LOGINThe house felt different that afternoon.Not tense.Not easy.Just… prepared.Sophia moved through the kitchen, straightening things that didn’t need straightening.Wiping counters that were already clean.Anything to keep her hands busy.Her mind focused.Dominic stayed close—but not too close.Giving her space.But present.“Everything’s good,” he said quietly.Sophia nodded.“Yeah".Then—Tires on the driveway.Sophia froze for half a second.Her heart jumping.Everything else disappeared.Not Patrick.Not Montana.Not the fight.Just—Her girls.She moved fast this time.No hesitation.Opening the front door just as they were getting out.“Mom!”They ran to her.Full speed.Arms wrapping around her.Sophia dropped to her knees.Holding them tight.Really tight.Breathing them in.Feeling them.Grounding herself in something real.“I missed you,” she whispered.“We missed you too!” they said, talking over each other.Excited.Happy.Unaware."Dad", Sophia stated.Pasquale stood by
They stood there in the living room.Not touching.Not fighting.Not pretending.Just… standing.And somehow—That said everything.“I still love you,” Dominic said quietly.No pride.No ego.Just truth.She didn’t answer right away.Because love—Wasn’t the question.It never had been.Then finally—“I love you too.”That was the part that made everything harder.Not easier.Because if they didn’t love each other—This would be simple.Walk away.Close the door.Move on.But they did.Deeply.Sophia looked at him.“Love isn’t what we’re missing.”Dominic nodded.“I know.”“It’s everything around it,” she said.“Trust.”“Respect.”“Safety.”Each word landed heavier than the last.“I want to fix that,” he said.Not defensive.Not desperate.Just… honest.“I want that too,” she said.A beat.“But wanting it isn’t enough anymore.”Dominic stepped closer.Careful.Like he didn’t want to push too far.“What does enough look like?”Sophia took a breath.“Consistency.”“Time.”“And no more b
Sophia didn’t sleep much.If she did—it was light, restless, broken.Every time she closed her eyes, her mind replayed the night.Not clearly.But enough.When morning came, she was already awake.Sitting at the edge of the bed.Fully dressed.Shoes on.Like she was ready to leave before the day even started.Patrick stood in the doorway.Quiet.Careful.“Morning,” he said.Sophia didn’t look at him.“Don’t.”One word.Flat.He stopped.“I just—”“I said don’t,” she repeated.Still not yelling.Still not emotional.Which somehow made it worse.Sophia stood up.Grabbed her bag.“I trusted you.”That hit harder than anything else she could have said.Patrick didn’t try to explain it away.Didn’t interrupt.“I know,” he said quietly.Sophia finally looked at him.And her eyes—Were different.Not soft.Not confused.Clear.“You don’t get to take advantage of me because I’m vulnerable.”Patrick shook his head.“I didn’t see it like that—”“That’s the problem,” she cut in.Silence filled t
Patrick didn’t push her that evening.He watched her.Carefully.“Get dressed,” he said earlier, more relaxed than she’d seen him.Sophia raised an eyebrow.“For what?”“Dinner.”She didn’t argue.Didn’t have the energy to.The restaurant was quiet.Upscale.Nothing like the chaos she’d left behind.Patrick let her talk—or not talk.Let her drink.One glass turned into two.Then more.He followed her pace.Not ahead.Not behind.Just… with her.After dinner, he didn’t take her home.He drove.“Where are we going?” she asked.“You’ll see.”The bowling alley lights came into view.Sophia laughed for the first time in days.“Seriously?”Patrick smirked.“Yeah.”They bowled. Patrick just watched her like a hawk.. While she bowledBadly.Laughed.Drank.More than they should have.More than she realized.And for a little while—Sophia didn’t think about Dominic.Didn’t think about anything.The house was quiet when they got back.Too quiet.Sophia changed into a loose t-shirt and boxers.C
Patrick set the glass of wine in front of her.Not as a distraction.Not as a solution.Just… something to steady the moment.“So what’s your plan,” he asked, watching her carefully,“if he does this again?”Sophia didn’t hesitate.“Don’t worry about it.”Patrick didn’t like that answer.“I am worried about it.”She took a sip.Set the glass down.Then looked at him—steady, controlled.“He won’t know what hit him if it happens again.”Patrick’s brow tightened.“That’s not a plan, Soph.”Her voice sharpened.“Yes, it is.”“I’m done being walked over,” she added.“And I’m definitely done being scared in my own house.”Patrick held her gaze.“That’s not what I’m worried about.”“I’m worried about you being in a situation where you have to prove that.”That landed.But Sophia didn’t back down.“I won’t let it get there.”Patrick leaned back.“You already did once.”Silence.Sophia looked away.Out the window.The plane began its descent.Mountains stretching across the horizon.Wide open
The runway shimmered in the heat as Sophia pulled up.Her father’s plane sat waiting—engines quiet, door open.She took a breath.This was supposed to be a break.Just a few days to reset.Clear her head.Figure things out.Sophia climbed the steps.Dropped her bag beside the seat.Then stopped.Patrick.Sitting there.Watching her.Her brows pulled together immediately.“Why aren’t you with my children, Patrick?”Her tone wasn’t soft.It wasn’t angry either.Just… sharp.Confused.Patrick didn’t look away.His eyes were heavy.Tired.Serious.“Because you’re the one I need to be with.”That landed.Harder than she expected.“And besides,” he added, leaning back slightly, “your parents took the girls to Disney.”Sophia blinked.“What?”“They wanted time with them,” he said. “They’re fine. More than fine.”A beat.“So… it’s just us for a couple days.”Sophia sat down slowly.Her mind catching up.“You planned this?”Patrick shook his head.“No.”But his tone said—He wasn’t upset about
Sophia moved to the back of the house, her hand lightly resting on the railing of the second-story balcony. The security cameras gave her a perfect view of the driveway, the dark silhouettes of trees framing John’s truck like a scene from a movie she never wanted to star in.Patrick and Angelo flan
Sophia tried to push the uneasiness out of her mind, but it lingered like a shadow that refused to leave. She wrapped both hands around the warm coffee mug, staring out over the property while Patrick paced slowly across the patio.Angelo returned a few minutes later, his phone still in his hand.P
Morning came slowly over the estate, the soft Texas sunlight slipping through the tall windows of Sophia’s room. She hadn’t slept much. Every time she closed her eyes, flashes of the night before crept in—John’s anger, the way Patrick stepped between them, the sound of Angelo pulling his gun.But i
The black sedan rolled slowly down the long road away from the estate. John kept both hands tight on the steering wheel, his jaw still aching where Sophia had hit him the night before.He replayed the scene in the house over and over in his head.There wasn’t.Her words echoed louder than anything







