Please Come Back, My Love novel Chapter 73

Chapter 73

“Simple. I repeated, raising an eyebrow. Right. Because Nickeys like that definitely say casual hookup and not someone marked you like you belong to them.

“Elena-

My mind flashed back to the karaoke bar. To Lucas Reynolds dragging Sophia away, the possessive grip on her wrist, the way he’d looked at her like she was the only person in the room.

Oh.

“It’s Lucas, isn’t it?” I said quietly.

Sophia’s entire body went rigid. For a second, I thought she might deny it. Then her shoulders sagged.

“No,” she said, but her voice cracked. “It’s not. We’re done. We talked. We said everything we needed to say, and now it’s over.”

I studied her face-the too-bright eyes, the defensive set of her jaw, the way her hand kept drifting back to those marks on her neck.

“Sophia,” I said gently. “You can’t lie to me. I’ve known you too long.”

“I’m not lying!” She stood abruptly, pacing to the window. “Lucas and I… we’re not together. We can’t be together. His family is gone, my family destroyed him-there’s too much history, too much pain. So yeah, we’re done.”

But you’re sleeping with him.

I didn’t say it out loud. Didn’t

Because God

had no room to judge anyone’s complicated relationship situation.

Instead, I set down my and to her, wrapping my arms around her from behind. “Okay. If you say you’re done, then you’re done.’

She leaned back against me, and I felt her shoulders shake slightly. “Thank you for understanding, Elena.”

Sophia turned in my arms, her dark eyes searching my face. “Did something happer with you? With Julian?”

And just like that, the weight of everything came crashing back.

“Good,” she said fiercely. “You deserve so much better than him. Than all of them.”

God, I wanted to so badly.

But all I could think about was the baby growing inside me. Julian’s baby. A child who would never know its father because I was too afraid to tell him.

“The baby,” she said quietly as her expression softened. “You’re worried about the baby.”

I nodded, not trusting voice.

*Elena, listen to me.” She turned to face me fully. “You’re going to be okay. You and this baby-you’re going to be more than okay. And you don’t need Julian

Sterling to make that happen.”

“But-”

“No buts.” Her tightened. You divorce him, you need to take him for everything you can. For yourself, and for your baby.”