”

“You’re positive?” Kaddy asked. “You’re absolutely certain that you’re safe? Because if not, Sophie, you need to get the hell out of there.”

“I know,” I said quickly. “I would leave right now if I thought he would do something, Kaddy, but he won’t. He hasn’t even tried to talk to me since the blowup.”

“He hasn’t?” Kaddy asked, clearly surprised. “What a dick.”

“Well, we know now that I was wrong about him.” I sighed. “I can’t believe I let myself fall for him.”

“It happens,” Kaddy said. “We all fall for the wrong guy at least once.”

“I hate this,” I said. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Work,” Kaddy said firmly. “Go to your office and work. You said you’re almost done, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “There’s just one more problem I need to solve. I was close to figuring it out this afternoon, but Andrew begged me to take a break with him.”

“So, go finish,” Kaddy said. “Finish the work you promised you’d do. Then, run.”

“Okay.” I nodded and tried to work up the nerve to leave my room. “You’re right.”

“Call me if you need me,” Kaddy said. “I’ll stay on the phone with you all night if I have to.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I promise.”

Kaddy and I said goodbye, and I quickly hurried down the hall to my office. I wanted to get inside before I could change my mind. If I let myself think too much, I’d never be able to focus on work. The last thing I wanted was to spend another day in Andrew’s house.

I closed my office door slowly. It didn’t make a sound, and soon, I was behind the desk and focused on the numbers before me. This was the last thing I had to do. Once I finished, I would be free. My father would be free.

As I worked, I forced myself not to think about Andrew. I worried that, despite everything, my feelings for him would cloud my judgement. Deep down, I hated the idea of leaving him. We’d grown so close, and yet, I knew where my loyalties were meant to be. I was there for my dad. Not Andrew.