“It’ll be handled soon,” he said.
“I’m tempted to take care of it today,” Kaya called over her shoulder.“But I think a high-end shopping spree the day of the fire wouldn’t be tasteful.We’ll wait until tomorrow.”
Konni drove, and our moms planned the shopping trip in the backseat.They agreed to skip anything high-end for now.Every day stores would make us look less like money grabbers and Mrs.Steele look like the down-to-earth woman she was.
My phone started to ring just as we reached The District—theneighborhood in Motan for anyone with money where the mansions sprawled on manicured hilltops.
I saw “Sperm Donor” and silently cursed myself for thinking of him earlier.
“Put it on speaker,” Konni said, seeing who was calling.
The conversation in the back quieted as I answered.
“Sophia,” Dad said, his voice dripping with compassion.“I saw the news.I’m glad you and your mom are safe, but you must be devastated.”
“It’s a lot to take in.”
“Of course it is.I can imagine what you’re having to deal with.Where are you and your Mom staying?”
He was the last person I would tell that I was staying with the Steeles.
“We’re still talking it over.”
“I know you don’t have much money right now.I can loan you enough for a few days at a cheap hotel, but you need to consider Hestian's offer before things get any worse.He’s a man of standing, and your reputation is already so questionable that you wouldn’t be fit for public events anymore.But if you’re willing to stay home until after the second child, he’ll agree to marry you.”
I lifted my hand to stall Mom’s rage when she leaned forward.
“His offer and your misguided attempt at sage advice don’t interest me.I would rather remove my uterus with a spoon than let Hestian within a mile of it.And no amount of desperation will ever make me change my mind.”
“Sophia,” Dad said sharply.
I hung up before he could say more.
“Breathe through it, Abbye.That man isn’t worth your temper.We all make mistakes when we’re young.He was yours.Forgive your younger self, and celebrate the version you are now, wise enough never to pick someone like him again.”
I twisted in my seat to look back at Mom.
“Nothing he does reflects on you.Ever.”
“I agree,” Konni said.“He’s making his own problems and will need to deal with the consequences.”
The car slowed, and I turned to look at the massive gates slowly swinging open in front of us.Trees hugged the winding driveway, making it impossible to see the home—if you could call it that—until we cleared them.
The impressive estate sat atop the next hill.It had five stories with turret-type towers on the corners, a steeply pitched roof in the middle, and an enormous balcony shone in the midday light.The balcony was duplicated on the third and fourth floors.Two massive columns extended from the ground to the third floor, accentuating the oversized front doors.
“It looks like a French castle,” Mom said from the back.
“That was the inspiration,” Kaya said.“Wait until you see inside.”
Harlow emerged to help with our bags once we parked, and Kaya led us inside for a tour.The front rooms were grand and showy, like the entry.But toward the back of the home—castle?—they were cozier spaces that the family used regularly.
She and her husband had a bedroom suite on the second floor.Konni’s grandparents had a suite on the other end of that floor.But, there were plenty more to choose from.Mom took one in the middle.
Konni led me to the third floor, where his suite overlooked the back garden.
“I can’t believe you grew up like this and are still so…normal.”
He wrapped his arms around me from behind.
