Chapter 5 - SOPHIA’S SECRET
That night, Gabriel wouldn’t stop crying.
Sophia paced the living room until her legs shook.
Roman stood awkwardly near the kitchen.
“You want me to call the doctor?”
“No.”
“He’s been crying for twenty minutes.”
“He’s a baby, Roman. That’s one of their hobbies.”
Roman stared at Gabriel.
“I don’t like it.”
Sophia gave him a tired look.
“He’ll put that in his complaint box.”
Roman almost smiled.
Then Gabriel suddenly went quiet.
Sophia looked down.
His tiny fist had closed around Roman’s finger.
Roman froze.
Sophia noticed something in his face.
Grief.
Not softness exactly.
Something older.
“Did you want kids?” she asked.
Roman pulled his hand away.
“Not relevant.”
“That means yes.”
“It means stop asking.”
She didn’t.
“What happened?”
Roman walked toward the window.
“My fiancée died eight years ago.”
Sophia’s expression changed.
“I’m sorry.”
“She was pregnant.”
The room went still.
Roman stared at the city.
“Four months.”
Sophia didn’t know what to say.
So she said nothing.
A few minutes later Roman turned back.
“Your turn.”
“My turn for what?”
“You’ve been hiding something since the stairwell.”
Sophia’s shoulders stiffened.
“What?”
“You recognized me before I introduced myself.”
“I told you. I knew your name.”
“No. You knew my face.”
Silence.
Roman waited.
Finally, Sophia walked to her coat.
She reached into the lining and pulled out a folded photograph.
It showed Roman leaving a restaurant.
On the back was handwriting.
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME, FIND HIM. HE’S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN KEEP GABRIEL ALIVE.
Roman recognized Vincent’s handwriting.
His anger was immediate.
“He sent you to me.”
“He left it inside a book before he disappeared.”
“And you waited until after the hospital to come?”
“I didn’t know whether to trust it.”
“So you slept in my stairwell for four nights instead?”
“I needed to watch you first.”
Roman stared.
“You were watching me?”
“Your staff. Your routine. Whether strange people went in and out.”
Despite himself, Roman was impressed.
Then Sophia added quietly:
“And whether you had children.”
Roman’s expression hardened.
“Why?”
“Because Daniel told me something once.”
“What?”
Sophia hesitated.
“He said your family destroys its own children.”
Roman went still.
“Exact words?”
“Yes.”
Roman crossed the room.
“What else did he say?”
“He said the Callaway name was built on a grave nobody was supposed to open.”
Roman’s phone rang.
Marcus.
Roman answered.
“What?”
Marcus’s voice was tight.
“We have a problem.”
“What kind?”
“The cemetery.”
Roman felt cold.
“What about it?”
“Someone opened Vincent’s grave.”
Roman said nothing.
May you like
Marcus continued.
“The coffin is empty.”
