Angelo’s texts to Mia had gone unanswered for hours. At first, he told himself she was probably busy—work could run late, or maybe she just needed space. But as the evening stretched on, a gnawing worry crept in. This wasn’t like her.
Sitting in his apartment, he scrolled through his message thread with her:
Hey, I’m back in town. Let’s catch up soon?
Mia?
You okay?
No response.
Her silence wasn’t intentional, but the weight of the day—her mom’s reckless mistake and the looming debt to Derrick—left her too drained to face anyone, even Angelo.
Angelo tossed his phone onto the sofa, raking his fingers through his hair. He had just come back from spending weeks in Italy dealing with family issues, and all he desired was to hear her voice, to ensure she was alright. Yet with each minute
