Nothing had changed between them, she'd been a fool to think it had, and Raphael was still terrified she'd contaminate the part of his life he kept separate from her. He'd continued to visit his mother's house to be with his children alone the previous two weekends, but their reunions when he returned had been so warm—and, she hoped, loving—that she hadn't felt excluded. She has done so now.
'Did you make it to the hotel in Paris?' Bella returned to the lounge after checking on the kids.
Sophia tensed her shoulders and forced a bright smile to her lips. 'Raphael was delayed there; he should return some time tomorrow.'
'Did he mind your presence?' his mother inquired, her voice trembling.
There was no need to worry Raphael's mother with his rage just yet; let her have a peaceful night, and then they could both face him when he arrived the next day. 'No,' she flatly denied.
'By the way, Hugh is awake again,' his grandmother sighed. 'He's after you.'
She needed to get her mind off Raphael by playing a lively game of snakes and ladders with Hugh until he fell asleep again. Then it was Sarah's turn to wake up, irritable and hot, longing to be cuddled until she felt like sleeping again. The little girl was affectionate on the spur of the moment, and by the end of the long night, Sophia knew that both Sarah and Hugh had a special place in her heart.
'You appear exhausted.' Bella entered the nursery as she was attempting to persuade the two children to eat breakfast. 'You should have woken me up,' she reprimanded angrily as she examined the dark circles beneath Sophia's eyes.
It had been a long night, with one or both of the children awake for the majority of it. But it had kept her occupied, her thoughts away from Raphael, and she knew she was too tired this morning to think of him, to decide what she should do now.
'I'll give you the morning shift,' she said with a smile. 'While I catch up on my sleep,' she says.
She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, a heavy dreamless sleep that was rudely interrupted when the bedroom door slammed.
'I thought I told you to leave,' Raphael barged in, towering over the bed.
Sophia blinked the sleep from her eyes for several seconds, the bedside clock telling her she had only been asleep for two hours. It wasn't enough for her to feel rested, so she reacted angrily to him. 'I'm not some lapdog who jumps when you say jump and leaves when you say leave,' she snapped as she sat up, swinging her legs to the floor.
His mouth was twisted, and he had lines of weariness around his own eyes. 'I don't want you here, Sophia,' he said angrily.
'I don't recall asking for your permission,' she scoffed.
'My children are Hugh and Sarah—'
'And you weren't there when they needed you,' they said. Her eyes glowed.
'It was just the measles—'
'Have you ever had measles, Raphael?' she inquired. 'You itch all over when you shouldn't, you're hot and irritable, and you're in the worst mood imaginable.'
'It does sound unsettling—'
'Yes, it is. 'Extremely,' she added abruptly.
'Then why put yourself in danger of getting it?'
'I've already had it,' she said hurriedly. 'However, even if I hadn't, I would have come.' Your mother couldn't do it on her own.' She gave him a hard stare. 'Did you talk to her?'
'Yes,' he said solemnly.
'I hope you didn't irritate her,' Sophia said, frowning. 'I offered to come here; she didn't request it.'
'She had no right to bring you into the picture in the first place—'
'She needed help, and I was only too happy to provide it,' Sophia insisted emphatically.
'And now that I've returned, I'm telling you to leave,' he grumbled.
'Does your mother want me to accompany her?'
He tensed up. 'My mother's feelings are unrelated to this.'
'Or the children's?'
'I'll hire a nurse to look after them, two nurses,' he said grimly.
'Does that mean I'll be able to accompany you back to London?' She shook her head, the decision she'd never wanted to have to make taken from her. 'I don't think so, Raphael,' she sighed.
His pupils constricted. 'What exactly do you mean?'
She took a ragged breath in. 'I mean, I'm not going back to London with you when I leave here.'
'We have a deal,'he retorted , 'and I'm going to end it.' Her eyes glowed.
'Why?'
'Because I've just realized how much I value someone I care about' she exclaimed.
'Who?' he mumbled.
'Myself!' She gave him a stern look. She realized she couldn't go on living with Raphael treating her like a possession, telling her what to do and expecting her to do it.
She loved him, and she would always love him, but this Raphael, who turned on her at the slightest provocation, was not the man she adored.
Raphael's mouth tightened in response to the challenge. 'Where are you going?' he demanded of o.
She shook her head. 'I'll find myself an apartment somewhere, and maybe try to get a job working with children until I can sing again; I've suddenly discovered that I'm quite good with them.' Most likely as a result of my background.'
'And money?' he asked, biting his lower lip. 'What do you plan to do for money?'
She paused, wanting to tell him about the bank account that held more than enough money for her to support herself until she could sing again. But she held back, knowing that disclosing such information would raise too many questions, questions she didn't want to answer. 'I can live on a regular wage if necessary,' she said stiffly.
'Can you do it?'
Her face flushed. 'Yes!'
'You didn't seem to believe you could before,' he mocked.
'It's one thing to live with you, Raphael,' she snapped. 'It's one thing to be treated like a paid whore; it's quite another to be treated like a paid whore!'
'You want my respect, is that it?' he mocked dismissively.
'No,' she replied softly. 'Because I know I'll never have that,' she says.
'Did you think you'd ever be able to?' he scoffed.
'I hoped,' she admitted, a little tiredly. 'But it's all over now.' I'll stay and assist your mother with the children—'
'Not my children, you won't,' he said sternly.
She arched her auburn brows. 'Do you intend to remove them from here?'
'Of course not,' he snapped angrily. 'But it's my house—'
'Your mother's house,' she softly corrected. 'And I don't think she'll mind if I stay here until the kids get better.'
His lips clenched ominously. 'We'll see how that goes!' He rose to his feet and exited the room.
Sophia finally succumbed to the flood of tears that engulfed her, knowing she had permanently severed the fragile link between them.