Tethered Hearts | ✓ | Books 1 & 2

Episode 09| Sophie's Choice

Sophia's P.O.V.

I paused, thinking of what I was supposed to say after such a revelation. "Uh, h..hi," I said at last, unhappy with the wobbly nature of my own voice. "Hi dad."

"You don't sound very excited," he noted. "It's my fault though. I shouldn't have called without a warning. I talked to your mother a few moments ago and she gave me your dorm nu-"

"You called mom." I cut in, bewildered.

"No, she called me."

Whoa. That hit me with another wave of confusion. My thoughts were left befuddled as to why my mother would call him for any reason. Mom was seldom to speak about my father with us, let alone go out of her way to contact him. It just seemed out of character.

"Why would she call you?"

"Well, she said you haven't visited her in a week. The last she heard of you was when you both saw a news coverage of your college. She's worried." He cleared his throat. "I saw the story on my own but I didn't know that was you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I mustered a sincere response, leaving my true emotions at bay. "I still don't get why she'd call you though."

"Are you positive that you're okay, Sophie?" He dodged my previous statement entirely. "Who are those kids to you?"

"They're nobody, dad," I groaned.

"Sophie..."

I sighed. "They're awful people, okay. I'd like to stop thinking about them. If I could erase them out of my life, that would be great."

"That's what you want? That's a bit morbid."

"I don't want them dead," I snapped back. "I want them out of my life, but that's impossible. They'll be here for another year and a half. Maybe two."

"Nothing is impossible. It's just that some things are harder to accomplish than others." He informed. "But if that's what you want, I can at least help make things easier for you."

I hooted a laugh. "Yeah, right, dad. And what do you think will happen next? That you'll move back in with mom and everything will be dandy and super? You can't simply come back into my life and fool me into thinking that you care about me - or care about any of us."

"Sophie, you understand me leaving wasn't my choice. Please listen -"

"No, you listen dad. I'm not going to forget what happened that night. You're the reason Rio can't walk. Why he's dependent on mom, and now he's dependent on his fiancé," I shouted. "I bet you didn't even know he was engaged."

"I did know. He's engaged to a girl named Gaby and he went to high school with her. I also know that you've been dating a boy name Remy Annenberg, but you didn't tell your mother yet."

I found myself losing sensation in my legs. My knees gave in and I fell on to Lora's unmade bed. "H-how did you know that?"

"I know you, Sophie. You're my daughter and you're a lot like me. You hide things from people in fear of what they'd think or do."

"I didn't mean that. How did you know all of that information?"

"I told you, years ago. I promised you that I would always take care of you kids and make sure no one ever bothered you. Just because I stopped showing up at the dinner table doesn't mean I stopped caring." He answered. "And you know, for a fact, that I would've never left it weren't for your mother."

"Don't you dare say anything about her." I warned. "She did what she thought was right. After you got Rio hurt that night, she had no other choice."