Chapter 15 - Sophie tells Daniel the truth about the chair
Daniel brought Sophie to my house several weeks later.
Neutral afternoon.
No Victoria.
Sophie stood near Noah’s playroom.
He saw her.
Ran.
“Sophie!”
She froze.
Then smiled.
Noah dragged a chair toward her.
“My chair.”
Daniel and I both went still.
Noah patted it.
“You sit.”
Sophie started crying.
Noah looked confused.
“What?”
She crouched.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Your chair.”
He shrugged.
“Sit.”
She sat.
Then he climbed onto her lap because three-year-olds respect no symbolism.
Sophie laughed through tears.
Later she told Daniel:
“I thought Noah would hate me.”
“He’s three.”
“I still thought.”
“Why?”
“Mom said boys remember when girls take things.”
Daniel looked at me.
Victoria had taught Sophie to fear retaliation from Noah for something Victoria forced her to do.
Divide both ways.
Then Sophie said:
“She said after wedding Mr. Raffaele would blame me if Noah was sad.”
There.
Sophie was supposed to carry guilt for Noah’s separation too.
If he went lake house and cried:
May you like
Sophie would believe it happened because she “won.”
That would make her easier to control.
