When You Loved Me, I Was Gone

Chapter 2

The moment the car stopped at Gentry Manor, Sofia got out first.

She did not bother checking Colton's expression behind her. She simply walked straight inside as if she owned the place.

Benjamin Gentry sat in the center of the living room, presiding over the gathering. He was well into his eighties, but the moment he saw Rivka following Sofia in, his grip tightened around his cane.

"Sofia," he said, his voice heavy with authority, "what's going on?"

Sofia walked over and crouched obediently beside him. "Rivka told me she still couldn't let Colton go. She said she wanted to see him one last time."

Rivka froze. Then she snapped. "What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean, one last time?"

Sofia rose to her feet and widened her eyes as though she had made an honest mistake. "Oh dear—listen to me running my mouth. Last night you came running over, threw yourself at Colton, and wouldn't let go. It was such a dramatic farewell scene, I was honestly moved."

For the first time since they walked in, Colton laughed. He had always known Sofia had a sharp tongue, but even he had not expected her to let it loose in front of Benjamin.

Benjamin's gaze moved from one of them to the next before settling hard on Colton. "Come with me. We need to talk."

Before heading upstairs, he gave Rivka a long, cold look.

Then he turned to Sofia. "This is a family gathering. We are not entertaining guests today. See that she leaves."

"Of course." Sofia ignored the unreadable look Colton sent her and walked straight over to Rivka. "I'm guessing the Yates family doesn't know you're back yet." Then she looked toward the staff. "Asher."

The butler, Asher Carlson, stepped forward at once. "Mrs. Gentry."

"Have a driver take Ms. Yates back home," Sofia said pleasantly. "Tell Mr. Yates his daughter must have gotten lost on the way and accidentally wandered into Gentry Villa. While you're at it, maybe suggest he pay a little more attention to her. It's troubling that her delusions have gotten this severe without anyone noticing."

Rivka's stomach dropped. If she went back to the Yates family like this, she would not make it out unscathed.

She immediately tried to push past Sofia and go after Colton, but Sofia caught her by the arm and leaned in just enough to speak where only the two of them could hear. "What? You really thought the three of us were going to make this work?"

"Sofia!" Rivka's scream rang through the room.

Upstairs, Colton frowned and looked down. Sofia tilted her face up toward him, gave him a bright little smile, and mouthed silently, "She's being so dramatic."

Colton scoffed and looked away.

He had brought Rivka back to provoke Sofia, yet she had failed miserably.

In the study, Benjamin slammed the base of his cane against the floor. "You agreed to this marriage." He snapped. "So what exactly are you playing at by dragging Rivka back here?"

Colton sat down with calm, measured grace and turned his wedding band slowly around his finger. "You never told me what she really was. Greedy. Shameless. She was an orphan with nothing to her name, yet she had the nerve to use me as a bargaining chip with you. I'll admit, that took nerve."

Benjamin let out a low, contemptuous sound. "You picked her yourself. If you want out now, that may not be your choice to make."

Colton rose, smoothed a hand over his jacket, and looked completely unbothered. "I'm not ending the marriage. I want her completely under my control!"

Then he opened the door and walked out, ignoring the troubled look on Benjamin's face.

Benjamin started coughing the moment the door shut. He pressed a handkerchief to his mouth, and when the fit finally passed, he lowered it and saw a streak of blood.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long, tired breath. "Well, it looks like I'll be seeing you sooner than I thought, my love."

Back downstairs, Sofia had Rivka removed and waited in the hall for Colton to come back down.

When she saw him on the stairs, she walked over and reached up to smooth the front of his shirt as if they were still playing happy husband and wife. "All these women circling you are exhausting," she said with a faint smile. "I think it's time you raised my allowance."

Colton caught her wrist before she could keep fussing with his clothes. He bent toward her ear, and his voice turned cold. "You're an orphan nobody wanted. Don't flatter yourself into thinking you're anything more than that."

Sofia did not flinch. She only looked up at him and asked, sharp as glass, "So what is this? Are you done with me?"