He Wants Me Back

Chapter 2

Sofia’s POV

Sometimes your whole world breaks apart like a glass ball dropping on the floor. That’s what happened to me that night outside Damian’s office.

The cold air felt heavy, like wearing a wet blanket. My feet kept walking even though they felt like jelly. I didn’t even know where I was going. I just needed to get away from that terrible place where I saw my husband with my stepsister.

You know that feeling when you want to scream but nothing comes out? That was me. My throat burned like I had swallowed fire.

How could Damian do this to me?

And with Vanessa?

I could still hear it, her mean laugh. It kept playing on my head like a broken toy that wouldn't stop making noise. My face was filled with tears that wouldn't stop coming, even when I kept wiping them off.

The streets were empty as I walked through, hugging myself tight. At the moment, my phone rang in my purse, but I turned a deaf ear to it because I didn't want to talk to anyone. Sometimes, when everything hurts, you prefer to be left alone.

Then I felt a sharp pain in my tummy, a scary pain that made me grab onto a street pole so I wouldn’t fall down.

“Please, baby, not now,” I whispered to my belly.

My little secret was growing inside me. A secret I'd wanted to surprise Damian with, just to finally see him smile at me again. Instead, I found out he loved someone else.

When I finally got home, everything looked different. Like when you come back from vacation and your room doesn’t feel like yours anymore. I picked up Damian's jacket, which was on the couch, and cried into it until it was soaked with my tears.

It brought back memories of when I sat on this same couch, waiting for him to come home so he could love me again. But now I knew the truth, he never would.

Suddenly, I felt really sick and ran to the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror afterwards, I barely knew myself. My eyes were puffy and red, my face white as paper.

“This isn’t who I’m supposed to be,” I whispered.

I had given up everything for Damian, my dream of being a doctor, my happiness, everything. And for what? To be told I was never enough.

That’s when I remembered someone who might help me, my best friend from doctor school, Amaya Chen. She lived far away in Switzerland.

Immediately, I picked up my phone. My hands shook as I called her.

“Sofia?” Her voice was like a warm hug through the phone.

“Amaya, I need help,” I whispered, trying not to cry again.

“You sound scared! What happened?"

Then, words tumbled out of my mouth like water from a broken dam. “Damian cheated on me with my stepsister. Now she’s pregnant with his baby, and his excuse was that I was never enough for him.”

Amaya was quiet for a moment. Then her voice came back strong and angry. “That horrible man! Sofia, listen to me. You need to leave, right now.”

“Leave to where?” I was confused, making my voice so small. “Amaya, I'm pregnant for him.”

“You’re pregnant?” Amaya whispered. “Then come to Switzerland, you can stay with me. You know, I work at St. Therese Private Hospital; they need good doctors. We can change your name to Dr Sofia Langston, and no one will ever find you.”

I was stunned.

Switzerland?

A new name?

A new life?

At first, I hesitated because it felt impossible. Then I remembered, I had nothing left here, the love I had for Damian was the last piece. And it's gone.

Dr. Sofia Langston. The name sounded brave, for someone who wasn’t married to a mean man.

“Damian could find out, what if he finds me?” I asked softly.

“You shouldn't worry about that, he won't. Pack your things tonight, before he comes home. I’m buying your ticket right now.”

When we hung up, something strange happened inside me. I was still scared and broken, but there was a tiny spark of hope, like a candle flickering in a dark room.

My hands were shaking as I packed quickly. Just some clothes, my important papers, and the pregnancy test, the only proof of my precious secret. I wrapped it carefully, like it was made of gold.

Before leaving, I glanced at my fingers, I still had our wedding ring on. It felt so heavy in my hand, so I took it off and left it on the kitchen counter.

I was done.

The next morning every sound at the airport, made me jump. What if Damian found out? What if he sent someone to stop me?

But nobody came.

As the plane took off, I watched the city get smaller and smaller below me. My old life was disappearing, and my next stop was Switzerland, my new beginning.

***

Seven Months Later

“Push, Sofia! You’re doing amazing!” The nurse squeezed my hand so tight it hurt, but I didn’t care. I've had worse.

I had always wished to have a baby of my own, but at this moment, it felt like being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time.

“I can’t do it!” I cried.

“Yes, you can! One more big push!”

I imagined every pain I had passed through, it motivated me to screamed and pushed with everything I had left.

Then suddenly, I heard the sweetest sound fill the air.

My baby’s cry.

“It’s a boy!” the doctor said, placing him on my chest.

He was so tiny and perfect, his little fists waving, his hair silky and black. When he opened his eyes, they were gray like storm clouds.

Everything about him was Damian. What a life!

My heart was pained, because no matter how far I ran, I couldn’t escape the man who broke me. He was literally right here with me.

Tears fell as I stroked my baby’s cheek.

“You look just like him,” I whispered, a mix of love and sorrow in my chest. “But you’re not him, you’re mine.”

“What will you name him?” The nurse asked.

I stared right at my perfect boy and said, “Viktor. His name will be Viktor.”

“That’s a strong name,” she smiled.

“Yes,” I said softly, kissing his tiny forehead. “He’ll need to be strong.”

When they wheeled me to my recovery room, I watched Viktor sleep beside me. The room was quiet, but my heart wasn’t.

Every little sighs, and breathing he made reminded me of Damian’s voice. It hurt, but it also healed.

That night, I broke down again, crying silently while holding him.

“You have his eyes, why?” I whispered. “Why did I have to love someone like him?”

But Viktor stirred, his little fingers curling around mine, and in that moment, something came into my mind.

Maybe I couldn’t change the past, but I could shape the future for us.

The next morning, Amaya visited, she smiled warmly. “He’s beautiful. You did it, Sofia.”

“He’s my little miracle.” I, replied with a trembling voice.

She came closer, and squeezed my shoulder. “And miracles are the start of everything new.”

I made a weak smile, not knowing that my new beginning was about to be tested sooner than I thought. Because as I turned my head toward the door, someone was standing there.

My heart skipped, and my eyes were wide open in shock.

No, it can't be.

That cannot be him in Switzerland!