For a long moment, the two of them stood in silence, the tension between them thick and palpable. Then, finally, Sophia nodded, the resolve in her eyes mingled with uncertainty. "All right," she said quietly. "But I need time. I need to think about everything."
Ethan didn't push her. He simply nodded in understanding. "Take all the time you need. But know that I'm here, and I'm ready to help you in any way I can."
With that, he turned and walked toward the door, leaving Sophia alone with her thoughts. As the door closed behind him, she sank into one of the chairs, her mind racing with a thousand conflicting emotions.
The anger, the need for vengeance that had driven her for so long, was still there, but it was now tempered by doubt. The letter had cracked open the fortress she had built around her heart, and now she was left standing in the rubble, unsure of what to do next.
Sophia knew she couldn't make any decisions right now. She needed to clear her head, to find some distance from the storm of emotions raging inside her. She needed to talk to someone—someone who wasn't Ethan, someone who knew her well enough to help her make sense of it all.
The thought filled Sophia with dread, but she knew she couldn't keep this from Lily. She had to be honest with her, to share what she had learned. If they were going to find a way forward, they needed to do it together.
With a heavy heart, Sophia gathered her things and left the boardroom. As she made her way to the elevator, she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change. The plan she had so carefully constructed was unraveling before her eyes, and she was powerless to stop it.
But as the elevator doors closed and she descended toward the ground floor, Sophia realized that maybe—just maybe—this was the first step toward healing. Toward finding a new path that wasn't fueled by anger and revenge, but by the desire to uncover the truth and make things right.
***
Later that evening, Sophia found herself sitting in the cozy living room of the townhouse she shared with Lily. The room was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the cold, sterile environment of Blackwood Enterprises.
But as she sat on the couch, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of the envelope, she felt anything but comfortable.
Lily entered the room, a soft smile on her face as she carried a tray of tea. She was still the same sweet, kind-hearted person she had always been, despite the trauma she had endured. But there was a fragility to her that Sophia couldn't ignore—a vulnerability that made her all the more determined to protect her sister.
"Here you go," Lily said, setting the tray on the coffee table before taking a seat beside Sophia. "You seemed like you could use some tea. You've been so quiet since you got home. Is everything okay?"
Sophia hesitated, the words she needed to say catching in her throat. How could she tell Lily that everything they had believed for so long was a lie? How could she shatter the fragile peace they had finally found?
But she knew she couldn't keep this from her sister. Lily deserved to know the truth, no matter how painful it might be.
Taking a deep breath, Sophia turned to Lily, her expression serious. "Lily, there's something I need to talk to you about. Something I learned today that changes… well, everything."
Lily's smile faded, concern flickering in her eyes. "What is it, Soph? What happened?"
Sophia handed Lily the envelope, her heart pounding as she watched her sister's reaction. "This was written by Dad, just before he… before everything happened. It's a letter he wrote to Ethan Blackwood, and it explains a lot of things we didn't know."
Lily took the envelope, her hands trembling slightly as she pulled out the letter and began to read. Sophia watched her closely, her stomach twisting with anxiety as she saw the emotions play out on her sister's face—confusion, shock, and finally, a deep, heartbreaking sadness.
When Lily finished reading, she looked up at Sophia, tears brimming in her eyes. "I don't understand," she whispered. "Dad… he tried to protect us? And Ethan… he wasn't the one who betrayed us?"
Sophia nodded, her throat tight with emotion. "It seems that way. I don't know all the details yet, but it looks like Ethan tried to help Dad, but something went wrong. I'm still trying to figure it all out."
Lily wiped away a tear, her expression pained. "All this time, we've been blaming him. We've been hating him. But if he really tried to help…"
Sophia reached out, taking her sister's hand in hers. "I know. It's a lot to take in. But I think we need to find out the full story before we can make any decisions. We need to know the truth."
Lily nodded, her grip on Sophia's hand tightening. "I just… I don't know what to feel right now. I'm so confused."
Sophia squeezed her sister's hand reassuringly. "Me too. But we'll figure it out together, okay? We'll get to the bottom of this, and then we'll decide what to do."
Lily looked at Sophia, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and fear. "What if… what if we've been wrong all this time? What if we've been fighting the wrong enemy?"
Sophia felt a pang of guilt at her sister's words. She had been so focused on her own need for revenge that she hadn't considered the possibility that they might have been wrong. But now, faced with the evidence in her father's letter, she couldn't ignore the truth any longer.
"I don't know, Lily," Sophia admitted, her voice soft. "But I think it's time we found out."
Lily nodded slowly, her expression resolute. "Okay. Let's do it. Let's find out what really happened."
Sophia felt a surge of relief at her sister's words. She wasn't alone in this—Lily was with her, just as she had always been. Together, they would uncover the truth, no matter how painful it might be.
And as they sat there, holding hands in the quiet of their living room, Sophia realized that this was the first step toward healing—toward finding a way to move forward from the past and build a new future.
But she also knew that the path ahead would be anything but easy. There were still so many unanswered questions, so many secrets left to uncover.
Sophia's thoughts drifted back to Ethan, to the intensity in his eyes when he had handed her the letter.
That passion was still burning in his heart for her, it was so overwhelming to digest that raw emotions and bury them again. She did not wanted to experience those feelings again.
He had told her that they needed to find the truth together, but could she really trust him? Could she let go of her desire for revenge and work with the man she had once vowed to destroy?
The answer wasn't clear, and Sophia knew that it would take time to sort through her feelings. But one thing was certain: the journey they were about to embark on would change everything.
For better or for worse, the truth was coming to light. And once it was fully revealed, nothing would ever be the same again.