had
However, the family home had already been snatched up by the courts, and Sophie’s new place had been signed over to Jeffrey on their wedding day.
When Sophie tried to go back and sell the house, she was shown the door–literally.
There I was, selling fruit on the sidewalk, witnessing it all.
Tracy was still throwing a fit a short distance away when I handed Sophie an apple.
“Here, Sophie, take this bag of apples. We’re like sisters, after all,” I offered.
Sophie’s gaze met mine, and she froze, caught off guard.
Seeing me all bundled up in a scarf, shivering and stamping my feet against the biting wind, something clicked. The tough times we both faced rekindled the flicker of friendship that had lasted over a decade.
Her weary eyes, once dull, then brimmed with tears–tears filled with regret, though they felt hollow.
“Yasmine, I had no idea you were having such a rough time too. I… I was wrong. I never should’ve bought into Jeffrey’s lies, plotting against you.
“Now, my life is a mess. That mother–son duo took over my house and car, and Jeffrey grabbed any cash I got. If I resist, he’s quick to throw a punch or a kick my way!”
While she spoke, Sophie revealed the jagged scars on her hands and broke down crying, “Why is my luck so rotten? When will these awful days ever end…”
I exhaled a warm breath into my hands.
Worried she might be on the edge, I nudged the bag of apples closer to her. “We’ve got to keep pushing through, Sophie. There’s a whole lot of life ahead of us,” I said, putting weight on those words.
Something in Sophie’s tear–filled eyes shifted. She locked eyes with me, a spark igniting within.
In a flash, her expression turned wild. She snatched the fruit knife from my stand and bolted toward the still–complaining Tracy.
A sharp scream pierced the air, and Tracy collapsed, bloodied, to the ground.
The onlookers scattered in every direction.
I let out a deep, weary sigh.
