Chapter One
Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed in the elevator at Harborview Towers, her whole body shaking, her purse clutched tightly to her stomach. She couldn't think in a straight line. Her mind spun in small circles around the central fact; he thought she was trash. How could she have been so stupid? He didn't want her, he never had. And yet...
"Sonny!" She said aloud and began to cry harder. She had let him go so he could get on with his life, she had no right to be angry. It wasn't logical, far from it, but this discovery...Sonny with his arms around that girl...seemed a betrayal of her. The thought of Liz turned shock and sorrow to rage in a moment. She viciously brushed the wetness from her cheeks.
The elevator doors opened and Carly rose to her feet, stepping into the lobby as she rifled through her purse for a handkerchief.
Damn him! How dare he? She had half expected, half-feared it. But to be with HER - that spiteful, self-righteous, sneaky little bitch...but he didn't know that about her, why should he?
"Well, he should have known! Damn him to hell, how could he...well he's at it why not just shack up with Robin too!!!" The tears were once again rolling heedlessly down her face, hot spurts of loss and fury.
"Ahhhhh!" She screamed in frustration. She looked around for a way to relieve her anger, her eyes lighting on a vase in the corner. She grabbed the antique and hurled it at the closing elevator doors. It crashed into them in an explosion of splinters.
She stood in the middle of the lobby, listening. It was quiet. No one was coming to see what had made the crash. The guards were probably too concerned with soothing that little twit to worry about her.
She stood looking at the broken pieces lying on the marble floor, memories flooding her mind...
She had stopped him from self-destructing that night last summer. He had stopped her from destroying herself more than once. She had thought it was because he cared for her...she had seen it in his eyes. Or at least, she thought she had. What a fool I was! His opinion of her had never changed...he thought she was trash then and he thought the same thing now...despite the baby, despite the connection they had forged, despite everything...nothing had changed.
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The Brownstone
"Leticia!!" Carly yelled as she came through the front door.
"Yes, Miss Benson. What is it? Did you talk to Mr. Corinthos? What did he..." She trailed off as she saw the state Carly was in. Her eyes were unfocussed and unseeing, her entire face was red and puffy from her tears, her hair tumbled about her shoulders in disarray and her entire body was shaking.
I have to get out of here. That was the only half-coherent thought in her head and she clung to it. She had to leave. She couldn't move back in to the Penthouse, not after Sonny and...HER. Liz belonged in his home, as the other angelic beauties before her had...I don't. She looked around at her elegant surroundings...trash doesn't belong here either. She knew what she had to do.
Her eyes focused on Leticia. "I need your help."
------
She was ready, as ready as she would ever be. She paused looking around one last time, then heard footsteps coming down the back stairs. She knew without looking that it was Bobbie - and that she wasn't anxious to see her. Fine, she didn't want to see her either. It was better just to leave at once, without speaking. After all, what more was there to say that hadn't already been said?
Carly lifted Michael into her arms and walked toward the waiting cab, closing the front door softly behind them.
Bobbie walked into the living room expecting to see Carly sprawled on the couch with magazines and toys littered around her. Instead the room was spotless and empty. Well, I'm glad to see the ingrate finally cleaned up.
"Carly!" She yelled up the stairs. "Get down here, we need to talk!" Her voice echoed through the large home, then nothing. "Carly?" Bobbie climbed the stairs to her daughter's bedroom...she's probably still asleep. "Carly, this still isn't going to work...you cleaned up but that doesn't change things. For crying out loud, it's one in the afternoon. Don't you think you should..." Bobbie trailed off as she opened the door to find the room empty as well. The bed was made, the floor was free of clothing...it was as if no one had ever lived there.
Bobbie was about to leave when she noticed an envelope on the wooden dresser. She walked closer and picked it up. It said simply, Momma.
"Oh Carly...no."
Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed in the elevator at Harborview Towers, her whole body shaking, her purse clutched tightly to her stomach. She couldn't think in a straight line. Her mind spun in small circles around the central fact; he thought she was trash. How could she have been so stupid? He didn't want her, he never had. And yet...
"Sonny!" She said aloud and began to cry harder. She had let him go so he could get on with his life, she had no right to be angry. It wasn't logical, far from it, but this discovery...Sonny with his arms around that girl...seemed a betrayal of her. The thought of Liz turned shock and sorrow to rage in a moment. She viciously brushed the wetness from her cheeks.
The elevator doors opened and Carly rose to her feet, stepping into the lobby as she rifled through her purse for a handkerchief.
Damn him! How dare he? She had half expected, half-feared it. But to be with HER - that spiteful, self-righteous, sneaky little bitch...but he didn't know that about her, why should he?
"Well, he should have known! Damn him to hell, how could he...well he's at it why not just shack up with Robin too!!!" The tears were once again rolling heedlessly down her face, hot spurts of loss and fury.
"Ahhhhh!" She screamed in frustration. She looked around for a way to relieve her anger, her eyes lighting on a vase in the corner. She grabbed the antique and hurled it at the closing elevator doors. It crashed into them in an explosion of splinters.
She stood in the middle of the lobby, listening. It was quiet. No one was coming to see what had made the crash. The guards were probably too concerned with soothing that little twit to worry about her.
She stood looking at the broken pieces lying on the marble floor, memories flooding her mind...
She had stopped him from self-destructing that night last summer. He had stopped her from destroying herself more than once. She had thought it was because he cared for her...she had seen it in his eyes. Or at least, she thought she had. What a fool I was! His opinion of her had never changed...he thought she was trash then and he thought the same thing now...despite the baby, despite the connection they had forged, despite everything...nothing had changed.
----------------------
The Brownstone
"Leticia!!" Carly yelled as she came through the front door.
"Yes, Miss Benson. What is it? Did you talk to Mr. Corinthos? What did he..." She trailed off as she saw the state Carly was in. Her eyes were unfocussed and unseeing, her entire face was red and puffy from her tears, her hair tumbled about her shoulders in disarray and her entire body was shaking.
I have to get out of here. That was the only half-coherent thought in her head and she clung to it. She had to leave. She couldn't move back in to the Penthouse, not after Sonny and...HER. Liz belonged in his home, as the other angelic beauties before her had...I don't. She looked around at her elegant surroundings...trash doesn't belong here either. She knew what she had to do.
Her eyes focused on Leticia. "I need your help."
------
She was ready, as ready as she would ever be. She paused looking around one last time, then heard footsteps coming down the back stairs. She knew without looking that it was Bobbie - and that she wasn't anxious to see her. Fine, she didn't want to see her either. It was better just to leave at once, without speaking. After all, what more was there to say that hadn't already been said?
Carly lifted Michael into her arms and walked toward the waiting cab, closing the front door softly behind them.
Bobbie walked into the living room expecting to see Carly sprawled on the couch with magazines and toys littered around her. Instead the room was spotless and empty. Well, I'm glad to see the ingrate finally cleaned up.
"Carly!" She yelled up the stairs. "Get down here, we need to talk!" Her voice echoed through the large home, then nothing. "Carly?" Bobbie climbed the stairs to her daughter's bedroom...she's probably still asleep. "Carly, this still isn't going to work...you cleaned up but that doesn't change things. For crying out loud, it's one in the afternoon. Don't you think you should..." Bobbie trailed off as she opened the door to find the room empty as well. The bed was made, the floor was free of clothing...it was as if no one had ever lived there.
Bobbie was about to leave when she noticed an envelope on the wooden dresser. She walked closer and picked it up. It said simply, Momma.
"Oh Carly...no."