Chapter 2

As soon as I reached the office, I told my manager I was quitting.

He was one of the few people at the company who knew about Silas and me. He looked uneasy. "Sophia, are you sure? Does Silas know? He..."

"We broke up. He doesn't need to know what I do anymore."

My manager sighed. "Your resignation is pending approval. Go back to work for now."

I nodded and went back to my desk.

The office group chat was buzzing with gossip.

Someone wrote, "The boss actually brought Lina to work today. I even heard them discussing dinner plans."

It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

In eight years together, Silas had never once let me be openly part of his world.

Early on, when we were madly in love, I begged him to take me to one of the Sicilian families' dinners. Just once.

Silas straightened his tie and said impatiently, "It's not a party. You dropped out of the race to become heir long ago, and you haven't touched family business in years. Even if you came, would you understand anything we talked about?"

I never brought it up again.

That was the day I started training with firearms, learning hand-to-hand combat, and studying how to negotiate with arms dealers.

I made myself into a copy of Silas, all so I'd be good enough to stand beside him.

As it turned out, some people didn't have to do anything to earn that place.

The chat went quiet. I took a deep breath.

In seven days, it would all be over.

The paperwork moved quickly. That afternoon, I was told to go down to the records office and sign off on my resignation.

As I passed the second office on the top floor, I heard a familiar laugh.

"Try this. It's really good."

Through the crack in the door, I saw Lina and Silas having lunch together. Lina held a macaron to his lips.

Silas never ate sweets.

Once, I'd made him dessert. He'd walked out and left me alone in the house, not knowing what I'd done wrong.

Now he only frowned a little. When Lina kept coaxing him, he took a bite. "Not bad."

I let out a short laugh.

So Silas could be this tender.

He wiped a smear of cream off Lina's lip with a napkin and asked softly, "Did you sleep okay last night? Any trouble falling asleep?"

Lina smiled. "I slept okay. Thank you for everything you've done for me over the years. I'd probably be dead without you."

Then she seemed to remember something. "But I heard you turn off your phone after ten. I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Silas's voice softened. "You saw your mother die. You've had terrible PTSD ever since, and you haven't slept well in years. She died saving me. Making time for you is the least I can do.

"You don't need to apologize, Lina. You're special to me."

I leaned against the wall until I felt steady again, then hurried out of the building.

At home, I took out a suitcase and packed my things one by one.

I'd lived on that estate for eight years, yet the things that were truly mine didn't even fill one suitcase.

That evening, Silas called. "Come downstairs. We're having dinner at the old house tonight."

I mumbled a yes.

When I saw the Bentley out front, I went to open the passenger door without thinking, only to find Lina already sitting there with a cup of hot chocolate.

"Surprise!"

Lina moved too fast and spilled her drink. A few drops spattered the front of my dress.

Her voice came out a little hoarse. "Sophia, I'm sorry."

I looked up at Silas.

He was carefully wiping chocolate off Lina's hand with a napkin. He didn't even look up. "Lina's blood sugar dropped. She needs the chocolate to feel better.

"She just wanted to surprise you. Don't be mad at her."

But he hated anyone eating or drinking in his car. That included me.

Lina really was special.

Without a word, I went back up to the bedroom, changed, and came back down.

Lina hurried to tidy the seat. "Sorry, I was so busy talking to Silas that I forgot I was sitting up front. I'll move to the back, I..."

I smiled calmly and pushed her back into the passenger seat. "It's fine. Stay there. It's just a seat."

When I'd opened the passenger door, Lina had seen me. Without missing a beat, she'd moved the cup to her left hand, the one by the door.

It was a cheap little trick.

But I'd be gone soon.

Whatever games she wanted to play, I couldn't be bothered.

I opened the back door and caught Silas giving me a puzzled look.

I pretended not to see it.

Whether it was the passenger seat or the man beside it, I could walk away once I stopped caring.