His Secret [Completed]

Chapter Thirty-Four

She ran down the stairs, skipping a few at a time and out into the dimly lit garden. The pounding of her feet matched the pouring rain on the marble pavement as she ran. Again, she skipped a few steps up onto the balcony. The door was unlocked and once inside, she kicked her wet shoes off to the side. Sophia's walk was quick as she made her way back to Alan's office. It was the early hours of the morning and she knew there was a chance he would be back in his bedroom asleep, but she couldn't wait. She needed answers.

His desk light was switched on when she approached. Alan was sitting in his leather chair with a glass of whiskey in hand. On the desk in front of him was the photo frame and his eyes were glued to it as if it would disappear if he looked away. She stood at the door breathless and flustered with the letter dangling from her hand at her side. As she moved to sit across from him, Sophia noticed the puffy redness around his tired eyes and wondered if he'd been crying. The room was an emotion-filled mess and it was only a matter of time before it got even more so.

"Is this why you don't like me?" Sophia broke the silence, and asked the question she'd had burning in her mind since the first time they saw each other. Their first encounter was awkward and even though Sophia had mentally prepared herself, she didn't realise how embarrassing it would be. He'd barely greeted her, ignored her and she felt herself becoming smaller and smaller in his presence until she was the size of a mouse.

Alan shook his head. "I've always liked you, Sophia. I was feeling guilty. The life you've had has been a hard one and I never tried to help. You stopped coming to visit after your grandmother died but my mother never stopped visiting you. She would look forward to those Saturdays. Then before she died, she asked me to keep an eye on your family and especially you. My mother realised how hard you'd taken Jaqueline's death and thought it'd be nice for you to have someone to play with. She wanted you to visit every week as you had done before and play with Noah. The hardest thing I ever did was tell my son you wouldn't be visiting anymore. I stopped my mother from taking Noah to your childhood home because your father told me it wasn't a good idea, that it brought back too many memories. I kept an eye on you and I knew of your brother's illness, your mother's suicide and your father's struggles with alcohol and I did nothing to help. I tried to send your parents money for your brother's treatment but by the time I found out, it was too late." He paused and tore his eyes from the photograph in front of him. "It's why we started the annual charity gala, to raise money for families with financial difficulties to pay for the best treatment possible." A moment later he spoke again. "I hope you don't think less of me for not trying harder."

"I don't and even if you'd kept in contact with my parents, I don't think things would've been different."

"I hate to say it, but I beg to differ." He picked up the photo frame again and turned it over. He popped open the back and inside was a thin silver key, which he slid across the table after studying the inscription on the key with the name on the front. "That's the key to a safety deposit box at the National Bank. Go there tomorrow and take Kelly with you, she'll help with any legal talk if you need it."

Sophia thanked him and picked up her letter, and as she was about to leave the room, Alan called her back. "I'm sorry for the way I've acted around you over these last few months. I knew I could've helped if I'd listened to my mother and kept a close eye on your family, but I didn't and I guess I didn't want to feel guilty about it. I really am sorry."

"It's okay." Sophia bade him goodnight and took herself, the handwritten letter from her grandmother and the key back to the boathouse. She fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She clutched the letter to her chest and held the key tightly in her hand, and in those early hours of the morning, she dreamt of being a toddler again, running around the extensive garden away from a small, brown haired, blue-eyed boy.