Chapter Four: Bound by Secrets

"Leonard, let go of my daughter." Dad's voice came from behind, calm, too calm. No trace of anger, just quiet authority.

Leonard let go of me immediately. No hesitation. His eyes flickered as he stepped back, sliding his hands into his pockets like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t just cornered me. Like this wasn’t chaos unfolding.

His guards stirred, but Leonard gave them a single glance—a silent command. They froze.

I rushed to Dad and grabbed his hand, my heart racing.

"Dad, it's nothing. I swear. Where have you been? I thought you were at the reception?" I blurted, trying to sound casual, trying to dismiss whatever conclusion he might have jumped to.

Leonard didn't flinch. "I think it's time you explain to your daughter, my friend."

I turned to glare at him. My hands clenched. The fury boiling inside me could light a city. I wanted to claw out his eyes.

Dad’s tone changed—pleading. "Leo, my daughter is still a child."

"What's going on here?" I tugged at my father’s arm, desperate now.

Leonard exhaled deeply and tilted his head. "You better do so. I don't have enough patience on my side."

Dad nodded solemnly. "I will explain everything to her."

Leonard turned and walked away toward his car, the guards parting respectfully as he passed. There was something almost royal in the way they treated him. I hated it.

My dad walked into the hospital without another word. I followed him, voice rising, question after question spilling from my mouth.

"What does he mean, explain? Explain what?"

"Why did he call you his friend like that, didn't you say you were best friends?"

"What did he mean by 'your daughter'?"

"Dad, you’re scaring me—please say something."

"Is this about Mom? Did she know him?"

"Was that why you went missing at the reception? To meet him?"

He didn’t respond. Not once. Not a glance, not a sigh. Nothing. Just kept walking. Each unanswered question made my chest tighter.

He led me to the top floor, then out onto the rooftop of the hospital. The city looked small beneath us, the night sky stretched wide and indifferent. I was still talking, still asking, begging him to talk.

Finally, he stopped. Slowly, he turned to face me.

His eyes were glossy. A kind of sorrow I’d never seen before rested on his face. My heart thudded with dread.

"Sophia... I'm sorry," he said, and tears began rolling down his cheeks.

"Dad, please don't cry," I whispered, shaken. "I'm the one that's supposed to be crying here. What the hell is going on, please?"

He took both my hands gently.

"Sophia, I'm so sorry. I kept a huge secret from you and your mom... thinking this day wouldn't come."

The chill in the air felt sharper. My skin prickled.

"Dad, what's with Uncle Leonard? You know him, right? You know everything? What's the secret? What do I need to know?"

He nodded slowly.

"Ava got pregnant with you when I was just 18. Leonard was my best friend—he was 17. We were about to finish high school. When your mom told me she was pregnant... it hit like lightning. I was happy, but terrified."

His voice cracked, and I gripped his hands harder.

"Our parents... they disowned us. Both of us. Ava went into depression from the shock. She started having complications—bleeding that wouldn't stop. It wasn't a miscarriage, but it was bad. The doctors needed to perform regular transfusions. It was too much. We were kids. We had no one."

He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I worked like crazy—three jobs, sometimes four. It still wasn't enough. She needed blood, medications, care. And then..."

He trailed off. His jaw tightened like he was holding something back.

"Then what?" I asked softly.

He closed his eyes.

"Leo introduced me to his dad. Augustus Morano. That was when I learned who they really were. Powerful. Untouchable. Dangerous. Augustus promised to help. He said he'd save Ava... but on one condition. If the child survived, the child would belong to Leonard."

Everything inside me went silent.

The wind seemed louder suddenly, brushing past my ears like whispers.

Belong? To Leonard?

"Leo didn't like the idea either," Dad added quickly. "But... Augustus doesn’t deal in choices. The rich, Sophia... they never give without taking."

I stared at him, unmoving.

The world around me tilted. My knees felt weak.

Belong. That word kept ringing in my head.

I was just a deal?

My breath hitched. I didn’t even realize I had started crying until a tear landed on my wrist.

My entire body stung. My chest, my heart, everything. Like I had been struck from the inside. I took a step back.

"I'm sorry, Sophia," Dad said, stepping forward. "If I hadn't done it, you and your mom would have died. I had no choice."

No choice.

I wiped my tears away angrily.

No choice?

What kind of father signs away his child like property?

A thousand questions fought to leave my lips but none of them made it past my throat.

What was I now?

Why did Leonard treat me like I was his possession?

Was I really just some payment for a favor?

A transaction?

A silence so thick filled the rooftop that even the wind seemed to stop.

I turned away, eyes brimming with a new wave of tears.

I didn’t know who I was anymore. Or what I was supposed to do.

I couldn’t look at my father.

And for the first time in my life... I wasn't sure I wanted to.

The stars above blurred through my tears.

My thoughts tangled like vines.

Was I truly someone else's to claim?

Had my life been a lie from the start?

What did dad mean by “belong”?

Was I even… me?

One question echoed louder than the rest:

If Leonard owned me... what exactly did he intend to do with me?