A young woman in the lodge's signature navy apron - Nat's replacement, she realized with a pang - was waiting by the entrance. She couldn't have been more than twenty, with anxious eyes and a neat dark ponytail.
"Ms. Holloway?" She stepped forward as they approached. "I'm Emma. I've packed most of your things, but..." She hesitated, wringing her hands. "Perhaps it’s best if you take a look for yourself."
They followed Emma to the master suite, and the moment she opened the door, Nat heard Sofia's sharp intake of breath. The room looked like it had been hit by a localized hurricane. Shreds of silk, cashmere, and fine wool littered the floor like confetti. The bedding had been slashed, and feathers were scattered everywhere, creating a bizarre winter scene indoors.
"I see," Sofia said, surveying the destruction. "Of course she did." She turned to Emma with a gentle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm very sorry about the mess. You can send me the bill for the damage. And I apologize if Ms. Martinez has been... difficult. I can assure you I didn't invite her here. "
Emma shrugged, but Nat caught the shadow that crossed her face. "It's okay. It's my job."
Sofia reached into her purse and withdrew an envelope. "Thank you for handling this with such grace."
Emma's eyes widened, perhaps not expecting a tip as she’d only been there two days, but Sofia was already turning away, her attention back on the destruction. She moved through the room with an eerie calm, as if cataloging evidence rather than examining the remains of her wardrobe.
"You've seen this before," Nat said. It wasn't a question.
"Not exactly like this. But yes, Carla has a flair for the dramatic when she's hurt." Sofia's voice was steady, but Nat noticed how her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the tattered sleeve of what had once been a blazer. "Two years ago, she threw my laptop out of the window because I missed her birthday party - I was stuck in Singapore closing a deal. Before that, she dumped all my files from my satchel on the floor of our apartment and poured red wine over them because I worked late three nights in a row."
"I can't imagine ever being that angry," Nat said, watching as Sofia carefully stepped over a pile of shredded silk. "At least not angry enough to destroy someone's work or belongings."
"Me either. It's such a waste of energy." Sofia straightened a picture frame that had been knocked askew. "You know what's strange? Every time she did something like this, she expected me to react, to match her drama with my own. But I never did. I'd just clean up the mess and move on." She paused, considering."Maybe that made her even angrier - that she couldn't provoke the reaction she wanted."
They loaded Sofia's surviving suitcase into Nat's car in silence. The snow was falling harder now, muffling the world around them. As Nat slid behind the wheel, Sofia reached into her bag again and pulled out another envelope.
"I know what you're going to say," she began, holding it out, "but I want you to have this."
Nat stared at the envelope, her throat tight. "If you know what I'm going to say, then you also know I won't take it."
"Please," Sofia said softly. "If not for you, then take it for your parents. Or I'll give it to them myself."
"They wouldn't take it either, they’re too proud. And I can't. It doesn't feel right."
"But it will help you and your parents and it's practically nothing to me," Sofia pressed on.
"That's exactly what bothers me." The words hung between them like frost. Nat didn’t want to say what she was about to say, but it was bugging her. "Maybe Carla was right,” she finally whispered. “What do I really have to offer you? I live in a tiny apartment and just lost my job. And you... you're up there dealing with the destruction of probably ten thousand dollars worth of clothes like it's nothing more than a minor inconvenience."
Sofia turned in her seat, flinching. "Does that bother you? The difference in income?"
"How can it not?” Nat said. “Look at us, Sofia. You live in a world where people casually destroy designer clothes to make a point. I live in a world where my parents had to close their bakery because they couldn't afford to replace one oven."
"Then take the money and buy them a new oven," Sofia said firmly. "The only thing dividing us is your perception of whatmatters. Money? That's just paper, Nat. Numbers in a bank account. It's nothing compared to what you offer me."
"What I offer you?" Nat frowned. "What exactly is that? The excitement of sleeping with the help? A charming small-town experience before you go back to your real life?"
"Stop it." Sofia's voice cracked. "You know that's not true, and I know you feel what I feel so stop looking for excuses to sabotage a beautiful thing. Your family showed me more genuine care in one morning than I've experienced in years of moving through my supposedly elevated circles." She paused, drawing a shaky breath. "Do you want to know what I saw up there, looking at my ruined clothes? I saw someone so desperate to hurt me that she destroyed things she thought I valued. But she got it wrong because the only things that matter to me are the ones money can't buy."
The sincerity in Sofia's voice made Nat's chest ache. She stared out at the falling snow, trying to sort through the tangle of emotions in her heart. She wanted to let go of Carla’s words but she kept hearing their echoes in the back of her mind and struggled to push them away. "I want to believe that's enough."
"It is enough. More than enough. The money, the different backgrounds - that's the easiest problem to solve. The hard part is finding someone who makes you feel alive, who makes your heart leap out of your chest, someone who sees you and accepts you for who you are and embraces your flaws."
Nat turned to look at her then, really look at her. Sofia's expression was open, vulnerable in a way that stripped away all the trappings of wealth, leaving just the woman who'd shown up at her door on Christmas Eve, choosing her over everything else.
"I'm scared," she admitted quietly. "Of disappointing you. Of not fitting into your world."
"You haven't even seen my world," Sofia said softly. "And when you do, you'll realize it's not as intimidating as you think.New York is just a city, my apartment is just a place to live, and the people I work with are just people trying to get through their days like everyone else."
Nat felt some of her tension ease at Sofia's words, at the simple way she stripped away the mystique of her life. She was right - Nat had built up this idea of Sofia's world in her head, letting her fears overshadow the reality of who they were together.
"But if you don't like it," Sofia continued, reaching over to cup her cheek, "then we'll build our own world. One that fits us both." She smiled then, and Nat saw in that smile all the possibilities she'd been too afraid to imagine. "Now please, take the envelope. Not because you need it, but because I want to help the people who raised the woman I'm falling for."
