Chapter 2
I gently rubbed Sophie's round cheeks. "Who says this family only brought me pain? You've given me so much happiness over the years.
"And honestly, it's not too late for me to get divorced. I'm just in my forties; my best days are still ahead of me."
Sophie giggled, the tension finally breaking.
She bit her lip and gave a firm, determined nod.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
My expression turned solemn.
"But I never asked how you felt before I filed for divorce with your dad.
"Are you upset with me for not talking to you about it first?"
Sophie suddenly looked up at me.
There were still tears hanging at the corners of her eyes.
But her gaze was rock-solid, full of determination.
"Mom, we're all our own people. You deserve to be happy and free. You don't need to ask me first.
"And I'll always have your back, just like you always believed in me and my dreams," she said, her eyes shining with resolve.
I was stunned.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
At that moment, it really hit me.
My little girl was all grown up now.
*****
When Sophie and I got home, Richard was still there.
Sophie gave him a cold huff.
Without saying a word, she headed straight for her room.
I walked over and said flatly, "Let's get the divorce paperwork done tomorrow."
Without even glancing at his helpless face, I went straight to Sophie's room.
That night, Sophie and I shared a bed.
We reminisced about old times, chatting about memories from way back.
Sometimes we'd crack up together.
Other times, we'd end up wiping away tears side by side.
By the time we finished talking, we'd made up our minds.
We were going to take a spontaneous trip—just the two of us, no plans, no worries.
*****
Once the divorce was finalized, Sophie and I hit the road.
Sophie had been obsessed with building airplanes and rockets since she was a kid.
Her dream school was a top university famous for its aerospace program.
So we checked out the campus first.
After that, we traveled over 2,000 miles and headed all the way south for a beach vacation.
I was lounging on a beach chair, sipping cold coconut water, watching Sophie play volleyball with some other tourists.
Just then, Richard's calls kept buzzing in, totally ruining my chill vibe.
I really didn't want to answer.
But he was just so damn annoying.
I had no choice but to put down my coconut and pick up the phone.
"Emily, where's my blue striped tie?" he asked.
Seriously? All this fuss over a tie?
He just had to ruin my vacation vibe.
If I weren't stuck out here at the beach, I swear, I'd slap him into next week.
I couldn't help but throw some shade his way.
"Seriously? After all these years, you still can't find your own stuff? Maybe you never really saw this place as home. Just pack up and go—find somewhere you actually know where your tie is," I snapped.
Then I hung up.
Since we hadn't officially gotten the divorce certificate yet, I couldn't completely block him.
I couldn't completely block him yet.
So I set my phone to silent and switched on Do Not Disturb mode.
Richard must've been bottling up his anger.
When we got home, he totally lost it and started yelling at me, "Emily, you finally decided to come back, huh?
"Look at you, just running off without a word, and now the place is a disaster. I can't find anything.
"And my suit? No one ironed it, so it's all wrinkled up; how am I supposed to meet clients looking like this?
"You're in your forties! Can you stop acting like a kid and just running off whenever you want?"
I actually laughed out of anger.
Has he lost his mind?
We're divorced.
Why should I care about him now?
I was just about to fire back.
But Sophie was already standing in the doorway.
She jumped in before I could say a word. "You have no right to talk to Mom like that."
Richard never expected Sophie to yell at him; he was completely blindsided.
He stood there frozen, like a statue, utterly stunned.
Sophie's commanding voice echoed powerfully throughout the entire house.
"All these years, Mom was always the first one up and the last one to sleep. She took care of everything in this house, big or small, and she couldn't even afford to get sick.
"And you? Did you ever do anything? You just waited for everything to be handed to you, never doing a thing yourself.
"You think you're some big shot now? Mom was the one who ironed every suit and shined every pair of shoes, so you could show up looking perfect and impress your clients.
"Don't act like you're all that just because you bring home some cash. If Mom had worked outside, she might've made even more than you!"
Richard was still frozen, completely blindsided by what just happened.
The door slammed shut with a bang.
Sophie shut the door right in his face.
Richard's face turned beet red with anger.
He couldn't say a word back to Sophie.
So he just took it out on me.
"Emily, did you teach her to say all that?
"Is this how you raise your kid? Teaching her to disrespect her own father?" he snapped.
Just as I was about to slap him, the door creaked open again.
The door creaked open again.
Sophie stood in the doorway, her voice sharp and furious as she shouted at Richard.
"I don't need Mom to tell me these things. I can see what's going on, and I can think for myself.
"And I'll tell you what Mom actually taught me.
"She taught me to be responsible, to stand up for what's right, and to always stick to my principles.
"And you? What have you ever taught me? All I see in you is a selfish, spineless loser who betrayed his family, never took responsibility, and has zero morals!" she said, her tone icy and unyielding.
Before Richard could even get a word out, the door slammed shut again.
His face went ashen, eyes wide with shock.
He looked like he'd just been punched in the gut.
He was shaking all over.
I slowly lowered my hand, the urge to slap him fading away.
It's humiliating enough for a father to be torn down by his own daughter like that.
I didn't even have to say a thing.
His face was already burning with shame.
Richard was burning with shame and rage.
He marched straight to his room and slammed the door so hard it shook the whole house.
When he finally came out, he was hauling two huge suitcases, clearly pissed off and ready to storm out.
Sophie and I were busy making pizza, laughing and chatting, not even sparing him a glance.
The door slammed shut with a deafening bang.
Neither of us even bothered to look back.
When the SAT results finally dropped, I could barely breathe as I checked Sophie's score.
She'd scored over ten points higher than the admission line for her dream school.
We hugged each other, both of us bursting with excitement.
Me, especially.
I was so emotional, tears just kept streaming down my face.
It felt like every bit of pain and endurance over the past ten years finally meant something.
After helping Sophie fill out her college applications, I finally felt a sense of relief.
It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
My heart finally felt lighter.
I felt so much lighter, like I could finally breathe.
But I never saw this coming.
Olivia Blake actually came looking for me.
That was the last thing I expected.
Even crazier, she was here telling me not to go through with the divorce.