Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

Sophia's POV"Isabella, stop—" I started, but she was already in full performance mode."She's still a Cohen daughter. The alliance would be just as valid." Isabella turned to our father with bright. "And let's be honest, what does Sophia have to lose? Her engagement to Michael isn't even official yet.""We're getting married next month!" I protested.Michael with his bright smile and warm laugh, the boy who'd chosen me when he could have had anyone. Back in college, half the girls in our program had been chasing after him, but somehow, impossibly, he'd asked me out.My first love. My only love. Well, technically not my only... but that one night two years ago didn't count. That had been a mistake, a moment of weakness I'd spent months trying to forget. Some stranger in a hotel bar, too much wine, a night that ended with me sneaking out before dawn, too ashamed to even look at his face.But Michael was different. Michael was sunshine and safety and everything good in my life. He was g

Sophia's POVI thought our conversation was over. I thought I'd made myself clear.I was wrong.My father waited exactly twelve hours before playing his trump card.I was in the kitchen the next morning, mechanically stirring sugar into my coffee and trying to pretend everything was normal, when he appeared in the doorway. His face was calm, almost serene, which should have been my first warning."I've been thinking about our conversation yesterday," he said, settling into the chair across from me."And?" I kept my voice steady, though my hand trembled slightly around the coffee mug."I think I may have been too hasty in accepting your refusal.""There's nothing to reconsider, Daddy. My answer is still no.""Is it?" He tilted his head, studying me with those cold businessman's eyes I'd learned to fear. "Even if saying no means condemning your brother to death?"The coffee mug slipped from my fingers, hitting the marble countertop with a sharp crack. Hot liquid splashed across my hand,

Sophia's POVThe hospital corridors blurred past me as I rushed toward Alfonso's wing, my heels clicking frantically against the polished floors. Please let me be in time. Please don't let them have done anything yet.The call from Dr. Martinez kept replaying in my head, each word like a knife twisting deeper. Discontinue treatment. How could my father be so heartless? How could he use Alfonso—sweet, innocent Alfonso—as a bargaining chip?I turned the corner toward the neurology department, my vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall. Not here. Not where the nurses might see and ask questions I couldn't answer.Focus, Sophia. Alfonso needs you focused.I was moving so fast, so consumed with my desperate mission, that I didn't see the small group emerging from one of the private consultation rooms until it was too late.The collision happened in slow motion.One moment I was rushing forward, the next I was careening directly into a wheelchair. My heel caught on something—the foo

Sophia's POVThe rain hit me the moment I stepped outside the hospital, cold droplets that felt like tiny needles against my skin. I stood there for a moment, letting the water soak through my thin blouse, not caring that I was getting drenched. The physical discomfort was nothing compared to the emotional devastation churning inside me.Twenty-four hours.The words echoed in my head as I walked aimlessly down the sidewalk, my heels clicking against the wet pavement. People rushed past me with umbrellas and newspapers held over their heads, everyone with somewhere important to be, everyone with normal problems that didn't involve choosing between their own life and their brother's.I had no idea where I was going. Home felt impossible—too many memories of Isabella and Michael, too many reminders of the life I'd thought I was building. Michael's apartment was obviously out of the question. I couldn't face going back to my dorm room, couldn't bear the thought of sitting alone with my im

Sophia's POVThe soft chuckle from the VIP section made my skin prickle with unease. Had someone been listening to our entire conversation? The realization that I'd been pouring out my deepest fears and secrets in what I'd thought was a private corner suddenly made me feel exposed and vulnerable.I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, suddenly hyper-aware of how loudly I'd been speaking. How much had they heard? The part about my father forcing me into marriage? The details about the Romano family's reputation? My voice describing Vito Romano as a monster?Oh God. What if word gets back to the wrong people?"You know what, honey?" Emily said gently, apparently noticing my sudden tension. "Everyone goes through difficult times. The important thing is that you don't have to face them alone."I tried to focus on her words, but that chuckle kept echoing in my mind. It had sounded amused, but there was something darker underneath it, something that made the fine hairs on my arms stand on end