Replacement Bride Left With His Baby (Sophia and Easton) novel Chapter 81

81 Chapter 81

81.Chapter 81

“I can handle my own affairs. Just focus on taking care of yourself,” Easton said, pouring her a glass of water.

“Easton, Grandma’s getting old. I can’t be with you forever, you know. Are you really planning on spending your whole life alone? Your father left this world too soon, and your mother-,” Irene said, her voice gentle but laced

with concern.

“Grandma, that’s enough. I really don’t want to talk about this,” Easton cut in, his tone growing cold the moment his mother was brought up.

Feeling restless, Easton got up and moved to the window, his hand automatically reaching into his pocket for a cigarette to steady his nerves.

Irene knew all too well. Every time his mother came up, Easton would shut down completely. But some things, if she didn’t do them, no one else would.

She sighed, her words heavy. “Honestly, Sophia’s been through a lot, just like you. Maybe you didn’t know-her parents died back-to-back when she was twelve.

“That was when she sank into a serious depression. Her uncle got so worried she might harm herself, so he sent her to a sanatorium for a long stretch.”

Easton froze, the cigarette still between his fingers. “Depression?” he echoed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Irene nodded, her voice gentle. “She may have recovered, but that kind of loneliness gets buried so deep. Nobody else ever truly understands what it feels like.”

‘Loneliness?’ Easton repeated to himself, the word bouncing around in his head. He’d never pictured Sophia as someone who could be lonely.

Julian practically worshipped her, always keeping her close whether they were at college or hitting up some event. It was like he couldn’t bear to let anyone leave Sophia out for even a second.

And sure, Sophia’s circle of friends wasn’t huge. But with May always around to keep things lively, Easton just couldn’t wrap his head around it. ‘How could someone like her possibly feel lonely?’ he wondered.

Irene continued, “Easton, even though Sophia grew up in her uncle’s house and Julian always treated her like she was something precious, it’s never the same as having your own mom and dad around.

“No matter how much they loved her, some feelings just slip through the cracks. After she married into our family, you completely ignored her. She lived by herself at Silvermoon Bay, and honestly, I can only imagine how lonely she must’ve felt.

“There was one night I went to check on her. She’d knocked out on the couch, AC on full blast, no blanket. She woke up when she saw me, but the look on her face… She was so happy to see me. At that moment…”

Irene’s voice choked up a bit, and her eyes started to water. “Honestly, I almost cried right then. That’s why I asked Grace to go stay with her for a while.”

He’d always figured Sophia was just pampered-a spoiled girl pulling strings with Irene so Grace would fuss over her. Now he realized how off-base he’d been. Easton paused, something unfamiliar twisting inside him.

“Easton, don’t let what your mother did stop you from being with a woman who truly loves you,” Irene said softly.

As Easton drove away, Irene’s words kept echoing in his mind. He couldn’t even tell when it started, but these days, every word Sophia said seemed to matter to him.

Back at the nursing home, his anger and frustration weren’t really about her implying the crash was just an accident. They came from her getting the wrong idea about him and Stella.

Suddenly, Ryan’s words from before popped into his head: “Sometimes, what you think a relationship is and what everyone else thinks it is can be totally different. But if you don’t clear things up, people just assume whatever they want.”

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81 Chapter 81

But he had already explained everything at the Hughes residence. He’d even flown all the way to Harlinton on a

whim. Honestly, it was the first time he’d ever acted so impulsively. So he couldn’t figure out why Sophia would still think that way.

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