NovelEnglishSophia was catching up on smuch-needed Z's, but she was tossing and turning, not getting any solid shut-eye. She was hot
and cold all over, feeling like she was roasting on a spit one second and soaking in a tub the next. It was back and forth, wanting to
sleep and not being able to, half-awake but not really snapping out of it, like she was sunk into skind of nightmare.
The moment Amanda busted through the door, she spotted Sophia on the bed with her brows all knotted up, clearly not resting
easy. Her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat.
"Sophia." Amanda called out, worried, as she moved closer to touch her forehead. The heating off Sophia's skin nearly gave
her a heart attack, so she quickly started shaking Sophia's shoulder, calling out her name, "Sophia, wake up."
But Sophia didn'te to, and just frowned in distress. Amanda was about to keep at it when Sophia's phone went off on the
nightstand, a Whatvideo calling in.
Amanda barely glanced at it before she snatched it up and hung up, continuing to shake Sophia's shoulder, "Sophia, wake up."
Finally, with all the shaking, Sophia's eyes fluttered open from nightmares, but she was still groggy, not quite sure where she was,
her eyes empty and vacant.
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Amanda's heart was racing with worry, about to call out to her again, but then the Whatcall she just hung up on rang again.
Anxious, Amanda grabbed the phone and hit the answer button, politely saying into the phone, "Hi there, now's not a good time.
We'll catch up later."
And with that, she killed the call.
Brandon was staring blankly at the phone screen that'd gone back to the Whatchat. He didn't make a move.
It was not her. Even though the shaky camera didn't give him a look at her face, just a glimpse of the bedding, the floor in a rushed
sweep, the voice and tone were all wrong - not Sophia.
Every clue except that blueprint had pointed to Arlene not being Sophia, but there was still this heavy feeling of letdown when the
reality hit. He thought he'de to terms with her being gone, but...
With a snap, Brandon put the phone down, shifting his gaze to the murky sky outside the window, lost in silence.
Kent in the outer office couldn't help but cast a worried look at Brandon. From his position, he could only see the deep lines of
Brandon's profile, but against the light, the bob of his Adam's apple and the faint redness of his eyes were clear as day.
No matter howposed his face, the thick disappointment of dashed hopes was unmistakable.
It was the last thing Kent wanted to see.
For months, he'd watched Brandon ride the rollercoaster from hope to despair, over and over, clinging to something that was
clearly gone.
"Mr. Crawley," Kent couldn't help but get up and call out to him, his voice unintentionally more hoarse than usual. But before he
could say more, Brandon raised his hand, stopping him mid-sentence.
"Just givea moment; | need speace," he said, his voice rough, without looking at him.
Kent nodded gently, "Letknow if you need anything," and after closing the door softly behind him, he stepped out.
Back in the hotel room, Amanda's callback brought Sophia out of her daze. She instinctively looked over to see Amanda handling
her phone, telling the caller it was not a good tand that they'd talk later. Sophia's instinct kicked in, and she tried to reach for
her phone, but before she could say a word, Amanda's already hung up and tossed the phone aside, her attention back on Sophia.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Hey, what are you doing up? You're burning up here. Lie down; you may hurt yourself."
Amanda was already by her side, steadying her, worried she might faint or fall from getting up too quickly with the fever.
"Who..." Sophia tried to speak, but her throat was so dry and scratchy, she could hardly make a sound.
Amanda was already on it, grabbing a glass of water nearby and bringing it to Sophia's lips, "Have swater; soothe your
throat."
Sophia took over the glass; after a sip, her throat felt a bit better.
"Who was it?" She asked, voice still raspy, but already reaching for the phone to check.
"Who cares who it was. You're sick as a dog right now; your health is what matters." Amanda didn't even think twice before
pushing the phone further away and grabbing her own to make a call, "Your forehead's on fire, no telling how high the fever is. I'm
getting the front desk to send up a thermometer; don't move an inch."
She was talking while making the call, and then she handed Sophia a clean towel, "Wipe off the sweat; don't get chilled."
"Thanks, godmom. I'm fine," Sophia said, but still leaned over to grab the phone Amanda had tossed aside.
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