Chapter 58

Sophie

"... we hope to see you again next week for our last episode and some more Phantom Footsteps."

Sophie grimaced as Erica smiled down the camera while the credits scrolled past her face. She hated that Marcus' show was so successful. But secretly, Sophie had found every episode fascinating.

Tutting, she tossed the remote control away, shifting uncomfortably on the lumpy sofa.

"I don't know why you keep watching it if it upsets you so much," Alex said. He checked his appearance in the mirror, straightening his collar. Every week you rant at me for half an hour. You say Marcus never tried as hard at his business when you were together. And if he did, maybe you wouldn't have left. Love hearing that, by the way."

Sophie pulled a face, rolling her eyes.

She ignored him and glanced at the baby monitor. She sighed as Odette stared down the camera at her. Once again, the baby refused to sleep.

"Alex—"

"No. I can't, Sophie."

"But she's just lying there. She's never going to sleep." Every night, the same routine. Sophie had tried everything to help her daughter sleep. But anything more than thirty minutes here and there was out of the question. She couldn't remember the last time she had a decent night's rest.

"So read to her. Sing to her. Cuddle her in the rocking chair." Alex grabbed his jacket, shrugging it on. "I don't know what you want me to do when I'm due at work in ten minutes. "

"You're always at work!" She whined. "We never get to see you."

"And that's the biggest exaggeration of the century," Alex said, giving her a swift kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you in the morning, okay? Try to get some sleep, Sophie."

She tried to protest, but her words fell on deaf ears. Within seconds, the flat was silent. If she strained her ears, she could hear Alex's footsteps as he rushed down the stairwell.

She pushed herself to her feet. Wearily, she padded down the hallway to the bedroom they shared with Odette.

"Hey sweetheart," she cooed as she set off the white noise machine. "Let's have a cuddle, shall we?" She picked up her daughter and sat in a rocking chair by the window. From there, she had a view of the city. Odette settled against her chest as Sophie rocked them gently, her tiny fingers playing with a strand of Sophie's hair.

Peaceful moments like this made it worth it, she supposed. But this was not how she envisioned her life.

When she thought back over the last year, she wanted to weep for the life she had lost. The beautiful house was gone. The luxury cars - gone. Even the clothes she had once treasured were long gone.

If last year's Sophie could see her now wearing a pair of Alex's old boxers and a tatty grey T-shirt, she'd die. But this was life now. Most days, she barely bothered to dress. Instead, she wallowed at home and frantically searched for news about Marcus and Erica.

Thank God for Alex, who had surprised her by being a decent father.

He doted on Odette, and Sophie hated to admit that without him, she would have failed. How smug she had been when she first got that positive pregnancy test all those months ago. She was so determined she'd have the help - a chef, a maid, and a nanny. But they'd all disappeared along with the house and all their money.

"Mummy should have left him to rot in that jail cell," she murmured against the soft, wispy hair on top of Odette's head. Though that was perhaps a little harsh. What she shouldn't have done was steal Erica's rings .

"Don't mistake my kindness for weakness, Sophie."

Those words haunted her, and she wished she had taken them more seriously.

She had assumed that there were no consequences for the theft, and Sophie laughed at how pathetically kind Erica was. What kind of woman was she to allow Sophie to take advantage of her so many times? She had stolen her husband, her home, and now her jewellery, and because of a baby, Erica wouldn't retaliate.

Sophie couldn't have been more wrong.

The first blow had been the billboards.

On either side of the city, they placed two boards. They showed a close-up of Sophie's face with words that still made her cringe to remember.

Have a husband? Avoid this woman! Sophie will steal your husband. She'll cheat on her own! Then, she'll get herself pregnant. When you help her, because no one else would, she'll steal your things. She'll pawn them to bail out your ex, who assaulted you! Not one to bring home to the mother, fellas!

The billboards had remained in place for a month. No matter who Sophie and Alex complained to, or tried to bribe, no one removed them. She was sure Marcus had pulled strings with Angus and the other bigwigs who ran the city.

Sophie didn't want to show her face anywhere after that!

But, of course, she had no choice. Baby appointments, work, and begging clients not to leave the company. The last three months of her pregnancy had been a whirlwind.

Unfortunately, begging couldn't stop Alex's clients, and they dropped him as their representative. Apparently, they could forgive a lot. But an eight-foot-high billboard airing all of Alex's dirty laundry was a step too far.

The business folded pretty soon after that. Alex had been smart enough to call it quits before it landed them in a bunch of debt. But with no business, they could no longer afford the house .

That went next, sold for under the market value, just for a quick sale. Sophie had cried with every box loaded into the moving truck. These tears weren't because of pregnancy hormones.

Leaving the house she loved for the flat Alex had bought, broke her spirit. She thought of the home Marcus and Erica had bought together. It had been lovely. It made her weep even more.

And she had ended up right back in a dinky flat.

It had been smart of Alex to buy them a place rather than rent. It took a lot of the funds from the house sale. But it meant they had room to breathe. They did not have to worry about rent or a mortgage.

But a smart choice didn't make it easier. Bringing a newborn Odette into this place was soul-crushing. She should have had a beautiful nursery.

Those first three months of Odette's life were probably the most content Sophie had felt. Alex was home all the time, and he had thrown himself into fatherhood. In fact, seeing him being a daddy to her daughter made Sophie fall for him all over again.

They'd fallen back into a relationship without even discussing it. One day Alex was sleeping on the sofa, the next he was sleeping next to her in her bed, and the three of them were a family.

He had helped with Odette and taken such good care of Sophie. She couldn't have asked for more of him. But of course, the fun times couldn't last.

