Becoming Queen

Chapter 40: Audience with the Queen

2 days later

Sofia

"Aw fuck".

Rubbing my head at the sharp needle like pain digging in my head, I opened my eyes to the gentle colour of cream walls.

"Is this heaven?" I whispered out as the pounding in my head seemingly died down as my eyes opened to the peace of the cream coloured ceiling.

"No sweetheart, it's not".

Jolting up on the bed I was lying on, my eyes instantly landed on my dad who was sat on the opposite side of the room.

"Well I must be, because you look different" I chuckled as I collapsed back down.

He looked healthy and strong, dressed in his infamous suits with his hair gelled back like always to impress mum.

"That's your mother's fault. She's literally been force feeding me like a baby. Can't complain with your mother's cooking".

Frowning up at him, I titled my head wondering if this was just a vivid dream or if it was in fact real.

Sensing my confusion, dad shakily pushed himself up from off the sofa and walked over towards me before crouching down beside me with his hand holding up my head.

"You feel real" I asked in complete confusion as I ran my fingers over his cheek that was still a little gaunt, but the bags under his eyes had vanished.

"That's because I am. I know it must feel a bit euphoric, but it's probably from the sedative".

Looking down at my body, I began to shake in anger seeing myself in some sort of hospital gown.

"Elias" I growled out remembering that he drugged me when I was so close to avenging-

"Grandma" I whispered out whilst looking at dad through watering eyes.

Watching him get off the floor, he sat beside me on the bed and before I could say anything, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me so I rested on his lap.

Feeling overcome with emotion and images of Nana's dead body in my head, I clutched onto dad's arm and cried into the strong smell of his cologne lingering on his suit.

Sobs crawled up my throat along with harsh breaths full of frustration and pain and I held onto my dad tighter than ever before.

Screaming into his warm body, I felt dad's arms tighten around me with the sounds of his own crying drowning mine out.

I couldn't even look him in the eye.

He had woken up from his coma only to find out that his mum was killed.

"I-I'm so sorry daddy" I cried into his arm feeling nauseous with guilt.

Dad didn't say a word, but kept on crying in heartbreak.

But before I could wallow in guilt, he picked me up and forced me to look into his red watering eyes.

"N-No sweetheart. It w-was not your fault" he cried whilst wiping away my tears not caring about the tears that flowed freely down his cheeks.

"I-It was dad, I was there. I should have said yes. If I had just joined with that b-bitch then Nana would still be here. I'm weak. I'm not strong like you or mum" I cried feeling myself becoming woozy and weak, but dad didn't let me fall.

He cupped my cheeks with his big hands and glared at me with tears still in his eyes.

"I don't know what that bastard Giovanni has been telling you, but you are the opposite of weak Sofia Rose Hendricks. You my beautiful girl have been through hell and back and you are stronger than ever before. You stepped into a world with no knowledge of it and you ruled like a true queen. You and your mum are another level of strength compared to me. Without you or her, I wouldn't be where I am today. The true heroes in our story are the women in our family. Your favourite book when you were a little girl was one in which the princess didn't need the help from a prince. I always knew you'd grow up to one day become stronger than me. And you have proved that".