Chapter 4
Sophia grabbed the bottle, her purse and Dominic’s jacket.
Then she drove.
At 7:03 a.m., Dominic heard pounding at the front entrance of his estate.
He was already awake.
Men like him slept lightly.
He found Sophia standing in the foyer, snow in her hair, face colorless.
“One more minute,” he said quietly, “and I was coming to find you myself.”
She held up Anthony’s phone.
“He got her pregnant.”
Dominic’s expression hardened.
Sophia’s mouth trembled.
“And I think he’s been drugging me.”
Every trace of warmth disappeared from Dominic’s face.
“What?”
She handed him the medication bottle.
“I found messages.”
Dominic took the bottle but kept his eyes on her.
“Come inside.”
“I am inside.”
“You know what I mean.”
She did.
For months, perhaps years, Sophia had survived by pretending nothing hurt.
Dominic was asking her to stop pretending.
She broke.
He caught her before her knees reached the marble floor.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
He held her carefully.
Not possessively.
Not romantically.
Simply enough to remind her that she was not falling alone.
When she finally pulled back, Dominic gave her his handkerchief.
“You’re sober?”
Sophia almost laughed at the absurdity.
“Completely.”
“Good.”
His tone changed.
“Then I need you to hear me clearly.”
She looked at him.
“If you walk out that door, I stay away. I’ll still help you deal with Anthony. I’ll make sure you’re safe. But what happened between us emotionally ends here.”
Sophia’s throat tightened.
“And if I stay?”
“Then there is no pretending this is innocent.”
“Dominic—”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“You spent years being denied choices. I will not take another one from you because I want you.”
Her breathing became uneven.
“So choose.”
Sophia thought about the townhouse.
The engagement ring.
Her father telling her the alliance would protect everyone.
Anthony telling her she should be grateful.
Lauren’s sonogram.
The pills.
Then she thought about Dominic saying, You were never invisible.
Sophia removed her engagement ring.
She placed it on the console table.
“I’m staying.”
Dominic looked at the ring.
Then at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t heard the difficult part.”
“What difficult part?”
“The moment Anthony understands you left him for me, he will turn this into a war.”
“He already turned my life into one.”
Dominic’s eyes darkened.
Sophia stepped closer.
“I don’t want to be someone’s treaty anymore.”
“You won’t be.”
“I don’t want to be hidden.”