The pieces we lost
1311 Words
The sirens grew louder through the forest.
Blue and red lights flashed between the trees while Ashford Manor continued burning behind them, flames swallowing decades of secrets.
Thompson cursed quietly under his breath.
“The files were in my coat,” he said, his voice tight with frustration. “Samuel must’ve taken them during the fight.”
Sophia’s chest tightened immediately.
“So all the evidence is gone?”
“Not all of it.”
He looked back toward the fire carefully, calculating something in his mind.
“There were copies somewhere.”
“You’re sure?”
“No,” he admitted. “But my father never trusted only one hiding place.”
Rain soaked through Sophia’s sweater as smoke drifted across the lawn. In the distance, emergency vehicles finally reached the manor gates.
Thompson grabbed her hand suddenly.
“We need to leave.”
“What? Why?”
“Because if Samuel controls the police again, staying here becomes dangerous.”
The reminder chilled her instantly.
Without another word, they disappeared deeper into the forest before the authorities reached the mansion.
An hour later, Thompson parked outside an old lakeside cabin far beyond Raven Hill.
The place looked isolated and forgotten, surrounded by towering pine trees and thick fog rolling over black water nearby.
Sophia stepped out of the car slowly.
“You own this too?”
“My mother did.”
The sadness in his voice returned again.
Inside, the cabin felt surprisingly warm despite its age. A fireplace crackled softly while old books filled wooden shelves along the walls.
It felt lived in.
Safe.
Thompson locked the door behind them immediately.
“You can stay here tonight.”
Sophia crossed her arms.
“And you?”
“I’ll figure out where Samuel went.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“You almost died tonight.”
“So did you.”
Thompson looked away at first.
That small action hurt more than she expected.
For several quiet seconds, only rain and firewood crackling filled the room.
Then Sophia finally asked, sitting painfully inside her chest.
“What really happened the night my parents died?”
Thompson went still.
The tension in the room became immediate.
“You don’t have to tell me now,” she added softly.
“Yes, I do.”
He removed his soaked coat slowly before sitting near the fireplace. Shadows from the flames moved across his face, making him look older somehow.
More tired.
Sophia sat across from him quietly.
Thompson stared into the fire before speaking.
“My father discovered Blackwood Gallery was laundering money for dangerous people,” he began quietly. “Your father helped him track financial records.”
Sophia listened carefully.
“They planned to expose everything together.”
“So why didn’t they?”
Thompson’s expression darkened.
“Someone betrayed them.”
Her stomach tightened.
“Samuel?”
“Yes.”
Rain is hitting the cabin windows harder now.
Thompson continued softly.
“The night your parents died, my father realized Samuel had leaked information about them. He sent me to warn your family before they left the city.”
Sophia’s heartbeat slowed painfully.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
For a moment, Thompson couldn’t speak.
When he finally did, his voice sounded broken.
“I was too late.”
The words barely rose above a whisper.
Sophia saw guilt in his eyes so deep it almost frightened her.
“I watched another car force them off the road,” he continued quietly. “The crash happened seconds later.”
Pain tightened in her chest.
“And the explosion?”
Thompson closed his eyes briefly.
“I tried reaching them.”
His hands clenched tightly.
“But the fire…”
He stopped speaking.
Sophia realized then that he still saw it every night.
The flames.
The helplessness.
The loss.
“You were only sixteen,” she whispered.
“That doesn’t change anything.”
“Yes, it does.”
Thompson shook his head immediately.
“If I’d arrived sooner—”
“You couldn’t have stopped it.”
His jaw tightened.
“You don’t know that.”
Silence stretched painfully between them.
Then Sophia crossed the room slowly and sat beside him near the fire.
Thompson looked surprised but didn’t move away.
“You blamed yourself because you survived,” she said softly.
He stared into the flames.
“Yes.”
The honesty in that single word nearly broke her heart.
For years, she thought she carried grief alone.
But Thompson had been carrying it too.
Quietly.
Endlessly.
Without thinking, Sophia rested her head gently against his shoulder.
Thompson froze slightly at first.
Then slowly relaxed.
The warmth between them felt dangerous in a completely different way now.
Not because of fear.
Because it felt real.
“I hated feeling alone after they died,” Sophia whispered.
Thompson’s voice softened.
“You weren’t alone.”
“You never came.”
“I wanted to.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
He hesitated.
“Because every time you looked at me, you would’ve remembered the worst night of your life.”
Tears filled her eyes unexpectedly.
“You don’t know that.”
“I know I couldn’t survive you hating me.”
The confession silenced her completely.
Outside, thunder rolled across the lake while rain continued falling endlessly.
Sophia looked up slowly.
Their faces were suddenly very close.
Too close.
Thompson noticed it too.
His breathing shifted slightly.
“Sophia…”
But she kissed him again before he could stop her.
This time it lasted longer.
Softer.
Filled with every emotion, neither of them knew how to explain.
Thompson touched her face carefully, almost like he was afraid she would disappear.
When they finally pulled apart, the firelight reflected in his blue eyes.
And for the first time since meeting him, Elena saw hope there.
Real hope.
Then—
A loud knock echoed through the cabin.
Both of them froze instantly.
Another knock followed.
Harder this time.
Thompson stood immediately, protective instincts returning at once.
“Sophia, stay back.”
He reached for the handgun near the table and moved silently toward the door.
The knocking stopped.
Silence swallowed the cabin.
Then a familiar voice spoke from outside.
“Luna,” the voice called nervously. “Please tell me you’re both alive.”
Sophia rushed forward instantly.
“Luna!”
Thompson opened the door cautiously.
Luna stumbled inside soaking wet and furious.
“I hate both of you,” she announced immediately before hugging Sophia tightly.
Sophia laughed shakily for the first time all night.
“How did you find us?”
Luna pointed accusingly at Thompson.
“His driver told me. Also, your boyfriend has terrifying employees.”
Thompson raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Boyfriend?”
Luna looked between them once.
Then she narrowed her eyes dramatically.
“Oh my God. You kissed, didn’t you?”
Sophia immediately looked embarrassed.
Luna threw her hands into the air.
“The emotionally damaged rich boy wins again.”
Despite everything, Thompson almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Luna’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“There’s another reason I came.”
The room quieted instantly.
“What happened?” Sophia asked.
Luna swallowed hard.
“Someone broke into your apartment tonight.”
Fear crawled up Sophia’s spine.
“What?”
“They searched for everything.”
Thompson’s face darkened immediately.
“Samuel.”
Luna nodded slowly.
“But that’s not the worst part.”
Sophia’s heartbeat quickened.
“What do you mean?”
Luna reached into her bag carefully and pulled out a photograph.
Burned around the edges.
Old.
Shaking slightly, Sophia took it.
Her breath caught in
stantly.
The picture showed her parents standing beside Thompson’s father again.
But there was someone else in the photograph this time.
A woman.
A woman who looked exactly like Sophia.
- Writer
