Chapter 2

After rejecting Dante’s first call, I contacted roadside assistance.

The rain was getting heavier, and my tires had sunk deep into the mud. The dispatcher told me a recovery truck would arrive in forty minutes.

Dante called again.

This time, I answered.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he demanded.

“I can handle it myself.”

Silence followed. Then Sofia’s voice came through the phone.

“It was only a joke. You’re not actually angry, are you?”

“I’m not angry.”

“Then why didn’t you ask us for help?” Hurt crept into her voice. “You’re terrified of thunder, but you would rather call a stranger than your own family. Aren’t you just trying to make everyone feel guilty?”

Mom immediately came to her defense.

“Sofia was only trying to make everyone laugh. You know how upset she gets when you’re angry with her. Why couldn’t you play along for once?”

Dad’s voice hardened.

“The entire family is waiting for you to come to dinner. Who exactly are you punishing by refusing to ask for help?”

Dante never once stopped them.

In the end, he merely said, “Send me your location. When you get back, you’re going to explain yourself to Sofia.”

They had stranded me in the woods during a violent storm and called it a joke.

But because I refused to cry and beg for help, I was the one who owed Sofia an explanation.

“I’m not the one who needs to explain anything. Enjoy your dinner.”

I ended the call and shut off my phone. Following the dispatcher’s instructions, I locked every door and turned on my hazard lights.

The recovery truck arrived forty minutes later. The mud was too deep to tow my car out safely, so the driver took me back to the city instead.

It was almost midnight when I reached my apartment.

Dante stood outside my door with three black sedans parked behind him.

The tension in his face eased when he saw me. A second later, his expression turned cold again.

“I took my men out to the woods and found nothing but your car.”

He walked toward me.

“I called you seventeen times. Do you have any idea how long I thought something had happened to you?”

“I called roadside assistance, shared my location with the dispatcher, and stayed inside my locked car. I never put myself in danger just to prove a point.”

“Then why did you turn off your phone?”

“Because I didn’t want to keep listening to all of you blame me for refusing to play along with Sofia.”

Dante frowned.

“No one was blaming you. We just didn’t think you needed to turn a harmless joke into something this ugly.”

“An hour ago, you told me to come back and explain myself to her.”

For a moment, he had no answer.

I took out my keys, but he stepped in front of the door.

“You know that if you had called me, I would have come for you.”

“But I didn’t need you to.”

“You always called me first when something like this happened.”

“That was before.”

His eyes narrowed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I realized I can get home safely without you.”

Dante clearly hadn’t expected that answer.

He had probably thought I would demand to know why he hadn’t come sooner. Then he would soothe me with a few gentle words, promise it would never happen again, and wait for me to forgive everyone like I always did.

But the call Sofia had forgotten to end had already given me all the answers I needed.

“I’m tired.”

Dante mistook my calm for another sulk.

“Come to the estate tomorrow afternoon for your dress fitting. The engagement gala is the day after tomorrow. Don’t be late.”

“All right.”

My answer finally reassured him.

He left.

I closed the door and turned my phone back on.

Milan headquarters had already sent my flight information.

My plane left in forty-eight hours.