So she tried to comfort her. âSophia, youâve gotta relax a bit. You canât force love. Since Mr. Blanchet has someone else on his mind, you should let go. Believe me, youâll find a good man who only has eyes for you.â
Sophiaâs mournful expression turned icy, and she glared angrily at Bertha. âAre you trying to teach me how to live my life? Who do you think you are?â
Berthaâs face stiffened. She now looked rather helpless and awkward. âNo, I just donât want to see you get hurt or stuck in a rut. I hope youâll be able to move on. Sophia, since I married your father, I promised to treat you like my own.â
Sophia scoffed sarcastically. âEnough! Stop playing the good guy! You must be laughing inside at me being dumped, right? You wish me well? What a joke! Bertha, my dad might buy your crap, but I wonât!
Donât get too cocky. Iâve got a long life ahead of me! The man I love will be mine; he wonât be able to get away from me!â
With that, Sophia stormed off to her room.
Bertha watched Sophiaâs stubborn and extreme departure while sighing helplessly.
Being a stepmother was tough. Even when you meant well, you could still be misunderstood.
Just then, a small hand tugged at her skirt.
Bertha snapped back to reality and looked down to see Lea.
Lea looked up at her mother with concern. âMom, did sis bully you again?â
Bertha smiled and patted her daughterâs hair. âNo, your sister just misunderstood me. Itâll get better.â
Lea frowned. âBut itâs been years, and sis never talks nicely to you. I donât like sis!â
Bertha picked up her daughter and spoke seriously. âLea, you canât talk about your sister like that. No matter how she treats me, sheâs still your real sister. When your dad and I are old and not around, sheâll be the only family you have left. You two need to help each other and keep each other company, got it?â
Not wanting to upset her mom, Lea reluctantly nodded. âOkay, I got itâ¦â
Bertha, with her daughter in her arms, went off to find Thaddeus. They needed to have a serious talk.
How could he be so rough on people?
He was too old for his temper. It seemed like old habits really died hard.
In the guest room.
After tidying up Mr. Blanchetâs discarded clothes, Collin turned to him. âMr. Blanchet, Ellinor called a while ago. I told her you were tired and fell asleep in the car. She asked you to call her back when you wake up.â
H Theo slowly looked up as his tired eyes flickered. âHmm⦠Give me the phone; Iâll call her back now.â
Collin nodded slightly, took Mr. Blanchetâs phone, and dialed Ellinorâs number.
Soon, the call connected, and Ellinorâs crisp and bright voice, with a hint of long-awaited anxiety, echoed through the phone. âTheo, are you awake?â