Chapter 3
2524 Words
SOPHIA
The first thing I felt was a pounding headache.
I groaned and slowly opened my eyes.
For a few seconds, I couldn't understand where I was.
The ceiling above me was unfamiliar.
Everything around me was unfamiliar.
I blinked several times, trying to make sense of my surroundings.
A large chandelier hung above me. Dark curtains covered the tall windows, and the room smelled faintly of something I couldn't identify.
Then I remembered.
The gate.
The guards.
The enormous house.
Luca Moretti.
His office.
The glass of juice.
My conversation with him.
His hand around my wrist.
And then...
Nothing.
I sat up quickly.
A wave of dizziness hit me so hard that I immediately grabbed the bedsheet.
I closed my eyes and waited for the room to stop spinning.
What happened to me?
I looked down.
My black dress was gone.
I was wearing an oversized T-shirt and shorts.
My heart started racing.
Someone had changed my clothes.
I threw the covers off and stood.
The moment my feet touched the floor, I heard the door open.
I turned sharply.
Luca stood in the doorway.
He looked completely calm.
Almost annoyingly calm.
His eyes moved over me before settling on my face.
“You're awake.”
I stared at him.
“What happened?”
“You passed out.”
“I know that.”
My voice came out harsher than I intended.
“I mean, what happened after I passed out?”
He walked into the room and closed the door behind him.
“You've been asleep for several hours.”
I looked around.
“This is your room?”
“Yes.”
My eyes widened.
“You brought me to your room?”
“You needed somewhere to rest.”
“You have an entire house.”
“I do.”
“And you couldn't put me in one of the other rooms?”
“No.”
I stared at him.
He looked completely unfazed.
I hated that.
“What happened to my clothes?”
“Maria changed them.”
My jaw dropped.
“Your maid changed my clothes?”
“She needed to.”
“You could have called a doctor.”
“I did.”
That caught me off guard.
“What?”
“He examined you while you were unconscious.”
“And?”
“You're fine.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Then why did I pass out?”
Luca was silent for a moment.
“You drank something you shouldn't have.”
I immediately remembered the juice.
The glass sitting in front of me.
The thought of how willingly I'd accepted it made embarrassment crawl up my neck.
I looked away.
He noticed.
“You're remembering.”
“I remember enough.”
I crossed my arms.
“Did you put something in it?”
His expression changed.
“No.”
I searched his face.
“Then what happened?”
“I don't know.”
“That doesn't make sense.”
“I didn't say it did.”
I hated how calm he was.
I walked toward the edge of the bed.
“I want to go home.”
Luca didn't respond.
“I said I want to go home.”
“I heard you.”
“Then let me leave.”
He looked at me for several seconds.
“You're not safe.”
There it was again.
That sentence.
The same one he'd used yesterday.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
“You haven't given me a reason to believe you.”
He walked toward the window.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he spoke.
“Your father wasn't completely honest with you.”
My chest tightened.
“What do you mean?”
“He was a businessman.”
“I know.”
“But he had connections.”
“With who?”
“People you don't want to know.”
I frowned.
“That doesn't tell me anything.”
“Your father did business with people involved in organized crime.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“He wasn't one of them.”
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
“But he knew them.”
“How?”
“Business.”
I shook my head.
“My father wouldn't—”
“He didn't have to be a criminal to become involved with criminals.”
His voice was firm.
“Sometimes all it takes is one deal.”
I looked down.
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he wanted you away from it.”
“Then why did he send me to you?”
Luca looked at me.
“Because he knew I could protect you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You keep saying that like I'm supposed to feel better.”
“You should.”
“I don't.”
He didn't argue.
I looked at him.
“Who is after me?”
“I don't know exactly who will come first.”
My stomach dropped.
“Come first?”
“There are people looking for information your father had.”
“What information?”
“I don't know what he left behind.”
“Then how do you know they're after me?”
“Because you're his daughter.”
I stared at him.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“It does to them.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
I walked toward my handbag, which had been placed on a chair.
“I can't stay here.”
“Phia.”
“I can't.”
“You don't understand.”
“Then make me understand!”
My voice cracked.
Luca went quiet.
I swallowed.
“My father is dead. His business is gone. I don't know what happened to him, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with my life, and now you're telling me people I don't even know are looking for me.”
I wiped my eyes quickly.
“And you expect me to sit here and trust you?”
“No.”
His answer surprised me.
“I don't expect you to trust me.”
“Then what do you expect?”
“I expect you to stay alive long enough to understand everything.”
I stared at him.
He sounded so certain.
That certainty frightened me.
I picked up my handbag.
“I still want to go home.”
Luca studied me.
Then, unexpectedly, he stepped aside.
“Fine.”
I blinked.
“Fine?”
“You can leave.”
I hadn't expected that.
“You're letting me?”
“Yes.”
I looked at him suspiciously.
“You're not going to stop me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if I force you to stay, you'll spend every second trying to escape.”
I stared at him.
He was right.
“And?”
“And I'd rather you come back because you understand that you need protection.”
I didn't know what to say.
He opened the door.
“Your car is waiting downstairs.”
I hesitated.
Then I walked past him.
As I reached the doorway, his voice stopped me.
“Phia.”
I turned.
“If something feels wrong, don't ignore it.”
I frowned.
“That's all?”
“For now.”
I nodded slowly.
Then I left.
---
The drive home was strangely quiet.
I kept checking the rear-view mirror.
Nothing.
No suspicious cars.
No one following me.
Maybe Luca had exaggerated everything.
Maybe he was simply trying to keep me under his control.
I didn't know.
But something about his words wouldn't leave my mind.
Your father had connections.
People are looking for you.
If something feels wrong, don't ignore it.
I sighed.
I was exhausted.
I just wanted my old life back.
