"I was about to make you some soup to warm you up. I'll be in the other room," he replied.

"No, don't go," she grabbed onto his arm tighter.

He sat down and touched her face, "Okay, I won't. I'm here," his expression softened.

"They.. they left me…," she said with a cracking voice.

"Who left you sunshine?" Aiden asked.

"My parents…," she trailed off as she looked at the ceiling, her face forlorn, "It was a night just like this… They promised me they'd return soon… that they'd bring me my favorite candy.

I waited... and waited... and waited. But they never came back," tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Someone told me they died, a truck hit their scooter, and they were never coming back again." Aiden's heart ached for her. The thunderstorms brought back the painful memories of her parents' death. She had been a child when they died, so the impact on her had been devastating.

He cradled Sophia in his arms, brushing her hair away from her tear-streaked face as she cried her heart out. When she was ready, she started speaking again.

"Harper knew I was scared of thunderstorms, then one day she found my birthday gift from Gavin, and when I wouldn't give it to her, she locked me in this big closet. It rained the whole night, so nobody heard me shouting for help. I was so scared.

They found me the next day when I didn't show up for breakfast. I had fainted inside the closet, and they had to admit me to the hospital. It was the first time grandpa stayed by my side and showed concern. I thought he was going to change after that, but he didn't. They hated me," she cried.

Aiden hugged her tighter. How could her family treat her that way? Instead of helping her, Harper aggravated her condition, and now thunderstorms trigger all that bad experience, making her mind shut down.

"Shhh… it's okay, sunshine. I will replace all your bad memories with better ones. I promise I will never leave your side," hugging her tightly to his chest.

Sophia just sat in his lap, stoic, "Liar! Gavin promised to always be with me, but he left me, just like you will sooner or later."

"Never! Your place will always be next to me," Aiden said in a determined tone.

"Liar! You're just another liar!" she said defeatedly. Sophia fell asleep with sorrow in her heart. But Aiden had a renewed determination in his. He laid her down on the bed, caressing her face, "When will you believe that I am different from everybody else. That I do what I say, and I promise to stay in your life forever," he pledged.

It was the first time Aiden saw her vulnerable side, and he was right, that beyond her strong, stubborn appearance, she was hiding something. He didn't know that it was the pain of separation and betrayal from her loved ones. Armed with this knowledge, he vowed to make her life better than it was.

-=-

Rays of sunlight hitting her face had woken Sophia, as she slowly opened her eyes, she remembered what happened the night before. She had another panic attack, and Aiden had taken care of her until the thunderstorm had passed and the rains calmed down. The conversation they had last night had been of her past, something she never discussed with anyone, not even Gavin when they were together. She thought that burdening him with her problems would be a nuisance, but with Aiden, it seemed like she felt like speaking freely, lightening her load in the process.

She got up, wore her home slippers, and walked to the living room.

Aiden saw her from the kitchen and smiled, "You're finally up. How are you feeling?"

"Hm," Sophia nodded in her sleepy state. She did not feel like talking at the moment.

Aiden chuckled and walked towards her, holding her face between his hands, tracing her cheek with his thumbs. "You look better, no more tears, that's good. I prepared all your favorite food, come and join me."

"I...I'm going to wash up," she replied as she headed to her bathroom.

"Come back soon, food tastes better when it's hot", he reminded her.

Aiden was relieved to see that Sophia seemed better, she looked a little bit pale but way better than last night. He learned about her last night, and he felt honored that she felt the need to share all that information with him. It felt like they were making progress.

Sophia went to bed last night with an empty stomach, so she appreciated that Aiden had prepared enough food to sate her hunger.

During Sophia's trip to the bathroom, he received a message on his phone that changed his whole outlook for the day. "Sophia, I'm going on a business trip," Aiden revealed while he watched her reaction.

"Okay," she said without lifting her head as if something on her plate was more interesting.

"I may be gone for three to four weeks, maybe more," he added. Her hand stilled as she looked up at him. Having Aiden far from her for that long did not sit well with Sophia.

"Why are…," she asked angrily, but she caught her reaction and changed it mid-way, "Do as you wish."

"Sunshine, are you angry at me? What are you thinking?" He looked at her inquisitively. "I've put off taking this trip for a while now, but it seems I don't have any choice anymore. I'm going to a place where they control the use of technology and communication. I'm not sure how frequently I can contact you, I might not even have that chance. I will make sure you are protected when I'm gone, so don't worry about that," Aiden said with concern in his voice, not wanting to leave Sophia alone.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"This afternoon," he replied, as he held her gaze. She wanted to say so many things to him but found that the lump in her throat made it difficult for her to speak.

"Have a safe journey," she replied, her knuckles white from clutching the fork too tight. He could see the sadness in her eyes, if only she could voice out her feelings, so he knew how she felt about him.

"I'm leaving today, so the earlier I get things done, the sooner I can come back," he tried to appease her.

Aiden stayed with her until the last minute, leaving all the packing and preparation to his assistant so he could spend their last few hours together.

"I will come back as soon as possible. Take care of yourself. Don't skip meals and tire yourself out," he instructed as he held her close, encircling her waist with his hands. He wanted to kiss her so badly right now. Give him something to look forward to later, but he did not want to take what she was not offering. So he hugged her tight, hoping she would not push him away, and she didn't.

She could not understand how she seemed to like being hugged by Aiden. She deduced that with the events last night and him leaving for so long, she couldn't withhold the only thing she can give him for now.

Aiden nuzzled her neck when she didn't push him back, "I will miss you so much," he said against her, making her tremble. He kissed her forehead and walked out the door.

Sophia felt like Aiden took the life out of her house when he left. She could not understand how the lack of his presence affected her, it made her feel sad. Almost as bad as when her parents left her. They've known each other for a few months, yet for her, it felt like they've known each other for a lifetime.

"Don't go!" These were the words that she so desperately wanted to say when she saw him at the door. She had grown attached to Aiden without her knowledge.