But then my phone started to ring.
Sofia.
I watched her name flash across the screen as it continued to ring. I was tempted not to answer and to finish what I started, but the possibility of her needing me quickly changed my mind. What if she needed help? What if, in a few years, Andrew needed help? What if one day her new husband couldn’t fix her problems? If I weren’t here, what would she do?
I grabbed the phone and answered before the voice mail picked up. “Sofia?”
Her voice was quiet, like she’d been sleeping and recently woke up. “Are you busy?”
I looked at the gun sitting in front of me and clicked the safety. “No.”
“Andrew is kicking so hard that I can’t sleep…”
I didn’t know what she expected me to do about that, but I did like knowing she thought of me. I’d never felt my son kick, and that felt like such a waste.
“And I hated the way we left things last week…”
We would never part on good terms. Our relationship was too emotional, intimate. There would never be a time when we could say we were good friends and nothing more. At least on my part, she would always be the woman I loved…no matter how many years had passed. I could be fifty and still feel the exact same way. And that had nothing to do with the curse—that was all me. “We’ll never leave on good terms, Sofia.”
“I know…it’s just so hard.”
I closed my eyes as I listened to the sound of her voice, the pain in her tone.
“I don’t regret what I did. But I just miss you so much…”
Tears escaped my closed lids. I let the two drops drip down my face like streams. This was my punishment for all the terrible things I’d done, the innocent people I’d killed, the prostitutes I’d paid, the crimes I’d committed. But it seemed too harsh…far too harsh. I didn’t say a word because that was impossible to do without my emotions coming through. Last thing I wanted her to know was how broken I was, that I wanted to leave this world forever just to escape the pain, that the only reason I was still alive was because she chose to call at that exact moment.
It was almost as if it was meant to be.
8
Sofia
Now I was so big, I was just miserable.
It was hard to sleep, hard to walk, and every time I looked at my naked reflection, I couldn’t believe Hades actually wanted to have sex with me. My stomach had stretch marks, my petite frame was distorted by the life growing inside me. The time I had spent with Andrew had been magical, but now that I was at the end, I was ready for it to be over.
I finished up my final project at the office and prepared to leave. I’d be on maternity leave for a couple months, so Antonio would have to take care of everything. I made sure all my work was done before I walked out.
Antonio ran into me in the hallway. “You look a little uncomfortable…”
I rubbed my stomach and arched my back to decrease the pain in my spine. “A bit.”
He smiled. “Go home and get some rest. I got everything handled here. And make sure you bring Andrew by whenever you’re ready.”
I headed home and waddled up the steps until I got inside. Summer was approaching, and the heat only added to my discomfort. I set my bag on the coatrack and heard my mom in the kitchen. “Please tell me you’re making a grilled cheese sandwich.” I walked inside and saw her cooking on the stove.
“No. I haven’t made you one of those since you were eleven.”
I leaned against the counter and rubbed my stomach.
“But I’ll make you one now since it’s a special occasion.”
“Thanks, Mom. Or I should say…Grandma.”
“I’m so excited to hear that in this house.” She pulled out all the ingredients to make me a sandwich, a floral apron tied around her waist. “So…will Hades be returning soon?”
“I was going to call him in a little bit. I can tell Andrew will be here any day.”
“Good. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.” She waggled her eyebrows.
I ignored her double meaning.
“You think he’ll stay here?”
“Mom, come on.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “I’m just curious…”
Ever since she’d spotted Hades and me in the morning, she’d been hoping for a reconciliation. She loved Hades and would never give up on him. I explained to her why it would never work, but she didn’t understand. “Well, don’t be.”
“This man is the father of my grandchild. Of course I care.”
“Wherever he stays doesn’t change his role in Andrew’s life, so I wouldn’t worry about it so much.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I saw that, Mom.”
She shrugged and kept cooking. “I didn’t hide it, dear.”