Whatever was left of it.
When I finally arrived at my house, I parked in the driveway and remained in the car for several seconds.
The house looked exactly as I'd left it.
Quiet.
Empty.
Lonely.
I reached for my handbag.
Then stopped.
Something felt wrong.
I looked at the front door.
It was slightly open.
My heart began beating faster.
I was certain I'd locked it.
I stepped out of the car.
Maybe I hadn't.
Maybe I was just tired.
I walked toward the door.
“Sophia?”
No answer.
I pushed it open.
“Hello?”
Silence.
I stepped inside.
The house smelled exactly the same.
Nothing looked out of place.
I let out a breath.
See?
Nothing was wrong.
I closed the door behind me.
Then I heard a sound.
A floorboard creaked somewhere behind me.
I turned.
A shadow moved.
Before I could react, a hand covered my mouth.
I screamed into it.
I struggled violently.
Another pair of hands grabbed my arms.
My handbag fell to the floor.
My phone slipped out.
I tried to reach for it.
I couldn't.
Panic took over.
I kicked backward, but someone caught my leg.
“Hold her.”
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
Who were these people?
What did they want?
And then Luca's warning flashed through my mind.
Don't ignore it.
I should have listened.
I should have stayed.
I should have—
Everything went dark.
---
When I opened my eyes, my head was pounding.
I tried to move.
My hands were tied.
Panic immediately returned.
I looked around.
I didn't recognize the room.
A man stood near the door.
He noticed that I was awake.
“She’s awake.”
Another man walked in.
He looked at me for a few seconds.
“Where is Moretti?”
I stared at him.
“I don't know.”
He smiled.
“You really don't know?”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“Your father didn't tell you anything?”
I shook my head.
“My father is dead.”
“We know.”
My heart sank.
“Then what do you want from me?”
“Information.”
“I don't have any.”
He stared at me.
“Everyone has something.”
I looked toward the door.
There was no way out.
I was trapped.
And for the first time, I understood exactly how foolish I'd been.
Luca had warned me.
I had walked straight into danger anyway.
A loud noise suddenly came from somewhere outside.
The man turned.
“What was that?”
Another sound followed.
Footsteps.
Several of them.
The men exchanged glances.
Then someone shouted from outside.
“Moretti!”
My heart stopped.
Luca.
The door burst open.
Everything happened at once.
Men rushed into the room.
The people holding me were distracted.
I tried to move away.
Then I saw him.
Luca.
He looked nothing like the calm man who had stood in front of me that morning.
His expression was cold.
His eyes found mine immediately.
“Phia.”
I didn't know whether I was relieved or terrified.
“Luca!”
He moved toward me.
One of the men raised his weapon.
Luca turned.
A sharp sound filled the room.
Luca staggered.
My breath caught.
“Luca!”
He looked down briefly.
Then back at me.
“I'm fine.”
He wasn't.
I could see the pain in his face.
But he kept moving.
His men dealt with the others while Luca reached me.
He crouched down and started freeing my hands.
His movements were slower now.
“Are you hurt?”
I shook my head.
“What about you?”
“I'm fine.”
“You got shot.”
“It's nothing.”
“It's not nothing!”
My voice broke.
He looked at me.
For some reason, that made everything worse.
I had left.
He had warned me.
And now he was hurt because he'd come after me.
“I should have listened to you.”
His expression softened.
“This isn't your fault.”
“It is.”
“No.”
“I should have stayed.”
“You made your choice.”
“And you got hurt because of it.”
He stared at me.
Then he reached for my hand.
“Look at me.”
I did.
“You're alive.”
My eyes filled with tears.
“Because you came.”
“Yes.”
His voice was quiet.
“And I'll keep coming.”
I swallowed hard.
His words stayed with me.
One of his men approached.
“Sir, we need to move.”
Luca nodded.
Then he stood.
For a second, he swayed.
I grabbed his arm.
“You're not fine.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“You're very stubborn.”
“You're one to talk.”
He almost laughed.
Then his expression became serious again.
“Can you walk?”
I nodded.
He extended his hand.
I took it.
We walked out together.
---
The drive back to the Moretti estate was quiet.
Luca sat beside me.
His men had insisted he needed medical attention, but he refused to go anywhere until he knew I was safe.
I kept looking at him.
At the bandage already wrapped around him.
At the blood that had stained part of his shirt.
Guilt sat heavily in my chest.
Finally, I spoke.
“Luca.”
“Hm?”
“I'm sorry.”
He looked at me.
“For what?”
“For not listening.”
He turned his attention toward the window.
“You had every right to doubt me.”
“But you were right.”
“Yes.”
I frowned.
“You could at least pretend to be humble.”
He looked at me.
For the first time since the kidnapping, I saw the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You're already complaining again.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You're impossible.”
“So I've been told.”
The car continued toward the estate.
When the gates finally came into view, I stared at them.
The first time I'd passed through them, I'd felt trapped.
Now, strangely, I felt relieved.
The gates opened.
The car drove inside.
Luca looked at me.
“You don't have to stay.”
I looked at him.
Then at the enormous house ahead.
I thought about my empty home.
The men who had taken me.
The warning I had ignored.
And the man sitting beside me who had risked his life to come after me.
I took a deep breath.
“I'll stay.”
He didn't say anything.
I continued.
“Just for now.”
A small smile touched his lips.
“Of course.”
The car came to a stop.
I looked through the window at the house.
I had no idea what staying here would mean.
I didn't know what secrets my father had left behind.
I didn't know why Luca seemed to know so much.
And I definitely didn't know what would happen between us.
But I knew one thing.
I wasn't ready to face the danger alone anymore.
I opened the car door.
And this time, when I stepped through the gates of the Moretti estate, I wasn't being forced inside.
I had chosen to come back.
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