Chapter 7 - Sophie’s Choice
Late that evening, Leah received an unexpected text message from an unknown number. It was from Sophie.
Leah, please meet me. Alone. I’m at the café near your old apartment. I need to tell you something before everything falls apart.
Leah hesitated. She discussed it with Daniel, who offered to drive her and wait outside in the car. "You don't owe her anything," Daniel reminded her softly. "But if you need closure, go get it."
Leah walked into the quiet neighborhood café. Sophie was sitting in a corner booth, wearing dark sunglasses despite the dim evening lighting. She looked fragile, but without her mother present, her aura was noticeably different—less arrogant, more uncertain.
"Thank you for coming," Sophie said nervously, setting down her cup of tea.
Leah sat down across from her, keeping her coat on. "You have five minutes, Sophie. What do you want?"
Sophie swallowed hard. "I signed the papers today. Mom tried to stop me, but Dad forced her. We’re transferring the Birch Bay condo back to you."
Leah remained silent, waiting.
"I wanted to tell you..." Sophie paused, her eyes filling with tears behind her tinted lenses. "I didn't know Mom forged your signature for the down payment. I swear I didn't know that part. She told me you set up a trust fund for me as a gift when I was diagnosed."
Leah looked closely at her sister. "And what about the wedding, Sophie? You smiled when Mom tore my picture. You sat there and let her humiliate me."
Sophie lowered her head, a tear escaping down her cheek. "Because... because I was jealous, Leah. Entire my life, Mom made me feel like I was broken. She kept telling me that no one would ever love me, that I could never survive on my own, and that you were the only reason our family hadn't collapsed. When I saw you up there in that beautiful dress, marrying Daniel, moving into a life full of love and success... I felt like I was being left behind in a dark room."
"So you decided to pull me into the dark with you," Leah said quietly.
"I was wrong," Sophie sobbed. "When you walked out that day and called the clinic, I realized Mom’s lies weren't protecting me—they were suffocating both of us. After you left, Dad finally stood up to Mom. They’re getting a divorce, Leah. The family is completely broken."
"The family was broken long ago, Sophie," Leah replied gently. "Mom just covered it up with control and lies."
Leah reached across the table and placed a small slip of paper in front of Sophie. "This is the contact info for an independent living and vocational center in Seattle. They specialize in assisting visual impairment professionals. I paid for your first six months of coaching."
Sophie looked up, astonished. "After everything I did?"
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"I am giving you the chance Mom took away from you—the chance to be an adult," Leah said. "But this is the last thing I will ever give you. From now on, you build your own life. Do not call me, do not ask for money, and do not let Mom use you again."
Leah stood up, adjusted her coat, and walked out of the café into the cool night air, leaving her sister behind.
