Chapter 2 - THE GIRL WHO APOLOGIZED FOR EVERYTHING|
Dr. Harris arrived twenty minutes later.
He examined Sophie's ankle in the small sitting room adjoining the dining hall while Luca remained beside her. Claire stood near the window, holding the little girl's hand whenever the examination became uncomfortable.
The doctor frowned as he studied the swelling.
“It's fortunate you stopped the dancing. She needs an X-ray tonight. There may be a significant sprain, and I want to rule out a fracture.”
Sophie looked frightened.
“Will I still be able to dance?”
Dr. Harris softened his voice.
“Most likely, sweetheart. But you need to let your body heal first.”
Luca squeezed her hand.
“You heard him. No dancing until he says you're ready.”
Sophie nodded, then immediately looked toward the door.
“Is Vanessa angry?”
Luca's jaw tightened.
“Vanessa's feelings are not your responsibility.”
“But I ruined the dinner.”
“No, baby. You got hurt.”
“Everyone came to see me dance.”
“They came because I invited them. That's my responsibility.”
Sophie studied his face as if she were trying to determine whether he meant it.
Claire recognized that expression. It was the look of a child who had learned to question kindness because kindness had become unpredictable.
After the doctor left to arrange the X-ray, Luca asked Claire to remain with Sophie while he spoke to his security chief.
Claire sat beside the little girl.
“Would you like some water?”
Sophie nodded.
Claire brought her a glass and helped her drink.
For several minutes, the room remained quiet.
Then Sophie whispered, “Do you think my mommy would be disappointed in me?”
Claire's heart ached.
“Why would she be?”
“Because I couldn't finish the dance.”
Claire set the glass aside.
“Sweetheart, your mother loved you before you could dance. She would never measure your worth by whether you could finish a routine.”
Sophie stared at her lap.
“Vanessa said Mommy would want me to make Daddy happy.”
Claire carefully chose her words.
“Your mother might have wanted you to be kind to your father. But being kind doesn't mean hurting yourself to please someone else.”
The little girl looked up.
“Then why did Vanessa say I had to?”
Claire didn't have an answer.
Not yet.
Luca returned and heard the final question.
He sat beside Sophie.
“Did Vanessa tell you your mother wanted you to go to the new academy?”
Sophie nodded.
“She said Mommy would have wanted me to become a professional dancer.”
“Did she show you anything from your mother?”
The girl shook her head.
“She said she knew what Mommy would have wanted.”
Luca went very still.
Caroline had been dead for three years. Vanessa had known her, but she had never been particularly close to her. At least, that was what Luca had always believed.
“Sweetheart, did you tell Vanessa you wanted to stay at your current dance studio?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
Sophie lowered her voice.
“She said I was being selfish.”
Luca closed his eyes for a moment.
Claire watched him struggle with the realization that his daughter had been suffering in front of him while he prepared for a wedding he thought would bring happiness back into their home.
Then Sophie asked a question that made his expression crumble.
“Daddy, if I don't dance at your wedding, will you still marry Vanessa?”
Luca stared at her.
“No, sweetheart. Your dancing has nothing to do with whether I marry anyone.”
“Promise?”
He took both her hands.
“I promise.”
Sophie leaned against him.
Claire looked away to give them privacy.
But she could not forget the way the little girl had asked that question.
It was not simply a child afraid of disappointing her father.
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It was a child who had been made to believe her place in his life depended on performing correctly.
And Claire knew that whoever had taught her that lesson had done far more damage than a swollen ankle could reveal.
