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“I’m sorry to inform you Mr. Pierce passed away before arriving at the hospital.”
Everything inside me froze. I couldn’t have heard her correctly.
“Would you repeat that?”
“Your grandfather died about an hour ago. I have you listed as the person of contact for Mr. Pierce.”
“Thank you for informing me. Would you mind telling me his cause of death?”
He looked healthy the last time I saw him. Could he have gotten in another fight?
“He suffered a heart attack during his morning outdoor time.”
This seemed too damned convenient and definitely way too easy for the old man’s end to come in this fashion. Then again, it would serve him right since all he cared about was his reputation and going down in a blaze of glory.
“I’m sure you know his record. Was it as simple as you’re saying, or were other factors involved?”
There was a momentary pause before she spoke, “Are you asking if he was involved in an altercation?”
“Yes. My grandfather isn’t the type to keep his opinions to himself. The last time I received one of these calls, he was the loser in a five-against-one fight.”
“No. From the reports of the officers on duty, Mr. Pierce spent the morning on the rec field, writing in his journal as he does most days after his meal.”
“I see.” I couldn’t seem to process the reality of the situation. “What now?”
“Claiming of the body and arrangements for his burial. Everything is up to you. The alternative is to leave him with us, and we will assume responsibility for Mr. Pierce’s remains.”
If only I had the ability to wash away my obligations by handing him over to the State. But no, I’d follow through with this last bit of duty. Then, it would all end forever.
“I will take care of it. Please expect me there in a few hours.”
I hung up as a numb haze settled over me. I stared at the construction site with no sadness, hate, or glee at the death of a man who’d created a legacy of so much pain for my family.
I should feel relief to no longer carry the burden of visiting the asshole. I’d fulfilled my promise to Grandmother Josephine.
Instead of that place in my heart where I’d held so much contempt for the bastard, there was nothingness. An empty hole lived there, dark and desolate.
Then, it struck me as if one of the cement towers of the building before me hit my head.
I’d created a prison with thicker walls than the one Stuart lived in for the last fifteen years. One that separated me from everyone around me. I used it as a shield saying it protected others, but I was a fucking liar.
I repeatedly told Sophia I wasn’t good enough for her, that I was dangerous, and that she deserved better. Now, she accepted it, but not for the reasons I’d given her. She saw through my bullshit. I wanted all of her without giving her the same in return, and she wasn’t having any of it.
The way I remembered her telling me to leave showed me she would let me wallow behind the cell walls I’d created. She was picking herself, her future, even if it meant one without me.
I gripped my hair and lifted my face to the sky.
God, I fucked up so badly, and I had no one to blame but me.
She’d chosen a life without me, and I had to live with the consequences.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sophia
“What are you hiding, Sophia?” Oliana demanded as she stepped out of the elevator onto my studio floor. “This working alone thing is annoying. I’m your assistant. Let me assist.”
With a mouth full of sewing pins, I lifted my gaze at her and returned my focus to the piece currently on a dress form before me, then mumbled. “A gown.”
