Sofia’s words struck him like daggers. Each phrase an echo of his own cruelty, his selfishness. He had erased that conversation from his memory, justified it as the “necessary decision” for his success. Now, the stark truth confronted him in the form of an innocent child and a wounded woman.
“I… I didn’t mean that,” Alex stammered, feeling cold sweat on his forehead. “I was under a lot of pressure. I was young, stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid, Alex. You were ambitious. And selfish,” Sofia corrected him, her voice taking on a firmness he remembered well. “When they confirmed the pregnancy, and after your reaction, I decided I didn’t need you. That Daniel didn’t need you. I didn’t want him to grow up with an absent father, or worse, with a father who saw him as a burden. I didn’t want him to know that his father had rejected him before he was even born.”
Alex felt a sharp pain in his chest, a pain that money could never cure. “But you could have looked for me later. When things calmed down. When my company took off.”
“And what for, Alex?” Sofia raised an eyebrow, defiant. “So you could see I wasn’t a ‘burden’? So you could offer me alimony to ease your conscience? No, thank you. I’ve always been able to take care of myself and Daniel. I worked hard, had two jobs, sometimes three. My mother helped me. Daniel has never lacked love or the basics.” Her eyes softened when she mentioned her son. “He’s a happy child, Alex. Intelligent, full of life. He’s never lacked anything essential.”
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