Page 58 of Redemption
Once Damien began cleaning, Gabriel knelt in front of the couch where I sat. He took my hands in his and looked me in the eyes.
“Sophia,” he said, his voice gentle but serious, “you’re safe now. Okay?”
Heat flooded my cheeks at his closeness, and I looked away, my lip quivering. How could he be so calm after what had justhappened? He was capable of so much violence. But today, I learned I was too.
“I don’t know what to do,” I confessed, my voice barely more than a whisper.
For a moment, Gabriel didn’t say anything. Then, very gently, he tilted my chin up until our eyes met again. “You don’t have to do anything,” he said quietly. “Just know you are safe here with me. All you need to do right now is lay down and rest. If you need time away from the town, then we’ll leave for a while, we can talk about that later, for now just rest.” He stood up and turned away while pulling out his phone.
“I don’t want to leave for a while. I want to leave and never come back.” This got Damien’s attention, who tried to conceal the eager look in his eye.
Gabriel turned back toward me.
“I want to go to New York,” I said, just throwing it out there.
“New York?” he questioned softly. “Sophia.” He shook his head. “I don’t have to even say this, but it's dangerous there.”
“It’s dangerous here, Gabriel. If anything, we would be safer there, right?”
“You would be so much safer there.” Damien jumped in. “And it’s the greatest city in the world. You would love it there, Sophia. It has everything you could ever want or need.”
“You’re not helping,” Gabriel said over his shoulder.
Damien smiled. “No, she’s right,” he continued. “Sophia, you need a fresh start. You deserve a life that’s all yours, away from this nightmare. You shouldn’t have to live in fear.” He paused, his eyes drifting towards the window. “There would be no safer place for you than with us in New York.”
“Damien,” Gabriel warned through gritted teeth.
Damien simply smiled, dropped the trash bag, and walked down the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Gabriel’s eyes locked onto mine, and I could see him battling with himself.
"I don't care about your past or your family. I care about us. What we could be together. New York could be a fresh start for you too, in a way.”
“How is that?” He asked.
I fluttered my eyelashes without meaning to. “It would be a fresh start because, well, you would be with me.”
When our eyes met again, Gabriel’s brow furrowed, clearly torn. I could see he was wrestling with a decision. His hand found mine again and held on tightly, like he was afraid I might disappear.
“Sophia…” He started, his voice choked with emotion. His gaze swept over me, taking me in. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me.”
“I know what I'm asking, Gabriel. I'm asking you to face yourself, your past, and everything you are pushing down, for us. For me.”
My voice was a mere whisper, but the intensity of my gaze matched his.
Something changed in his eyes. A spark of something—maybe hope or even resolve—flickered there before he looked away. But it was enough for me. Gabriel was concerned, yes, but he also wanted this. He wanted us.
"Just consider it," I added quickly, my voice shaking. “Just take some time to think about it, please.”
"I don’t need time to think,” Gabriel said, standing up. I sank back into the couch, staring up at him.
“You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Sophia. I'm sorry for dragging you into all of this. I will take you to New York.” Relief washed over me. I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him. “This would have happened whether you werehere or not. I would have discovered Henry's camera eventually anyway, Except because of you, Im safe. I'm not alone.”
“They way it looked to me, you could have handled him on your own. Sophia..." he began, his eyes filled with an intensity that made my heart flutter, "Going back to New York is... it's complicated."
"Isn't everything?" I found myself replying, attempting to keep the conversation light.
"Life is messy, Gabriel. It's never going to be perfect, but that's ok.”
