Working Together Again
1172 Words
The next morning, Sophia woke before sunrise.
She barely had time to open her eyes before a small voice called from the next room.
“Mommy!”
She smiled despite how tired she felt.
“I’m coming, sweetheart.”
Liam was already sitting up in bed, hugging his favorite dinosaur.
“I had a funny dream,” he said.
“Oh? Tell me.”
“We were riding on a giant cookie.”
Sophia laughed as she picked him up.
“A giant cookie?”
“Yes! And it tasted like chocolate.”
“That sounds like the best dream ever.”
Liam nodded seriously.
“It was.”
She carried him to the kitchen and made pancakes while he colored pictures at the table.
For a little while, everything felt normal.
No meetings. No memories. No Noah.
But the moment she looked at the clock, reality returned.
She had to go back to Carter Holdings.
She had to face him again.
After dropping Liam at daycare, Sophia drove to work with a knot in her stomach.
The boardroom was already filling when she arrived.
Richard stood beside a large screen displaying the plans for Horizon City.
“As everyone knows,” he began, “this project will define the future of both companies.”
He looked around the room before stopping at Sophia and Noah.
“From today onward, Sophia Carter and Noah Bennett will lead this project together.”
Sophia’s heart sank.
She raised her hand.
“Father, I think another architect would be more suitable.”
Richard frowned.
“Why?”
“I already have several ongoing projects.”
“You can manage them.”
“I don’t think—”
“This decision is final.”
His firm voice left no room for argument.
Sophia slowly lowered her hand.
Across the table, Noah remained silent.
He didn’t look pleased either.
When the meeting ended, everyone left except the two of them.
Sophia gathered her files quickly.
“I’ll send today’s designs by email.”
She turned to leave.
“Sophia.”
She froze.
It was the first time Noah had said her name in three years.
She slowly faced him.
“We need to discuss the project schedule.”
“It can wait.”
“It really can’t.”
She sighed and walked back.
For the next hour, they reviewed blueprints, budgets, and deadlines.
The conversation stayed strictly professional.
Neither of them mentioned the past.
Neither of them spoke about the pain between them.
Still, Sophia noticed little things.
Noah still tapped his pen when he was thinking.
He still drank black coffee without sugar.
He still read every page before signing anything.
Some habits never changed.
Around noon, Noah placed a bottle of water beside her laptop.
“You haven’t had anything to drink.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve been working for hours.”
“I said I’m fine.”
He didn’t argue.
He simply nodded and returned to his documents.
Sophia stared at the bottle for several seconds before quietly taking a sip.
He had remembered.
Years ago, he always reminded her to drink water whenever she buried herself in work.
She hated that he still noticed.
The afternoon became busier.
Their teams gathered for another presentation with investors.
Sophia stood at the front of the room explaining the latest building designs.
Halfway through her presentation, the words on the screen began to blur.
She blinked.
Everything spun.
She hadn’t slept much the night before because Liam had a fever.
She had skipped breakfast to make it to work on time.
The room suddenly felt too warm.
Her knees weakened.
Before she hit the floor, strong arms caught her.
Gasps filled the room.
“Sophia.”
Noah’s voice sounded worried.
“Can you hear me?”
She slowly opened her eyes.
His face was only inches away.
For one painful second, it felt like nothing had changed.
Like they were still the couple who dreamed about growing old together.
“I’m okay,” she whispered.
“No, you’re not.”
He helped her sit down while someone handed her a glass of water.
Richard walked over.
“What happened?”
“I’m just tired.”
“You should go home.”
“I still have work.”
“You can finish tomorrow.”
Sophia wanted to protest, but her body refused to cooperate.
Noah picked up her bag.
“I’ll walk you downstairs.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
His calm answer made her chest tighten.
The elevator ride was painfully quiet.
When the doors opened, Noah handed her the bag.
“You should take better care of yourself.”
She forced a smile.
“Thank you.”
She turned to leave.
“Sophia.”
She stopped again.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
She didn’t turn around.
“That was three years ago.”
“It still matters.”
“Maybe to you.”
She walked away before he could answer.
By evening, she had picked Liam up from daycare and returned home.
The little boy ran straight into her arms.
“Mommy!”
She hugged him tightly.
“I missed you too.”
Later, there was another knock at her door.
She opened it to find Ethan standing outside with a bag of groceries.
“I figured you were too tired to cook,” he said with a smile.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to.”
Liam cheered when he saw Ethan.
“Uncle Ethan!”
Ethan laughed and lifted him into the air.
“Hey, little man.”
While Liam played with his toys, Ethan helped Sophia prepare dinner.
He noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes.
“You look exhausted.”
“It was a long day.”
“Because of Noah?”
Sophia stayed quiet.
Ethan watched her carefully.
“He came back after three years.”
“Yes.”
“Has anything changed?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“You still love him?”
Sophia looked toward Liam, who was happily building a tower from colorful blocks.
“My life is here now.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
She looked down at her hands.
“My past is over.”
Ethan wanted to say more, but he let the subject drop.
After dinner, he said goodbye and left.
That night, across the city, Noah finally arrived home.
He loosened his tie and sat alone in the quiet apartment.
Without thinking, he opened his wallet.
Inside was the old photograph of Sophia laughing on the beach.
He stared at it for a long time.
Three years had passed.
Everything between them had changed.
Yet somehow, he still couldn’t bring himself to throw the picture away.
He gently traced her smiling face with his thumb.
Then he closed his eyes, wondering if she had ever kept anything that reminded her of him.
- Writer
