Page 249 of Secret Heir For The Billionaire Twin

“At first, I was trying to survive the next week. Then the next month. I told myself I would figure out how to contact you when everything calmed down. But the longer I was here, the safer it felt. I had family. I had help. I was building something stable.”

“And at some point you decided I didn’t get to know?”

Her face crumples slightly.

“At some point, I got used to being afraid of what would happen if I told you.”

That answer hurts more than I expect.

I stare at her.

Sophie’s voice drops.

“I know it was imperfect. I know I should have found another way. But at the time, I thought I was protecting him.”

“From me?”

“No.”

“Then from what?”

“From everything that came with you.”

I look away. She steps closer but does not touch me.

“I saw what happened when your family was under pressure,” Sophie says.

“I saw how quickly people turned private things into public ammunition. I didn’t know who I could trust. I didn’t know whether reaching out would bring that entire machine back into my life.”

I turn back to her.

“You could have trusted me.”

Her eyes fill again.

“I wanted to.”

The words land quietly. For a moment, I cannot answer. The anger is still there, but now it has edges I cannot keep as sharp as I want them to be.

I sit back down on the bench and look out toward the water beyond the gardens. Sophie remains standing beside me for a second before sitting at the opposite end.

Neither of us speaks immediately.

Finally, I say, “I’m staying in Los Angeles.”

Sophie turns toward me.

“For how long?”

“At least a few more days. Maybe longer.”

She nods slowly.

“I need time to process this.”

“I understand.”

“I don’t know what happens next.”