Married By Contract, Bounded By Love.

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER THREE

As Sophia walked inside, the hospital's bright lights made everything feel sterile and overwhelming. She hated the smell of antiseptics but that was the least of her concerns right now.

“I’m here for Antonio Lombardi,” she said, her voice barely steady. “I got a call… he’s in a coma.”

The nurse behind the desk looked up, her eyes softening with sympathy. “He’s been moved to Room 305. Dr. Whitman is waiting for you.”

Sophia’s feet carried her forward down the long, sterile hallway, but her mind spun.

How did this happen? He had been improving, hadn’t he? A few days ago, they’d sat and talked for hours. He’d been smiling, laughing, telling her stories.

Her heart pumped hard as she reached Room 305. She stopped, staring at the door, and with a shaky breath, she forced herself to push the door open.

Anthonio laid so still, his chest rising and falling faintly under the white sheet.

“Dad…” Her voice trembled as she stepped closer, her fingers brushing his hand. The door creaked behind her, and a tall man in a white coat entered the room. Dr. Whitman. He looked worn, but his eyes softened with understanding as they met hers.

“Sophia,” he said. “I’m so sorry. Your father’s condition changed suddenly.”

She turned to him, her heart pounding. “But he was getting better, wasn’t he? You told me he was improving.”

Dr. Whitman moved closer to the bed, placing his hand gently in his pockets. “He was,” he said carefully. “We believe it’s a combination of his heart condition and a sudden drop in blood pressure that caused the coma.”

A wave of helplessness swept over her, and her knees weakened. “But he’ll wake up soon, right?” Her voice came out in a whisper, almost begging for reassurance.

Dr. Whitman hesitated, “We’re monitoring him closely,” he said, his tone gentle. “Right now… it’s difficult to predict when he’ll wake.”

The words pierced through Sophia, and she sank into the chair beside her father’s bed, her hand covering her face. “I’ve done everything I could,” she murmured, more to herself than to him. Her voice wavered as she began to weep, her shoulders shaking as she poured out her anguish.

As she wiped her tears, a weak sound came from the bed. Her eyes snapped at her father, and she froze. His fingers twitched, and his eyelids fluttered as if he were trying to wake up.

“Dr. Whitman!” she cried, jumping to her feet. The doctor moved quickly to Anthonio’s side, checking the monitors and calling for a nurse. Sophia leaned over her father, her heart racing. “Dad, can you hear me? It’s me, Sophia.”

Antonio’s eyes opened slowly, his gaze unfocused. He murmured something, his voice hoarse and faint.

“I need you to wait outside, Sophia, while we check his vitals and stabilize him. It might take a while, Dr. Whitman said.

She nodded, backing toward the door reluctantly as a few nurses entered the room. As she stepped outside, she watched them gather around him, adjusting the monitors and Dr. Whitman giving orders.

***

Sophia felt her heart jump as the door to her father’s room finally opened. Dr. Whitman walked out, his face calm.

“Sophia, you can go in now. He’s stable but take it slow with him.”

Sophia nodded, pushing through the door. Her father lay propped up, his eyes open, looking exhausted. She rushed to sit by his side, grasping his hand as a relieved smile tugged at her lips.

“Sophia” Antonio managed, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry I scared you. But I have to tell you something important…”

Sophia’s chest tightened. “What is it?”

“Ben,” he said, his voice wavering. “Your ex… he came here. I don’t know how he found where I was, but he visited. And he wasn’t here out of concern… he was angry, Sophia. I’ve never seen that side of him before.”

Sophia felt a chill run down her spine. “Angry? Why?”

Antonio’s gaze dropped, and he took a trembling breath. “He said… if I truly wanted you safe, you must come to him. Said that we’d regret it if you didn’t.” He paused, he stuttered as his chest heaved with the memory.“He claimed you belonged with him, and he’s going to get you back”

Sophia’s fingers tightened on her father’s hand, her mind racing from the anger that rose in her heart.

Ben? How could he, after all that happened? Her head was already banging from all the tears so she was too tired to think of how to deal with him. At least her father was back.

“It’s okay, Dad. I’ll deal with him later. Let’s focus on your recovery. Nicolas will make sure we’re safe,” she said with a smile.

Sophia’s phone buzzed in her lap. She didn’t even have to look at the screen to know who it was. She looked at her phone for a minute, letting it ring. She had been in the hospital for almost two hours, and he was just calling. “How nice” Sophia snickered as she swiped to answer. She pressed the phone to her ear, her voice flat. “Hi”

On the other hand, Nicolas’s voice was cool. “Heard you’re at the hospital, is everything okay?”

She wanted to get angry, but she was too tired to. She took a steadying breath. “Nothing you should worry about” she replied, ending the call before he could say anything more.

She looked back at her dad, he was already sleeping, his breathing normal and his face getting brighter than when she first came in. She smiled as she stood to curl up on the small couch in the room. Her body was too tired to protest the uncomfortable position, and she soon slept off.

***

Sophia walked out of the hospital unable to keep her eyes open. She felt so drowsy as she walked to the car.

“Let’s go, Gaius.” She said as she crashed into the back seat. She had not even settled in well when she found out they were home.

The faint glow from the hallway filtered in as Sophia quietly stepped through the front door of the mansion, feeling the familiar, cool floor beneath her shoes. Setting her keys on the hall table, she let out a tired breath, running a hand over her face and her disheveled waist-length hair as she headed toward her bedroom. The warmth of home wraps around her, the scent of fresh linen and faint cologne lingering. She heard a faint rustle as she climbed the stairs, probably Nicolas back from wherever he’d been.

Something nudged her to check Nicolas’s room. She took a breath, her heels echoing softly against the marble floor as she headed toward the master bedroom.

The door was ajar, a slice of light spilling into the dim hallway. She frowned. Nicolas never left his door open, so something was wrong. Something churned in her stomach as she pushed the door open wider—and stopped cold.

There, in bed, Violet lay beside Nicolas. The sheet barely covered them, and Nicolas was propped on one elbow. He turned to look at her with a look that was both indifferent and… satisfied. There wasn’t a trace of remorse in his eyes. Violet shot her a smirk, settling even closer to him.

“I told you he’s mine. You have no place here. Puppet”. Violet laughed so hard. Sophia shook, she had never heard an evil laugh like that. The last word kept ringing as if Violet said it with a microphone “puppet”.

“Nicolas?” Her voice is shaky, barely a whisper. “This can’t be happening,” the floor seeming to tilt beneath her.

He met her gaze without flinching, his expression calm as if she’d caught him doing something so normal.

Sophia stumbled back, unable to bear the sight, her heart pounded furiously. Something began to buzz in between her laps, making her legs shake more. She turned to flee down the stairs, trying to shake off the image. But just as she reached the top of the stairs, she felt a grip on her shoulder.

She whirls around, and there is Ben, his face twisted with anger. Before she could react, his hands clamped around her neck, fingers digging in as he shoved her back, his grip tightening.

“You thought you could leave me?” he hissed. “You belong to me”...

She gasped, her hands clawing at his arms, but his hold only grew stronger, his face contorted with rage. Her vision began to blur, the edges darkening as she struggled, desperate for air, her screams for help barely escaping her lips.

“Help…”