Chapter 4 - Her New Life

• Sophia clicked her tongue, still trying to figure out a few things. She was making the finishing touches on her leaving plan. Chantelle seemed to be more excited than she was about moving to a totally different city. She put a call to Chantelle, it rang but there was no response.
• This was the first time she was leaving the city. She couldn’t believe herself, running far away because of a man.
• Anytime the thought of her father crossed her mind, there was this subtle conviction to stay and fight for what she wanted. But Chantelle was another voice of conviction telling her otherwise. Sophia’s dad was a driver for a popular company in LA.
• Her mother worked as a pre-school teacher so they were doing well enough. Her father died on the day of her high school graduation while he was driving to go see her.
• Sophia recalled him complaining about the brakes on the car, claiming they were faulty. He had complained to his boss who refused to do anything about it. She blamed herself for her father’s death and wouldn’t stop until she got the justice she needed.
• When she brought the brake issue to the management, they handed her a check, trying to pay her off. She felt insulted that they would reduce her father’s memory to a piece of paper. Sophia was relentless, taking the news to social media. This angered the company. It led to the company withdrawing their pay off offer and suing her family instead.
• They were left penniless and the school loans she had incurred didn’t quite help either.
• She went on to find a job at Noah’s company with Chantelle’s help, working tirelessly to pay off all the debt. Things were going smoothly till her mother fell terribly ill. Her hate for people of wealth increased tremendously, it made her furious. Working for the king of them all, Noah Milton was the crowning glory. She didn’t have much of a choice anyway.
• “Hello baby,” Ava’s voice had barged into Sophia’s concentration.
• “Yes mum?” Sophia asked in the chirpiest voice because she couldn’t let her mum know she was upset. She was upset and couldn’t shake off the fact that she had wasted two years of her life.
• “Let’s go,” she prompted, “we have to beat time.”
• Sophia decided to explore the city one last time. Being the abandonment of a billionaire had gotten her quite a lot of unwanted attention.
• Social media and online forums were already selling the news of her betrayal. Some say she cheated on the most eligible bachelor; others say she was only there for the money and left the young billionaire heartbroken.
• Only a few percentages of women used their brains and promoted a close enough narrative; the girl was used and dumped! Noah controlled most media houses so it didn’t come as a shock when she saw her name being dragged through the mud. Maybe this was his way of getting back at her.
• It was shocking because even her best friend’s media company was propagating the news.
• “Soph,” Ava called, “what are you thinking about?” she motioned towards the traffic before them. Their Uber driver insisted on parking on the other side of the road instead of in front of their building. “Nothing, nothing,” she lied holding her mother’s hand and crossing to the road.
• They headed for the private cemetery tucked into the suburban part of LA. With a black dress and veil, she walked in trying to force back the tears in her eyes. This was a loss that she wouldn’t be able to get over for a while. Her heart sank into her feet.
• “Rest well Mr. George,” she whispered into the wind. Sophia put the flowers she had gotten earlier on top of his grave. She walked out of the cemetery making sure to give the guard a tip before leaving. Sophia stared at the phone vibrating in her hand, it was a Chantelle.
• The last thing she wanted was for people to know she visited George Milton’s grave. Who knew what narrative they would come up with next: abandoned wife murders father-in-law. A man who she loved so dearly. He gave her so much attention that his only daughter, Tanya started to get jealous.
• Tanya Milton hated Sophia so much, and had no intention of hiding it.
• She heaved a heavy sigh then exhaled. The road was completely deserted. She stared far into space and couldn’t see as much as a car pass. Sophia ordered another Uber; her final destination was the Milton group. It was stupid but she needed to tell him a final goodbye.
• She waited patiently for Noah. One look, just one look was all she needed to motivate herself. She had to move on, a new Sophia, a new life. “Ma’am, the cab price keeps rising,” the driver alerted her.
• “It’s fine,” she said, “just a little longer.” As she completed her sentence, she saw Noah’s car pulled up in front of his office. He walked out exuding confidence. That was one of the things she loved about him, his confidence. Another car parked directly behind his, the door opened and a girl alighted.
• Sophia’s heart sank to her feet. She watched as a woman with a familiar figure snaked her hand around Noah’s neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Sophia felt incredibly stupid for thinking goodbye to a man who didn’t care about her, a good idea.
• The man moved his head sensing someone watching him. The lady hooked her hand to Noah’s. Immediately she turned her face, Sophia felt her world crash her feet. It was Chantelle, she couldn’t believe it.
• She pulled up the window immediately and asked the driver to move. What Sophia saw shocked her, and the image recorded in her head. She met her best-friend hooked hand-in-hand with Noah, planting a kiss on his lips.
• It was unbelievable, her best friend. Chantelle was always so nice to her and treated her as equals. Noah had charmed every girl in the city but she didn’t expect her to be one of them.
• Chantelle and Sophia attended the same college and had been friends for a long time. Chantelle wasn’t the smartest in school but her beauty made up for it. Sophia on the other hand was a prodigy, she tutored Chantelle in every subject. The only difference between her and Sophia was that Chantelle came from wealth.
• She never expected the betrayal because Chantelle was always so nice to her. She knew that she was low on money and even helped her get a job at Noah’s company, the Milton group. Maybe that was the reason she wanted her gone so badly.
• Sophia stared out of the window forcing herself not to cry. She had to head to the airport in order not to miss her flight. No wonder Chantelle ignored her call the whole day; she was too busy with her ex-husband. Obviously, she wasn’t going to escort them to the airport either.
• A tear slid down her cheek. Noah had taken everything from her, and now, her best friend. He just had to add salt to her already existing wound. Her heart broke as she incessantly replayed the kiss in her head. She wondered how long it had been going on. Was Noah cruel to be sleeping with her best friend?
• There was no way she could let this betrayal go, there had to be a retribution. Noah needed a taste of his own medicine. She swallowed the lump in her throat and promoted the driver to move faster.
• The place was already so dark, the only light they could see was the one from the airport.
• Chantelle had already booked a taxi to drive them into Florida. There was no way Sophia could book a hotel with the budget her and Ava were on. Their faces lit up with hope as they got the first look of their new home. Finally, a change.
• They walked into their new apartment; it was dark because the power was out. The electrician was supposed to come in before they arrived but it seemed as though he had forgotten. The apartment was just as dark as Sophia’s life.
• Whether she liked it or not she had Noah to thank for this miracle. If not for him, she wouldn’t have had the courage to move cities. “Noah,” she whispered into the air, wondering how he was and what he was doing. Sophia wondered whether she would truly be able to move on.