Chapter 6: Ghosts of the Past

Sophia's POV

The night was thick with rain, the sound of it hammering against the windshield in deafening waves. My father's hands gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles white under the dim glow of the dashboard lights. My mother sat in the passenger seat, turned toward me, her expression tense, sharp.

"Enough, Sophia." Her voice was strained, that kind of controlled fury only a mother can master.

But I wasn't done.

"I don't understand why you won't just listen to me!" I shouted, my sixteen-year-old self burning with anger, resentment, something ugly and twisting in my chest. "You don't get to decide my entire life for me!"

"We're protecting you!" my father snapped, his deep voice vibrating through the car. "One day, you'll understand—"

"I don't want to understand! I just want you to trust me!"

The words were still in my throat when the world exploded in white-hot light.

A deafening crash.

The gut-wrenching sound of metal twisting, glass shattering, screams—

And then—

Darkness.

I woke up with a gasp, my chest heaving, my hands tangled in the sheets.

It took me a full minute to remember where I was. To pull myself out of the past and back into the present. My room was dark, the faint hum of the city filtering through the massive windows, headlights flashing across the walls.

I was safe.

I was here.

But they weren't.

My fingers pressed into my thigh, right over the scar that had never faded. The ugly reminder of what I had lost. The price I had paid for my last words to them being spoken in anger.

I exhaled slowly, unclenching my fists.

It had been years. And yet, every so often, my subconscious liked to drag me back. As if it didn't want me to forget.

Not that I ever could.

The accident had left me in a coma for six months. Six months of silence, of nothingness. And when I had finally opened my eyes, the first thing I had seen was Charles Lemaire, my father's best friend, sitting at my bedside with weary eyes and a broken heart.

And Leah.

The girl who had always been my best friend. Who, from that moment on, became something more.

The only family I had left.

The office was already buzzing with activity when I walked in the next morning, coffee in one hand, the weight of my dream still lingering like a ghost in the back of my mind.

Leah was waiting in my office, perched on my desk like she belonged there.

"Rough night?" she asked, eyes scanning my face.

I sighed, setting my coffee down. "The usual."

Her expression softened. She didn't have to ask what that meant. She already knew.

"You haven't had the nightmares in a while," she said carefully.

I shrugged, trying to push the weight of it off. "Guess my subconscious wanted a throwback."

She studied me for a second, then nodded. "Want me to schedule a meeting with your therapist?"

"No," I said immediately. "I'm fine."

Leah sighed but didn't push. She never did. She just knew when to let me be.

Instead, she switched gears. "Alright. Business update. The investors from London confirmed their interest, but they're playing hard to get, so I think we should—"

A sharp knock at the door interrupted her.

I glanced up, my brow furrowing. "Come in."

The door opened, and my assistant stepped in, her expression tight. "Miss Moreau, I'm sorry to interrupt, but… Mr. Cole is here."

My stomach clenched.

Leah let out a low whistle. "Well, shit."

I took a slow sip of my coffee before answering. "Tell him I'm busy."

My assistant hesitated. "He, uh… said you might say that. And he also said that you love a challenge, so he'd be disappointed if you backed down."

Leah choked on laughter.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Send him in."

As soon as my assistant left, Leah turned to me, grinning. "I love this for you."

I shot her a glare. "I hate you."

"No, you don't."

Before I could argue, the door swung open again, and there he was.

Travis Cole, in all his cocky, infuriating, insufferably good-looking glory.

His dark hair was slightly tousled, his tailored suit crisp, and his smirk?

Smug as hell.

"Good morning, sweetheart."

I clenched my jaw. "Cole."

Leah let out a barely concealed laugh and muttered, "Oh, this is gonna be fun." Then she stood, gave me a knowing wink, and strolled out of the office, leaving me alone with the one man I really didn't want to deal with today.

Travis took his time shutting the door behind her before turning his attention back to me.

He leaned against the wall, completely at ease. "Miss me already?"