They’d seen photos of Ryan and the other woman, a brunette. Then more pics of Sophie coming in and the confrontation that followed. Charlie had kept an eye on the other woman, snapping more shots as she’d left the building.
“Charlie said Sophie didn’t stay,” Essie murmured. “She left within minutes.”
“Can you blame her?” Frank asked.
“No,” Essie said immediately. “But she shouldn’t have been the one to leave. It’s her place. And I worry about where she went. About what state her head is in right now.”
Frank finally put his phone down and took a sip of his coffee. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that, too.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of last night bearing down on them. Sophie had been so sure. So defiant. So convinced, it seemed, at least behind the scenes, that Ryan was her champion, her protector, her ticket to something bigger.
And now there were photographs for them and a confrontation for her. Undeniable truth that he was none of those things. That he’d been using her.
“I want to call her,” Essie said, voice trembling despite her effort to keep it steady. “I want to tell her I love her no matterwhat. That she can come here if she needs to. That we’ll help her pick up the pieces.”
“I know,” Frank said gently. “So do I.”
“But?” Essie asked, already sensing it.
Frank rubbed his palm over the table. “But she left Chad’s furious. She burned bridges. And there’s been no indication that she’s going to drop the lawsuits. If we call her now, how do we explain that we know what happened? If I tell her I hired a private investigator to watch Ryan, that will only make things worse. I know her.”
Essie winced at the thought that this couldgetworse. “You think she could push us away harder.”
“Exactly.”
Essie pressed her lips together, fighting tears. “But if we don’t call her…”
“She’s an adult, Essie. She’s made some bad decisions,” Frank said quietly. “I love my daughter. You know that. But this is one of those moments where she’s going to have to do some serious thinking and make some adult decisions. It’s about time.”
Essie left her coffee cup behind and walked to the window, pressing her fingertips lightly against the sliding glass door. The world beyond the house looked unchanged. Bright and sunny, the welcoming blue of the Gulf nearly matching the color of the sky. It was an ordinary day in a way that felt almost cruel.
She loved Sophie. Truly. But loving a grown stepdaughter was a different kind of love. One that required patience, restraint, and constant awareness of when to step forward and when to stay back.
She hadn’t raised Sophie like she had her own daughter, Liliana. Essie hadn’t kissed Sophie’s scraped knees or braided her hair or stayed up with her through teenage heartbreaks.Albie had been tougher, but Liliana was very much her mother’s child.
Whatever childhood memories Sophie had, they only featured Frank and Sophie’s late mother, Stacia. A woman Essie still felt very much in the shadow of sometimes.
She’d been so careful not to step too far into a role that wasn’t hers by history, to make it plain she had no desire to replace Stacia. Despite that, Sophie had made the conscious choice to hate Essie.
“I wish I knew what I could have done differently with Sophie,” Essie said softly. “I know you’ve said none of this is my fault, but you can’t deny things could have gone differently.”
“That’s not on you.” Frank joined her at the window, close but not crowding her. “Nothing you did, outside of marrying me, caused this. And if that’s the case, the blame ultimately belongs to me.”
Essie leaned into him. “Do you think marrying me was a mistake?”
He stiffened for just a moment, maybe from the weight of the question. He took her by the shoulders and turned her gently, so she had to look at him. “No. Never. Don’t ever think that.” His voice was firm and full of certainty. “But Sophie’s been hurting a long time. Long before you came into her life. Honestly, it really started after Stacia died. She never got over losing her mother.”
Essie nodded, though her eyes burned at his reassurance. “I want to help her, Frank. I truly do. And I think I could, if she’d just let me in. But I don’t want to make things worse by trying when I know she won’t welcome what she’ll see as an intrusion.”
He pulled her in close. “You’re allowed to care. You’re allowed to worry. But you have to know you’re not required to fix it.”
“That might be the hardest part,” Essie said quietly. “Watching someone you care about fall apart and feelinghelpless because you know trying to help will probably make things worse.”
Frank exhaled, a sound that seemed weighted with years of fatherhood and one very new marriage. “I could call her. I could say I heard things didn’t go well at Chad’s. Might be enough to get her talking. Even if she won’t talk, I might find a way in.”
“That’s worth a shot,” Essie admitted. “I don’t want her pain to turn into more resentment toward either of us.”
She pulled back slightly, her gaze drifting out the window again. How could the day just go on like nothing was wrong when everything was falling apart? She exhaled and asked God for strength and answers and for Sophie to have a change of heart.
