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225words
Mrs Thompson nearly knelt at her bedroom door.
"Sophia, I was wrong! Come home! I’ve missed you terribly!"
Mrs Thompson pleaded.
"Live with us part-time? Just let me see you!"
Lucian added softly, "We expelled Lily. I apologize—please forgive me."
Ethan chimed in, "We loved you more! Our actions came from grief over our Sophiater—"
The bedroom door swung open.
The Thompsons gaped—Sophia’s room resembled a palace suite, dwarfing her old one in opulence.
"You demand my understanding?"
Sophia’s voice trembled.
"For a year, you broke me daily. Without James and my parents, I’d have ended my life!"
Tears streamed down her face.
"I would’ve died for you! And you discarded me because I wasn’t your blood!"
James pulled her into a protective embrace.
"I’ve got you, Sophia. No one hurts you again."
Chloe hugged Sophia’s waist.
"Don’t cry, Sophia!"
Sophia wiped her tears, composure returning.
"Leave. I have my family now. Let’s not meet again."
Defeated, the Thompsons left.
(Epilogue)
Months passed.
Sophia, now legally Sophia Harrison, thrived.
She launched her first art exhibition to critical acclaim.
Across the plaza, Lily Johnson sketched $10 portraits in thrift-store clothes, smiling meekly at haggling clients.
Her eyes met Sophia’s through the gallery window.
Lily froze, then snatched her easel and fled.
Sophia raised her wineglass in a silent toast: Goodbye. Forever.
