Runaway Sofia

I opened the door and stared at Enzo in disbelief.

“You’re just saying that. Y…you don’t mean it.”

“I do, Sofia,” he murmured.

“What my dad owes Luca is a lot,” I said.

“I’m a billionaire,” he replied.

“This isn’t right. I can’t take money from you.”

He rolled his eyes.

“We’ve crossed so many lines. This is nothing.”

I stared at him.

“But why?”

“Because I said I’d handle it,” he snapped.

“That isn’t an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting.” He ran his fingers through his hair, clearly losing patience.

I shook my head, still unable to believe he would really do this.

“You’re willing to pay millions of dollars for me?”

“You’re blaming yourself for something that wasn’t entirely your fault.”

“Marcus is dead because of me,” I whispered.

“He made his choice. Luca made his. And I made mine.”

He paused.

“So let me make this one.”

I swallowed.

“You’re really going to pay my father’s debt?” I asked, still uncertain.

“Yes.”

“And what do you want in return?” I asked wearily.

He sighed deeply.

“Nothing. You ask so many damn questions.”

I almost laughed.

“Nothing?”

“Yes, nothing.”

“There has to be a catch.”

“There isn’t. You’re starting to piss me off.” He snorted.

“You don’t do anything for nothing.”

He smirked, like my suspicion amused him.

“You’re right, Sofia.”

Was he going to tell me to sign some damn contract?

“Then what is it?” I asked.

“I want you to stop blaming yourself for Marcus’s death.”

My eyes widened.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it,” he replied.

“But what about Luca? He won’t believe I was able to raise the money.”

Enzo thought for a moment before speaking again.

“I’ll send it to your dad, using an unknown account.”

“And my dad will give it to Luca,” I added.

He nodded.

“I’ll pay you back,” I said as he was about to leave.

He chuckled.

“Alright.”

I nodded.

     It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Enzo had kept his word. He really gave me the money. He transferred it directly into my father’s account, and now I was on my way to see him in person.

He must have been wondering if someone had mistakenly sent that much money into his account.

I was so happy.

And I knew he would be too.

I arrived at my father’s house and knocked on the door with a wide smile on my face.

The door opened.

I wasn’t expecting to see the anger on his face.

My smile immediately dropped.

He looked around nervously before grabbing my arm and pulling me inside.

I frowned.

“Dad.”

He quickly shut the door behind me.

I looked around the living room. It had been so long since I’d been here.

For a moment, I felt nostalgic.

But it didn’t feel the same anymore.

After my mom died, this house had slowly stopped feeling like home.

I turned back to my father.

“What’s wrong?”

He stared at me.

“Where did you get the money? I know you were behind it, so tell me.”

My eyebrows furrowed. I didn’t think he would ask. He should just be relieved.

“What?”

“The money, Sofia.” He replied sharply. “Where did you get it?”

I cleared my throat.

“It’s for your debt.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said.

“I found a way to get it.”

His expression became even angrier.

“So you couldn’t convince Luca to take you back.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“What?”

“You were supposed to fix this.”

“I tried.”

“You tried?” He scoffed. “And this is what you came back with?”

He pointed toward me as though I had personally insulted him.

“Money.”

I fought the tears that were now threatening to fall from my eyes.

“Dad, I paid your debt. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“No,” he replied.

His answer stunned me.

“I wanted you to make Luca change his mind and take you back. I wanted you to be his wife!”

“I couldn’t.”

“Exactly.”

He shook his head in disgust.

“You had one job, Sofia.”

I clenched my hands.

“I did everything I could.”

“You don’t even understand what you’ve done.”

“I just saved you from losing everything,” I almost yelled.

“No, you haven’t.”

He stepped closer.

“Do you really think paying Luca means he’ll forget about me?”

My stomach tightened in fear.

“You have his money now. He’ll be happy.”

“And you think that’s enough?”

He laughed bitterly.

“Luca will still kill me. You know nothing about him,” he spat.

I stared at him.

“Dad…”

“He gave me seven days because he wanted us to actually pay.”

His voice dropped.

“That’s the thing about Luca. He enjoys the hunt.”

I frowned.

“What does that even mean?”

He shook his head, ignoring my question.

“You were going to become part of the Verri family.”

I said nothing.

“Do you know what that would have meant?”

I remained silent.

“They care about their family, Sofia. They protect their own.”

I sighed. I was completely tired of my existence.

“If you had married Luca, you would have been their family. And I would have been the grandfather of the Verri family’s heir.”

I thought he would be happy.

Instead, I felt something inside me crack.

“Where did you get the money, Sofia?” he suddenly asked.

I said nothing.

He gave me a suspicious look.

“Who gave it to you?”

“I handled it,” I replied, my voice shaking slightly.

He laughed bitterly.

“You’ve always been good at attracting men.”

My chest tightened.

“Just yesterday, I was glad you walked in while Luca was about to kill me in this house.”

His words hit harder than I expected.

I remembered that night.

The fear in his eyes.

The way Luca had looked at him.

The way I had walked into something I never should have seen.

I wished I hadn’t walked in.

I wished Luca had never been interested in me that way.

I wished I had been invisible to him from the beginning.

But none of that mattered now.

I didn’t know when the tears started falling.

I turned and ran toward the door.

“Sofia!” My dad called from behind me.

I ignored him.

I pushed the door open and rushed outside, wiping at my face angrily.

Fuck everything.

I was done.

Done with Luca.

Done with my father.

Done with Enzo.

I would go back to Enzo’s house, take my clothes, and figure out what I was going to do next.

But one thing was certain.

I was going to make one decision for myself.

I was going to run away.