Chapter 21: Shadows of Vengeance

“I’ll go home,” Sophia said firmly, though exhaustion made her voice weaker than she intended.

Julian sighed, crossing his arms. “You heard what the doctor said. You need someone with you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

He scoffed. “Yeah? Is that why you passed out in my office?”

Sophia clenched her fists. She hated that he had a point.

“I’m not going to your house,” she said.

Julian exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fine. If you don’t want to come with me, at least stay somewhere safe.”

She shot him a wary look. “What do you mean?”

“I have a friend who owns a hotel,” he said. “I’ll arrange for you to stay there for a while. You’ll have staff available if you need anything, and I’ll make sure someone checks on you.”

Sophia hesitated. She didn’t want to be under his control, but the idea of going back to her empty apartment didn’t sit right with her either. After a long silence, she finally nodded.

“Alright.”

Julian wasted no time making the call, and within an hour, they arrived at the hotel.

—

The suite was spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. The air smelled of fresh linen and expensive cologne. It was nothing like her tiny apartment, yet it still felt unfamiliar.

Sophia sat on the bed, wrapping her arms around herself. She had barely spoken on the way here.

Julian stood near the door, watching her. “I’ll have someone bring you food. And if you need anything—”

“I’ll manage,” she interrupted, her voice dull.

His jaw ticked slightly, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he pulled out his wallet, placing a keycard on the nightstand. “Use this if you decide to leave. Just don’t disappear.”

Sophia didn’t respond.

Julian studied her for a moment longer before finally turning to leave. The door clicked shut behind him, and for the first time in days, she was truly alone.

She should have felt relieved.

Instead, the silence was suffocating.

….

The night was quiet, but Sophia’s mind was anything but. Lying on the plush bed in the dimly lit hotel room, she stared at the ceiling, her thoughts running wild.

Tina and Alex.

Their names alone filled her with a bitterness so strong it left a bad taste in her mouth.

She could still see the way Tina had smirked at her that day, the way she dragged Alex away like a prize she had finally reclaimed. And the worst part? They had taken her mother’s surgery money with them. That was the moment everything had fallen apart.

If she had just seen through Tina earlier… If she had never trusted her… Maybe her mother would still be alive.

Her chest tightened, and she turned onto her side, gripping the sheets.

They ruined me

A wave of emotions surged through her—grief, anger, hatred. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that they got to walk away, happy and unbothered, while she was left with nothing but pain.

She clenched her jaw, her fingers twisting in the fabric of the blanket. She would make them pay. She didn’t know how, but she knew one thing for sure—she wasn’t going to let them get away with it.

Bzzz

Her phone vibrated on the nightstand, pulling her out of the storm of her thoughts. Her heart pounded as she reached for it, her fingers slightly trembling.

Julian.

She exhaled and pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

For a moment, there was silence. Then his deep voice came through, sounding unusually soft. “Are you asleep?”

She swallowed. “Not really.”

“I figured.”

She sat up, pulling the blanket around her. “Why are you calling?”

There was a pause before he spoke again. “I don’t know.”

That caught her off guard. “You don’t know?”

Julian sighed on the other end. “I just… I couldn’t sleep.”

Sophia’s grip on the phone tightened. She hadn’t expected that. Julian didn’t seem like the kind of man who struggled with sleep over something as trivial as her.

“You don’t have to check on me,” she muttered, looking down at her lap. “I’m fine.”

Another silence. Then, “I know. But I wanted to.”

Her chest tightened. She didn’t know how to respond to that.

Julian cleared his throat. “If you need anything, just call me.”

Sophia hesitated, then nodded as if he could see her. “Okay.”

“Goodnight, Sophia.”

She whispered back, “Goodnight.”

As the call ended, she stared at the screen for a long time, her mind swirling with even more thoughts than before.

Her mind wouldn’t settle.

Minutes passed.

She stared at her phone. She dialed his number again.

Julian picked up almost immediately. “Sophia?”

She inhaled deeply. “Is your contract marriage proposal still available?”

There was a long pause.

“What?”

“The contract marriage,” she repeated, gripping the sheets. “Is it still on the table?”

Julian didn’t answer right away. When he finally spoke, his voice was unreadable. “Why are you asking me this now?”

She swallowed. “Because I thought I could handle everything on my own. But I can’t.”

Silence.

Then, Julian exhaled. “You’re saying you changed your mind?”

“Yes.”

Another pause. Then, “I will come pick you tomorrow. We’ll talk.”

“Okay.”

She hung up and placed the phone on her chest, staring at the ceiling once more.

Julian probably thought she had a change of heart.

But this wasn’t about that.

This was about making Tina and Alex pay.