Forever Tied to you

36

Mason

Staying away from Sophie was harder than I thought it would be. I didn't want to fight with her or say things I didn't mean, so instead I was just avoiding her. I had spent a few days sleeping at the office, but there was only so many nights a man could sleep on a love seat before he needs a bed.

I also wanted her beside me, but that was irrelevant to the task at hand.

When I finally got home I had crept in the back door. I wasn't ready to see how my disappearance had affected her. Facing her was harder than anything because looking at her only reminded me how much I wished I could be better, how much I was already in love with her.

I had quickly and quietly eaten the food on the counter before placing the dishes in the dishwasher and then I decided to face the music. I could hear the toilet flushing upstairs and what sounded like Sophie gagging.

I couldn't let her suffer on her own. I just couldn't help myself. I opened and shut the front door to give the guise that I had just returned and walked towards the stairs. That's when she yelled in a hoarse voice that the chicken in the food was bad.

I didn't care about that, I cared about the strain in her hoarse voice followed by the evident sounds of vomiting coming from upstairs.

I found her in the guest room bathroom hurling into the toilet and once she was done I left to get some water, taking in all her belongings in the spare room.

It hurt more than I thought it could.

Later that night I laid on my bed tossing and turning and unable to sleep. Why did life have to be so complicated? I could hear her crying in her room and every part of me wanted to comfort her, even though I was fairly sure I caused it.

I couldn't bare the thought of ruining her. There were still things she didn't know about me, big things that even my mother didn't know about. I'll admit when Sierra came back I was expecting some backlash from the past. But I had thought that the deal between her father and I was void after she left me.

Evidently it wasn't and that alone put Sophie in danger, especially if she formed any real feelings in the way I had.

Sierras dad was a powerful man. Back when we started dating, he had footed the bill to help me start my company under the premise that I marry Sierra so that our children would benefit from the companies profits.

Neither of us had planned for her to cheat and move across the country with another guy and her father had kept in touch since then. In fact up until a couple days ago he had been encouraging me to date. Seems all that changed when she returned.

He now expected us to rekindle the past and complete the deal we had once made. Clearly infidelity was a family trait because he brushed off the fact that I was now married as if it were insignificant. Of course I would never do that to Sophie, but knowing sierras father, it wasn't beneath him to harm her to get what he wanted.

I could live with getting myself hurt by refusing this ridiculous situation, but not Sophie. I promised to protect her and keep her safe and even if we could never be together permanently, that was one promise I would never break.
....

I spent the day working with Steven the next day and as much as I was trying to keep my distance, I needed to make sure that Sophie was okay. I had heard her this morning, throwing up repeatedly and I knew it had to be a stomach bug. I had eaten the chicken last night and I wasn't sick, so she must have picked up a bug somewhere.

Still I wished things were simpler. I had the sense to know she probably didn't want to talk to me after how I had been acting, even though I wanted so badly to call her and hear her voice.

"Mason, what is going on with you?" Steven asked breaking my thoughts as we worked on some filing.

"I have to let Sophie go. Sierra's dad wants me to complete the deal we made now she's back." I sighed.

Steven was the only person that knew about the deal, and that's because he was there when I drunkenly admitted it after she left.

"No. You. Don't." He set the stack of files down and looked at me sternly. "I haven't seen you as happy as you've been since you married Sophie, well ever. You need to sort your shit out. She's not Sierra and I don't care if you don't want to admit you love her, I know you do. Go home, talk to her, explain why you're being a jackass and figure it out! You are not going to bow to Sierra and her demands, I don't care what her father says."

"It's not that simple." I sighed.

"It is though. If you want Sophie, let her figure it out with you. Talk to her and stop being an idiot." He said before picking up the files and getting back on task as I just sat and stared at Sophie's contact on my phone.

Eventually I decided to listen. Perhaps if I explained she would understand why we couldn't be together, why I couldn't risk her safety.

Me: How are you feeling?

Sophie: I'll be fine.

Me: good, you had me worried?

Sophie: really? Because you haven't spoken to me in days.

Me: I know.

Sophie: well, I'm fine. I think we should talk tonight though.

Me: I think we should talk too. I have some explaining to do.

She didn't respond after that and as the day wore on I had tried to call a few times and was met with her voicemail.

"Steven? I'm gonna head out. Sophie isn't answering the phone and I need to make sure she's okay." I grabbed my jacket as I raced out the doors.

Steven mumbled something that I didn't quite catch as I ran to the elevator. I just hoped she was ignoring me, and that she wasn't so sick she couldn't answer. If something happened and I wasn't there I would never forgive myself.

When I got home I walked in to find Sophie sitting in the floor of my room, sobbing, with her legs crossed in front of her.

"Soph?"