Shades of Redemption

30

Emma arrived at my apartment just as I was pulling myself together. Elijah had called Caine to tell her I needed someone right now since he wouldn't be back for another hour. As soon as Emma walked in, her face filled with concern, she wasted no time in getting straight to the point.

"Soph, what happened?" she asked, settling down next to me on the couch.

I took a deep breath, still holding onto the red roses that Gavin had sent earlier. The note sat on the coffee table, its words echoing in my head.

"Gavin sent me these," I muttered, gesturing toward the flowers. "He called too. Said today was supposed to be our anniversary."

Emma frowned, her eyes softening as she took in the scene. "I thought you blocked him?"

"I did, but he found a way. Timothy at the studio gave him my address."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "And how do you feel about that?"

I hesitated, trying to sort through the mess of emotions swirling inside me. "I don't know. I'm angry, confused... and part of me is just tired of it all, Em. It's been a year, and I'm still not over it. I thought I was moving on, but he keeps dragging me back."

Emma placed a comforting hand on my knee. 

"Sophie, you deserve so much more than this. You deserve to be treated right and to be happy. I think it's time to really let him go. It's been a year. You've given him more than enough of your time and energy."

I nodded slowly, knowing deep down that she was right. It wasn't fair to myself to keep holding onto something that wasn't healthy anymore. 

"I've been thinking about staying at my parents' house for a while... just to get away from everything. Maybe spend Christmas there. It might be good for me."

Emma looked surprised, but she understood. "That's far from here. Are you sure you want to be away from us?"

"I think it's what I need. I need some space to think. To clear my head." I paused, looking at her.

 "What if we all celebrated Christmas there? It's a big house, and it could be a nice break for everyone."

Emma's face lit up at the idea. "That's actually a good plan! I love that idea, Sophie. You, me, Kristie, maybe even Caine, Owen and Elijah... it'd be like a mini-vacation. But I'll need to talk to Kristie about it first."

"Of course," I smiled weakly. "But it could be good for all of us. My parents' house has plenty of space, and I could use the distraction."

Just as Emma was about to respond, the door opened, and Elijah stepped back into the apartment, looking tired but relieved to be home.

"Hey, you two," he said with a smile, his eyes briefly meeting mine as if to check how I was doing.

"How's everything?"

"I'm okay," I said quietly. "Emma's been helping."