His Secret [Completed]

Chapter Forty-Nine

Sophia's key was a little tight as it slid into the lock, but after a wiggle, she managed to open the door to the apartment she'd been living in for the past two months. She juggled grocery bags that hung from her shoulders, along with her handbag and keys as she pushed open the door and placed the groceries on the counter. It had been two months of repetitive living, but she didn't seem to mind; after all, she was working in the job she'd always dreamed of and all it took to realise that was a simple phone call. She'd tried to call Noah a week after she'd left to tell him that everything was going fine, though she'd really wanted to hear his voice. When he didn't answer, the call was forwarded to voicemail and he never called back.

During that week, Sophia had stayed at a hotel and then had flown to Pennsylvania, hoping he would return her call, hoping Noah would tell her that it was only a joke and that he was madly in love with her. Of course, she knew that would never happen, but a part of her was still hopeful, and she didn't realise that she was so blinded by her love for him that it was impossible to move on. Coming to terms with their separation was a little easier, because she had other things to focus her attention on. Her job at Penn-News was going to be the focus of her mid-twenties. It was a small journalism company established twenty years prior and hadn't picked up much traction, but it was a start, and one of the companies she knew could teach her a lot about the field of work. Even though her job was merely that of a paid intern, she was learning a lot.

She'd been called to have an interview before she found a place to stay in Pennsylvania, which only made things harder. She had gone in for the interview and Mr Quinn took a liking to her. He said he saw potential and would love for her to become a part of their team. She accepted the job there and then, without a single worry about her accommodation. Luck seemed to be on Sophia's side, however; the morning she left Penn-News, an advert on a bulletin board caught her eye as she was waiting for the bus. The section was for apartment owners in need of roommates and although Sophia knew it was mainly aimed at college students in need of a place to stay, she took her chances and was accepted. The room was available for two-hundred dollars a month and it already had two roommates.

She met with one of the roommates that afternoon and they immediately clicked. Millie Stewart was a twenty-eight-year-old woman with a job at a supermarket and a charming boyfriend, Archie. At first, Sophia felt a little awkward living with a couple as she expected them to be all over each other and show no signs of embarrassment when it came to public displays of affection. But soon, Sophia found that they weren't like that at all. Millie was over-the-top dramatic but was also sweet, whereas Archie was the opposite. He was quiet and mostly kept to himself, and it was obvious that he felt as if Millie was way out of his league.

"Thank goodness you're back, I'm starving!" Millie walked into the kitchen and began to rummage through the grocery bags. She removed a pack of jelly beans and tipped some into her mouth. "I've been craving these."

"Most people would think you're pregnant," Sophia joked.

"If that's the case, I've been pregnant for most of my life then," she said and laughed along. Millie and Sophia had become good friends over the two months they'd been living together and they often enjoyed day trips to the mall at the weekends. But Sophia had been living a lie in Pennsylvania. To Millie, Archie and even her employer, she was Sophia Brown, a twenty-five-year-old woman with parents living in France and a younger brother at university. She was scared that if anyone ever found out the truth they'd think differently of her, and the two friendships she'd built were far too important to lose because of a change in name.

"What time's Archie back?" Sophia asked. Archie had started a new job around the same time Sophia had moved in. His new job didn't pay as much as his old one at a supermarket but it was important to him, which was why they had to get a roommate. On the first day they'd met, Archie had told Sophia of his dream to be a teacher, but he had never had the funds to go to university. He saved up, putting most of his wages into a separate account each month until he had enough for at least the first year. Archie worked at a school part-time training there and earning a little money while attending classes at the university, but it still wasn't enough for them to survive alone.