Soon, the money from the house sale dwindled. Alex was obsessively job hunting. She'd gone from having him here all the time, to barely seeing him as he worked two jobs just to keep them afloat.

When he was home, they argued or fucked. Their daughter was reluctant to sleep, so it was rare for them to be intimate.

Not rare enough to get yourself knocked up again.

A twinge twisted in the pit of Sophie's stomach as she thought of the life growing inside of her. The doctors had warned her she'd be more fertile in the first year of Odette's life. But when the opportunity for a quickie arose, she forgot about protection.

She hadn't told Alex yet. She hadn't even booked an appointment. Odette was barely nine months old. The idea of having another child was too scary to think about.

Sophie loved her daughter. There was no one else more precious to her in the world. Especially in quiet moments like this. Her pretty eyes fluttered with fatigue. Her little fingers played with Sophie's hair as they cuddled.

She lived for moments like this.

But damn, she didn't want to do it again. And she was almost positive Alex felt the same way.

She could see how drained he was. He worked two jobs and spent most of his spare time with Odette, leaving him with almost no time to relax. Sophie tried to do her part, but she knew it wasn't enough.

And even with those two jobs, they couldn't afford a second child. They were barely keeping their heads above water. Neither of them could handle another mouth to feed. She knew it.

So why hadn't she done anything about it?

With a sigh, she glanced down at Odette, who slept peacefully on her chest, unaware of her mother's inner turmoil. Careful not to wake her, Sophie stood and carried her to the crib, laying her down gently. Her little fist curled as she stretched and settled back into slumber.

Sophie sighed with relief and crept into the living room. Double-checking the view on the monitor, she was confident she had at least half an hour to herself. She grabbed her phone and loaded her favourite forum. She searched it obsessively for mentions of Erica and Marcus.

This was her life now, as pitiful as it was.

She just had to know what was going on with them. She needed to find something, anything, that she could use against them.

Erica is so beautiful and yet so down-to-earth. She seems so approachable! Gag .

Marcus is soooo handsome! Love him in that shirt. Erica is a lucky girl! Barf .

They make such a sweet couple. He's always touching her, and you can tell he's really listening when she speaks.

Bleugh.

She tossed her phone aside and cursed under her breath. Sophie pressed her face into the back of the sofa, taking a moment to compose herself. A familiar sickening feeling settled in her stomach.

She tried counting to ten.

And then twenty.

The unsettled feeling lingered, prompting her to read the letter again. Pushing her hair away from her face, she forced herself to focus on each movement her body was making.

Slide to the edge of the sofa. Push to stand up. One foot in front of the other. She made sure to only think about what she was doing. One errant thought and her mind would throw back to the hamper left on her doorstep nine long months ago.

She pulled the letter from its hiding place, the envelope barely holding on. She had read the words so many times she could say them by heart. Yet, she read the letter night after night. She read it when the flat was quiet and she had only her thoughts.

Smoothing out the pages, she settled back and read Erica's neat handwriting.

Sophie,

First, let me offer my congratulations on the birth of your daughter. I'm sure she's just as beautiful as you are.

You probably didn't expect this letter, nor the gifts I've left for you and the little one, but that's the difference between you and me, Sophie. I have a good heart and I think of others.

With that said, did you enjoy my billboards?

Did you really think you could continually steal from me, and I wouldn't do anything? I warned you that night you stayed at my house. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.

That was your first mistake .

I don't care about the rings, Sophie, nor do I care about my clothes that you flogged. (Yes, I know about them - if you don't treat your maids right; they gossip. You'd be surprised what I know.)

Your lack of compassion bothers me. I hope this baby softens you. It might make you care about someone other than yourself.

Despite your past actions, I showed you kindness. No one else, not even the man who loved you deeply, did. Yes, your pregnancy influenced my decision. Yet, I still offered help that you had no right to ask for.

Sophie shifted uncomfortably as her ears tinted pink. Why did she do this to herself? Why did she insist on reading this damn letter?

And to repay my kindness, you stole from me again! I can't fathom it. But again, I'm not a heartless bitch, so how could I understand someone of your calibre?

I have to say, I've enjoyed sitting back and watching the fallout of my billboards. For weeks, Marcus, my parents, Angus, and anyone who had an opinion begged me to call the police. To report your sorry ass and make you pay for the literal crimes you committed.

They couldn't understand why I was letting you get away with it.

So I'm going to let you in on a secret. This right here is your punishment. You're cowering in an flat smaller than the one you left Marcus in. You're too scared to go outside lest someone recognise you for the cheating whore you are. I'm sitting in my beautiful home with a wonderful man who loves me.

Who are you sharing your life with again?

Oh, of course, that's right. A man who doesn't love you never has loved you and has already cheated on you.

After coveting my life and trying to chase me out of it, I won the game. I still have the life you want, and you... well.

I think the less said about that, the better, hm ?

What good would sending you to prison do, except leave a child without a mother? I'm not cruel, Sophie. No, this is much better.

This is the last time you'll hear from me. The last time I waste any of my energy thinking about you.

Game over.

Checkmate, bitch.

Karma's a nasty little thing, isn't it?

P.S. I hope you can make use of this giant hamper of baby goodies. Rumour has it you could do with the help - I hear business is pretty slow these days.

She wiped a tear from her cheek, refolding the letter into neat squares. Erica's last words replayed in her head.

Game over.

Checkmate, bitch.

She held the envelope to her chest as she looked around the dingy living room, swallowing past a lump in her throat. Every word Erica had written was true.

She had won.

Sophie had chased a life that was never hers to have and ended up right back where she belonged. Unfortunately for those around her, she dragged them down with her.

Erica was right.

This was so much worse than a punishment given out by the law. This was karma.

And Karma did not favour the wicked.