Chapter 440

"Have you really thought this through?" Lucas teased, his fingers drumming against the wine glass. "Took you long enough to come to your senses. Do you know what Evelyn told Nathan? She said since you returned that sweater, she'll wear it whenever she pleases."

He paused for dramatic effect.

"And she might even wear it on future dates."

Dominic's grip on his silverware tightened until his knuckles turned bone-white.

"Do I look like I care?"

Lucas shrugged. "Just trying to help you move on."

"Then why bring her up at all?" Dominic's icy glare could freeze hell over. "Never mention her again. I'm done with that chapter."

"Fantastic! I was worried you'd still be hung up on her." Lucas exhaled dramatically. "Pity you can't drink. More for me then."

He sauntered to the mahogany bar, selecting an expensive Bordeaux. By the time he turned around, Dominic had finished eating and disappeared from the dining hall.

"Hey!" Lucas called after him, wine glass in hand. "Come keep me company! Dining alone is depressing!"

Dominic found himself outside Sophia's door. After pulling an all-nighter, he'd slept until noon today.

Mrs. Wilkins had informed him Sophia skipped both breakfast and lunch, her mood unusually somber.

Earlier, when he'd checked on her, she'd been asleep. Now, as dusk painted the sky, it was time she woke. Any more sleep would disrupt her nighttime rest.

The door creaked open.

Sophia lay staring blankly at the ceiling, her dark eyes unfocused. Dominic couldn't decipher her thoughts.

"Sophia." He perched on the edge of her bed, voice softening. "Dinner's ready."

Her small hand suddenly gripped his. "Brother... your mother was my mother too, right?"

Dominic's breath hitched. "Mrs. Whitaker took you to the bus station this morning. Did that scare you?"

"Brother," she persisted, ignoring his question, "your mother is my mother, right?"

"Yes." The word came out strained. This wasn't like Sophia. She rarely asked questions, let alone probing ones about their shared past.

Yet now she demanded answers with unusual intensity.

"Why didn't you take me to her funeral?" Mrs. Pembroke's words echoed in Sophia's mind, taking root.

"The funeral was crowded." Dominic searched her face. "You used to hate crowds. I was protecting you."

He studied her reaction carefully. "You're not afraid anymore, are you?"

Sophia shook her head with surprising determination.

Dominic arched an eyebrow at this unexpected development.

"Then next time, we'll go out together."

"But you're still recovering." Sophia suddenly sat up. "Brother, I'm hungry."

Dominic helped her from bed, guiding her to the dining hall where Lucas immediately hid his wine bottle.

"Sophia! Mrs. Wilkins said you weren't feeling well." Lucas' concern seemed genuine. "Did you see a doctor?"

She shook her head silently, focusing on her meal. As she ate, Dominic slipped away to make a phone call, his expression unreadable.