Sophia’s POV
The silence in the room afterward was deafening.
Emily watched me carefully.
“Well?” she asked gently.
I stared at my phone, the screen now dark and empty.
“He says it’s complicated.”
She rolled her eyes immediately.
“Of course he does.”
“He says it’s a family arrangement. Business ties. Expectations.”
“And?”
“And he didn’t want to lose me.”
Emily’s jaw tightened. “But he was fine risking you.”
That hit harder than anything else.
I leaned back against the couch, exhaustion flooding through me.
I didn’t feel dramatic.
I didn’t feel angry.
I just felt… hollow.
For weeks, I had walked around lighter than air.
Now I felt like gravity had returned with interest.
I had finally stopped thinking about Frank.
Finally believed I had moved on.
And now here I was agai
