Capable of Loving You

Chapter 10: The King's Winter Ball, Part II

A/N: Sorry for the long wait but here it finally is! Hope you like it! Please leave comments and votes! :)

**********************************************************************************************

Sophia escaped to the gardens. It had started snowing and she watched it accumulate on the tops of the hedges of the elaborate maze. The cold barely registered in Sophia's mind because the rest of her body was burning with hurt. How could he say such a thing? she thought, angrily wiping away the tears. The man she was still desperately in love with saying such awful things about her, stabbed at her heart. If only he knew much I still want to be with him, she thought sadly.

Sophia couldn't wallow in self-pity for too long because a voice interrupted her, "You're a spitting image of your mother."

She spun around to find an unfamiliar face staring at her intently. The man looked to be in his late forties and was handsome for his age with salt and pepper gray hair and defined cheekbones. He looked suave in his dark tux and while he smiled charmingly, his eyes told another story. Sophia shuddered slightly but not from the cold.

"Who are you?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

As he walked closer to Sophia, she thought he resembled a hyena about to pounce on its prey. It made Sophia want to get as far away from him as possible, but she stood her ground.

"I'm so hurt your mother never mentioned me," he said putting a hand over his heart in mock sadness. His eyes remained sharp as ever though. Sophia didn't like this man at all.

"Look, I think you've got the wrong person," Sophia said trying to side step him and return inside.

"I could remember those eyes anywhere," the man said, letting her pass, "Irene has the exact same ones, does she not?"

Sophia stopped in her tracks. "How do you know my mother?" she tried asking calmly. Her hands were clasped tightly to keep them from trembling.

"So she never mentioned me, huh? I am deeply offended," he shook his head but his voice remained indifferent.

This bastard is having too much fun toying with me, Sophia thought finally losing her cool. "Who. Are. You." she bit out, turning back around to see his smirking face.

"I am Dimitri Volkov and I was betrothed to your mother twenty-four years ago until she ran away the night before our wedding with your baker father," he proclaimed, still smiling creepily.

"You're lying," Sophia whispered, shocked to the core.

"Well, why don't you ask her then?" he suggested.

"Because she's dead!" Sophia yelled.

"Oh is she now? How tragic," his voice was anything but sad and sympathetic. Sophia suspected he knew all along that her mother was dead. She'd only talked to him a few minutes but already she knew he loved to play with people's emotions.

He came close enough to whisper in Sophia's ear. His voice was like a thousand ice shards stabbing her from head to toe, "I know who you really are. And just know that soon you'll have no place to call home. Again."

Sophia stared at him in utter disbelief. She barely recognized Erwin's voice calling her.

"There you are Sophia! I've been looking everywhere for you."