Sophia's Point Of View
He exhaled slowly, his forehead briefly resting against mine. The quiet between us felt loaded, too loud in its stillness. Then he whispered, "About the loss… we'll get it back. In double folds."
His hand slipped down to mine, fingers entwining, holding me tighter like he didn't trust the silence to hold us together.
"Once I marry her," he said, his voice low but firm, "I'll have access to everything, her wealth, her connections. And once that's done, I'll make things right. For both of us."
The words sank into me like stones. Cold. Heavy. Bruising.
I blinked slowly, staring at the darkness beyond his shoulder, trying to ignore the burn in my chest. Marry her. Not just use her. Not just keep her close. Marry her.
My jaw clenched.
He must've felt the shift in my body, how I'd stilled, how something in me recoiled. His hands tightened gently around my face, urging me to look at him.
