The tension in the air felt thick, like it could suffocate them both. Sofia stood frozen, her body stiff with shock and hurt. Ryan's words had cut through the room, sharp and cold, leaving a bitter sting. He was angry—furious—and his anger seemed to be driven by something deeper, a pain she hadn't fully understood until now.
"You think you know me?" Ryan spat, his voice filled with bitterness. "You think you can just waltz into my life and read my private thoughts? You think you can understand the pain I've carried for years?" He took a step toward her, his eyes fierce. "You're just a nanny, a hired hand, a temporary fixture in my life. You're nothing more than that!"
Sofia's heart dropped, her chest tightening as though he had knocked the air out of her. His words hit her like a slap, each one pushing her further into the cold, harsh reality of how little she meant to him. She had never felt so small, so insignificant, so utterly out of place in his world. She wasn't a friend, or even someone he trusted. To him, she was just a temporary presence, someone he barely tolerated.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Blackwood," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with the weight of his words. "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to understand..."
"Understand?" Ryan scoffed, his anger rising. "You don't understand a damn thing! You have no idea what it's like to lose the love of your life, to have everything you care about ripped away in an instant!" His voice grew louder, more jagged. "You don't know what it's like to live in a world that's empty, to be haunted by the past, by grief and regret!"
He took another step forward, his eyes burning with fury, like a fire that wouldn't be put out. "You think you can just walk in here and fix me? You think you can heal all my wounds with your silly stories about Lily and your naive attempts at caring?" His voice cracked with raw frustration. "You're delusional, Sofia. You don't understand anything about what I've been through!"
Sofia felt the sting of tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't let him see her weakness, couldn't let him know how much his words were hurting her. She had to stand tall, even if it felt like her whole world was crumbling around her.
"I'm not trying to fix you, Mr. Blackwood," she said, her voice stronger now, despite the tremor deep inside her. She tried to hold his gaze, to show him that she wasn't afraid. "I'm just trying to be a good nanny for Lily. I want to make her happy. I just want to be a good person—to show kindness, to show compassion, even when it's not easy."
Ryan stopped in his tracks, staring at her as if her words had struck him in a way he hadn't expected. His anger began to simmer down, but it was replaced by something else—a flicker of something softer, maybe regret, maybe a little understanding. He looked away, his shoulders slumping as if the weight of his own emotions had finally caught up with him.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't mean to say those things. I... I'm just hurting."
Sofia's chest tightened at the softness in his voice, the rawness of his apology. She had never imagined Ryan would lower his guard enough to say something like that. But the moment was fragile, like the first crack in a wall that had been built for years.
"I know," Sofia said softly, her own voice gentler now. "I understand. I can't imagine what you've been through, but I see how much you're still carrying. I'm not trying to make it better overnight. I'm just here... I'm just here for you, if you need someone."
Ryan didn't respond at first. He stood there, still facing the floor, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Then, he exhaled deeply, as if letting go of a breath he had been holding for far too long. When he finally looked up at her, his eyes weren't filled with rage anymore. There was something different there—something softer.
"I didn't mean to push you away like that," he said, his voice quieter, but filled with something she couldn't quite place. "I just... I didn't know how to handle it. How to handle all of this." His gaze flicked briefly to the journal on the desk, before looking back at her. "You're right. I can't carry all of this alone forever."
Sofia nodded slowly, not trusting herself to speak just yet. She had hoped for a moment like this, but it was so much more vulnerable than she had expected. Ryan wasn't the cold, impenetrable man he had once been. He was just a man, a broken man who had been carrying a weight too heavy for one person to bear.
"I'll be here, Mr. Blackwood," Sofia said finally, her voice steady. "For whatever you need. You don't have to do this alone."
Ryan didn't say anything for a moment, but the slight shift in his expression—a brief flicker of something softer—made Sofia believe that, maybe, just maybe, she had reached him. And that, despite everything, there was still hope for him to heal.
With a final, reluctant glance at her, Ryan turned and left the room, leaving Sofia alone with her thoughts. She stood there for a long while, her mind racing, unsure of what had just happened. But for the first time, she felt a small sense of peace. Maybe she couldn't fix Ryan's pain, but she could be there for him. And maybe that was enough.